Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language) is a World Wide Web Consortium
recommended Extensible Markup Language markup language to describe multimedia
presentations. It defines markup for timing, layout, animations, visual
transitions, and media embedding, among other things. SMIL allows presenting
media items such as text, images, video, audio, links to other SMIL
presentations, and files from multiple web servers. SMIL markup is written in
XML, and has similarities to HTML. Version history
As of 2008, the W3C Recommendation for SMIL is SMIL 3.0.
= SMIL 1.0 = SMIL 1.0 became a W3C Recommendation in
June 1999. = SMIL 2.0 =
SMIL 2.0 became a W3C Recommendation in August 2001. SMIL 2.0 introduced a
modular language structure that facilitated integration of SMIL
semantics into other XML-based languages. Basic animation and timing
modules were integrated into Scalable Vector Graphics and the SMIL modules
formed a basis for Timed-Text. The modular structure made it possible to
define the standard SMIL language profile and the XHTML+SMIL language
profile with common syntax and standard semantics.
= SMIL 2.1 = SMIL 2.1 became a W3C Recommendation in
December 2005. SMIL 2.1 includes a small number of extensions based on practical
experience gathered using SMIL in the Multimedia Messaging System on mobile
phones. = SMIL 3.0 =
SMIL 3.0 became a W3C Recommendation in December 2008. It was first submitted as
a W3C Working draft on December 21, 2006. The last draft revision was
released on October 6, 2008. Authoring tools
Authoring and rendering tools for smilText and SMIL 3.0 PanZoom
functionality: Fluition by Confluent Technologies
Ezer by SMIL Media Grins by Oratrix
GoLive6 by Adobe Hi-Caption, a captioning tool by
Hisoftware HomeSite by Allaire
JM-Mobile Editor for mobiles using SMIL and J2ME technologies
Kino: a non-linear DV editor for GNU/Linux. It features integration with
IEEE-1394 for capture. LimSee2 is an open source SMIL authoring
tool, with support for SMIL 1.0 and SMIL 2.0.
MAGpie, a captioning tool by WGBH MovieBoard, for e-learning
MMS Simulators list Perly SMIL, a SMIL 1.0 Perl module
ppt2smil tool is a PowerPoint macro that convert a PowerPoint presentation to a
streaming SMIL presentation with audio and/or video.
RealSlideshow Basic by RealNetworks SMIL Composer SuperToolz by HotSausage
Smibase, a server-installed software suite
SMIL Editor V2.0 by DoCoMo SMILGen by RealNetworks, a SMIL
authoring tool designed to ease the process of XML.
SMIL Scenario Creator by KDDI SMIRK presentation authoring tool for
the production of accessible slide shows outputting to SMIL 2.0, SMIL 1.0, XHTML
+ SMIL, HTML 4.01. SMOX Pad and SMOX Editor, for advanced
SMIL and HTML+Time development. SMG for a PDA, a BREW, a Phone and a PC
by Smilmedia TAG Editor 2.0 - G2 release by Digital
Renaissance ??? Tagfree 2000 SMIL Editor
Toolkit for MPEG-4 from IBM, creates MPEG-4 binary from content created in
XMT-O. TransTool - open source transcription
tool VeonStudio by Veon
Validator: SMIL 1.0, SMIL 2.0, SMIL 2.0 Basic and XHTML+SMIL by CWI.
3TMAN allows to easily author the complex multimedia projects and then can
export the multimedia projects to the Html+time and/or SMIL formats
Demos SMIL 2.0 Feature-by-feature demos by
RealNetworks Torino and New York demos by Telecom
Italia Lab SMIL1.0, SMIL 2.0 demos available from
Oratrix. Synchronized Multimedia Summer School at
INRIA The Webnews demo, by CWI.
Demos available from RealNetworks SMIL 1.0 tutorial written in SMIL
SMIL1.0 demo of the Canyonlands XHTML+SMIL demos, by Microsoft
XHTML+SMIL demos, by Patrick Schmitz Demos of SMIL Animation used in
combination with SVG at Burning Pixel and KevLinDev
Karaoke demo; SMIL version, you can directly test a Html+time version for
IE6. An enhanced Karaoke demo. SMIL documents
A SMIL document is similar in structure to an HTML document in that they are
typically divided between an optional section and a required section. The
section contains layout and metadata information. The section contains the
timing information, and is generally composed of combinations of three main
tags - sequential, parallel and exclusive. SMIL refers to media objects
by URLs, allowing them to be shared between presentations and stored on
different servers for load balancing. The language can also associate
different media objects with different bandwidth requirements.
