How to convert SMI to SRT
TL;DR — Convert old Windows Media SAMI or SMI caption files into standard SRT subtitles for editing, upload, and archive workflows.
Related tool
SMI to SRT Converter
SMI subtitle files usually come from older Windows Media caption workflows. The file is a text document with SAMI markup, timing stored in <SYNC Start=...> blocks, and caption text wrapped in HTML-like tags.
Modern editors, upload forms, and review tools usually expect SRT instead.
Quick answer
Use the SMI to SRT Converter to convert .smi or .sami captions into standard SubRip subtitles. The tool reads SAMI timing blocks, removes wrapper tags, decodes common HTML entities, and creates numbered SRT cues locally in your browser.
If the captions are burned into a WMV video image, SMI conversion will not recover them. You need OCR for burned-in text.
When to convert SMI to SRT
Convert SMI or SAMI to SRT when:
- a Windows Media caption file needs to open in a modern subtitle editor
- a platform accepts SRT but not SAMI captions
- a
.wmvfile was paired with a sidecar.smicaption file - you want a simpler archive copy with numbered cues
- you need to validate, clean, or convert the captions again later
Keep the original SMI file if you still need to inspect the old SAMI classes, language styling, or player-specific markup.
What changes during conversion
SAMI stores timing and text differently from SRT. During SMI to SRT conversion:
- each
<SYNC Start=...>value becomes an SRT start timestamp - the next sync block usually becomes the cue end timestamp
- HTML-like tags such as
<P>and<BR>are removed or converted to line breaks - common entities such as
&,<, and are decoded or cleaned - empty SAMI blocks are skipped
- SRT cue numbers are generated sequentially
The converter creates a practical delivery copy. It does not preserve old SAMI CSS classes or Windows Media styling.
Before and after
SMI before
<SAMI>
<BODY>
<SYNC Start=1000><P Class=ENCC>Welcome to the archive.
<SYNC Start=4200><P Class=ENCC>This SAMI caption needs SRT output.<br>Keep the line break.
<SYNC Start=7200><P Class=ENCC>
</BODY>
</SAMI>SRT after
1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,200
Welcome to the archive.
2
00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:07,200
This SAMI caption needs SRT output.
Keep the line break.Step-by-step workflow
- Save a copy of the original
.smior.samifile. - Open the SMI to SRT Converter.
- Upload or paste the SAMI subtitle content.
- Convert the file to SRT.
- Review the first, middle, and final cues for timing and text cleanup.
- Run the output through the SRT Validator before upload.
Common mistakes
Using a WMV video file instead of the SMI caption file
SMI to SRT conversion works on a text caption file, not the video container. If you only have a .wmv file, start with how to extract subtitles from WMV to check whether captions are embedded, sidecar, or burned in.
Expecting burned-in captions to convert
If the words are part of the video image, there is no SAMI text to parse. Use OCR and manual review instead.
Ignoring legacy encoding
Old SMI files may use Windows encodings. If accents or non-English text look broken, use the Subtitle Encoding Fixer before delivering the SRT.
Keeping old SAMI styling assumptions
SRT does not preserve SAMI classes, CSS, colors, or player-specific layout. Check readability in the final player or upload form.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert an SMI subtitle file to SRT?
Open the SMI to SRT Converter, upload or paste the .smi file, and export the parsed SAMI captions as numbered SRT cues.
Is SMI the same as SAMI?
In subtitle workflows, .smi usually means a SAMI caption file used by older Windows Media players. .sami is another extension for the same style of caption file.
Can I convert SMI subtitles without uploading the file?
Yes. The converter runs locally in your browser, so the subtitle text does not need to be sent to a server.
Related guides
- How to extract subtitles from WMV
- How to convert subtitles to UTF-8
- How to validate SRT files
- Common subtitle format errors and fixes
Related tools
Use the SMI to SRT Converter
Convert SAMI or SMI subtitle files to SRT online for free, locally in your browser with no upload. No signup, no upload, and everything runs locally in the browser.
Open SMI to SRT