What are .smi files?! [SOLVED]
There are myriad file formats out there and recently I received the following question about a .smi file:
What is a .smi file and how do I use it? It was a file with a movie and I am concerned it may be malicious or a virus.
-Mae Bennett
Good question Mae! The .smi file you encountered is most likely a Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange file or “SAMI” file. These files allow for captioning for video files and the basic format is similar to HTML.
In your situation, the .smi file is likely a subtitle file for your movie. The .smi format should be able to accommodate a variety of languages including Korean and other non-English character based languages.
As for maliciousness, traditionally subtitle files have been helpful for movies and harmless for computers. Recently thought, a few exploits have emerged that take advantage of vulnerabilities in media players. Therefore it may be best to exercise caution in utilizing such files or at least make sure your media player (VLC, Kodi, Mplayer, etc.) is up to date!
I hope this helps you Mae. 🙂 Have a great Memorial Day weekend!