For playback scheduling, SMIL supports ISO-8601 wallclock() date/time
specification to define begin/end events for playlists.
= File extension = SMIL files take either a .smi or .smil
file extension. However, SAMI files and Macintosh self mounting images also use
.smi, which creates some ambiguity at first glance. As a result, SMIL files
commonly use the .smil file extension to avoid confusion.
Combination with other XML-based standards
= SMIL+SVG = SMIL is one of three means by which SVG
animation can be achieved. = SMIL+RSS or other web syndication
methods = While RSS and Atom are web syndication
methods, with the former being more popular as a syndication method for
podcasts, SMIL is potentially useful as a script or playlist that can tie
sequential pieces of multimedia together and can then be syndicated through RSS
or Atom. In addition, the combination of multimedia-laden .smil files with RSS or
Atom syndication would be useful for accessibility to audio-enabled podcasts
by the deaf through Timed Text closed captions, and can also turn multimedia
into hypermedia that can be hyperlinked to other linkable audio and video
multimedia. = SMIL+VoiceXML and SMIL+MusicXML =
VoiceXML can be combined with SMIL to provide a sequential reading of several
pre-provided pages or slides in a voice browser, while combining SMIL with
MusicXML would allow for the creation of infinitely-recombinable sequences of
music sheets. Combining SMIL+VoiceXML or SMIL+MusicXML with RSS or Atom could be
useful in the creation of an audible pseudo-podcast with embedded hyperlinks,
while combining SMIL+SVG with VoiceXML and/or MusicXML would be useful in the
creation of an automatically audio-enabled vector graphics animation
with embedded hyperlinks. = SMIL+TEI =
SMIL is anticipated for use within TEI documents.
Status of SMIL SMIL is being implemented on handheld
and mobile devices and has also spawned the Multimedia Messaging Service which
is a video and picture equivalent of Short Message Service.
SMIL is also one of the underlying technologies used by HD DVD for advanced
interactivity. The field of Digital Signage is
embracing SMIL as a means of controlling dynamic advertising in public areas.
The internet video site Hulu uses SMIL as part of its media playing technology.
SMIL players = Software =
Most commonly used web browsers have native support for SMIL. However it was
never implemented in Microsoft browsers, and it is marked as deprecated in Google
Chrome. Other software that implement SMIL playback include:
Adobe Media Player Amarok
Helix Player QuickTime Player
RealPlayer Totem
Windows Media Player Zune
= Hardware = IAdea XMP-300 media player
SpinetiX HMP100 Hyper Media Player SpinetiX HMP130 Hyper Media Player
SpinetiX HMP200 Hyper Media Player Thomson/Grass Valley MediaEdge-3 player
ViewSonic NMP-550 media player ViewSonic EP1020r wireless
display+player Innes DMC200 media player
Innes DME204 media player with HD H264 encoder embedded
Media player boxes based on dedicated 1080p decoder chips such as the Sigma
Designs 8634 processor are getting SMIL players embedded in them.
= Embedding SMIL files into XHTML web pages =
A SMIL file must be embedded, then opened using a plug-in such as Apple's
QuickTime or Microsoft's Windows Media Player, to be viewed by a browser that
doesn't support SMIL. Sources
van der Heijden, Dennis. "SMIL Standards and Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, 7,
and 8". Axistive. Archived from the original on 2007-06-03. Retrieved
2013-11-22. See also
Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange
HTML+TIME XHTML+SMIL
Multimedia Messaging Service Scalable Vector Graphics
Timed Text Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica
Nested Context Language Semantic Web
References ^ W3C 1st Working draft for SMIL 3.0
^ last draft revision of 3.0 ^ Bulterman, D.C.A., & Rutledge, L..
SMIL 3.0. New York, NY: Springer. ^ Podcasting & SMIL
^ Analysis of RSS+Time as a playlist format
^ Accessible Podcasting ^ Podcasting: SMIL Alternative?
^ Guidelines for Electronic Text Encoding and Interchange, [1], [2]
^ 3GPP, 3GPP TS 26.140 Multimedia Messaging Service; Media formats and
codecs ^ DigiSigToday, Digital Signage Media
Player to Support SMIL Standard, 2008 ^ A-SMIL.ORG, SMIL for Digital Signage
^ "Can I use... SVG SMIL animation". Retrieved 2015-01-21.
External links W3C's SMIL Web Site
SMIL 3.0