Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language

SMIL
Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language
SVG with an animated refraction effect using SMIL and SVG filter effects
Abbreviation	SMIL
Native name	Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language
Latest version	SMIL 3.0 December 1, 2008 (2008-12-01)
Organization	W3C
Committee	SYMM Working Group
Editors	Editors Dick Bulterman Jack Jansen Pablo Cesar Sjoerd Mullender Eric Hyche Marisa DeMeglio Julien Quint Hiroshi Kawamura Daniel Weck Xabiel García Pañeda David Melendi Samuel Cruz-Lara Marcin Hanclik Daniel F. Zucker Thierry Michel
Base standards	XML, SVG
Domain	Multimedia
Website	www.w3.org/TR/2008/REC-SMIL3-20081201/

Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL (As of 2008, the W3C Recommendation for SMIL is SMIL 3.0.

SMIL 1.0 became a W3C Recommendation on 15 June 1998.

SMIL 2.0 became a W3C Recommendation on 9 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 (SVG) 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 became a W3C Recommendation on 13 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 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 and rendering tools for smilText and SMIL 3.0 PanZoom functionality:

• Fluition by Confluent Technologies
• Ezer by SMIL Media
• Grins by Oratrix
• GoLive 6 by Adobe, discontinued in April 2008
• Hi-Caption, a captioning tool by Hisoftware
• HomeSite by Allaire, discontinued in September 2003
• JM-Mobile Editor for mobiles using SMIL and J2ME technologies
• Kino: a non-linear DV editor for 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 (Japanese only)
• 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 (and XML) 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 (based on the SMIL 2.0 syntax and semantics).
• 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. (needs an HTML renderer)
• Demos available from RealNetworks
• SMIL 1.0 tutorial written in SMIL
• SMIL1.0 demo of the Canyonlands
• XHTML+SMIL demos, by Microsoft (works In > IE5.5 only)
• XHTML+SMIL demos, by Patrick Schmitz (works In > IE5.5 only)
• 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.

A SMIL document is similar in structure to an HTML document in that they are typically divided between an optional <head> section and a required <body> section. The <head> section contains layout and metadata information. The <body> section contains the timing information, and is generally composed of combinations of three main tags—sequential ("<seq>", simple playlists), parallel ("<par>", multi-zone/multi-layer playback) and exclusive ("<excl>", event-triggered interrupts). 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.

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.

SMIL was created during a time when structured data using XML was very popular and during a time when Internet Explorer was very popular. Thus "combining" SMIL with other markup languages was considered one of the best current practices of the day.

• W3C's SMIL Web Site
• SMIL 3.0 (W3C Recommendation)