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SMI to LRC Subtitle Converter

Transform Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange subtitles into LRC format instantly and privately in your browser.

Drag & drop your SMI file here

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Supports .smi, .sami, .html files up to 50 MB

Core Engine Architecture

Free Online SMI to LRC Converter

Our SMI to LRC converter reads Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange input and produces Lyrics output entirely in your browser. Source SMI timing (whole milliseconds (Start=...)) is converted to LRC timing ([mm:ss.xx] minute-second-centisecond). SMI styling and markup that the target format cannot represent are stripped, leaving valid, ready-to-use output. The conversion runs client-side, so your subtitle files are never uploaded to a server.

Payload & Syntax Inspector

SMI to LRC Code Syntax & Structure Inspection

Side-by-side code inspection illustrating header definitions, timestamp syntax, and cue payload formatting

Millisecond Sync
input.smi
SMI SOURCE
<SAMI>
<BODY>
<SYNC Start=1000><P Class=ENCC>Hello, world!</P>
<SYNC Start=4000><P Class=ENCC>&nbsp;</P>
<SYNC Start=4500><P Class=ENCC>This is a subtitle file.</P>
<SYNC Start=8000><P Class=ENCC>&nbsp;</P>
<SYNC Start=8500><P Class=ENCC>Converted locally!</P>
<SYNC Start=12000><P Class=ENCC>&nbsp;</P>
</BODY>
</SAMI>
output.lrc
LRC RESULT
[00:01.00]Hello, world!
[00:04.50]This is a subtitle file.
[00:08.50]Converted locally!
Specification Sheet

SMI vs LRC Technical Specifications

Standard Compliant
Input Format

SMI

SMI

SMI (SAMI, Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange) is a Microsoft subtitle format built from HTML-like <SYNC> elements whose Start attribute is given in milliseconds. SMI supports multiple language tracks through CSS classes and was widely used for Windows Media Player captions and accessibility content.

Output Format

LRC

LRC

LRC (Lyrics) is a timestamped lyrics format for music players and karaoke apps. Each lyric line is prefixed with a [mm:ss.xx] timestamp. LRC has no end times (a line ends when the next begins) and no styling, making it ideal for synced song lyrics rather than film subtitles.

Format Differences

SMI and LRC use different internal structures; the converter normalizes the source cues into the target layout.
SMI uses millisecond Start attributes on <SYNC> elements; LRC uses single start timestamps in [mm:ss.xx] with no end time.
SMI may carry styling or markup; LRC carries plain text only, so unsupported formatting is removed.

Conversion Troubleshooting & Gotchas

Practical solutions for player compatibility, character encoding, and timing synchronization

4 Common Gotchas
GOTCHA #1

Subtitle timing drifts or appears out of sync on media players

Video files frequently differ in framerate (e.g., 23.976 fps vs 25 fps). If the timing drifts steadily, use our Subtitle Sync tool to adjust the global offset or framerate stretch.

GOTCHA #2

Characters appear as garbled symbols or question marks (Mojibake)

Legacy files saved in Windows-1252, Shift-JIS, or GBK may render incorrectly. Our exporter standardizes output to clean UTF-8. Use our Subtitle Encoding Converter if the source file is corrupted.

GOTCHA #3

Overlapping captions when multiple speakers talk simultaneously

Different formats handle overlapping dialogue differently. If your target player cannot render stacked cues cleanly, open the file in our Subtitle Editor to adjust individual cue timings.

GOTCHA #4

Video editing software (Premiere, DaVinci, Final Cut) rejects the file

Professional NLE software enforces strict syntax rules. Our converter eliminates malformed line breaks and non-standard tags, producing clean, standardized files.

Features

Generates [mm:ss.xx] timestamps marking when each line begins.
Converts source timing to LRC's minute-second-centisecond format.
Outputs each cue with a start timestamp, stripping formatting and end times.
Produces clean UTF-8 LRC ready for music and karaoke players.

Why Convert?

LRC is the standard format for synced lyrics in music players and karaoke apps.
Converting subtitles to LRC turns timed dialogue into timestamped lyric lines for songs and music.
LRC is plain text and widely supported by MiniLyrics, Poweramp, and karaoke software.
LRC is ideal when you need line-by-line synced text rather than full start/end subtitle cues.
Scenarios

Common Use Cases

Synced Lyrics

Turn timed subtitles into LRC lyric files for music players that display synced song lyrics.

Karaoke

Produce LRC files for karaoke applications that read line-synced lyrics.

Music Apps

Generate LRC for MiniLyrics, Poweramp, and other lyric-capable music players.

Format Ecosystem

Related Formats

How It Works

  1. 1

    Upload your .smi file by dragging it in or browsing.

  2. 2

    The parser reads the Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange structure and extracts each cue's start, end, and text.

  3. 3

    Source SMI timing (whole milliseconds (Start=...)) is converted to LRC timing ([mm:ss.xx] minute-second-centisecond).

  4. 4

    SMI styling and markup are stripped, and cues are formatted to the LRC specification.

  5. 5

    The output .lrc file is generated and ready to download.

Frequently Asked Questions

It reads a Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange file, parses each cue's timing and text, strips SMI markup, and writes a valid .lrc file. Source SMI timing (whole milliseconds (Start=...)) is converted to LRC timing ([mm:ss.xx] minute-second-centisecond).

Absolutely. Every conversion runs client-side in your browser. No subtitle data, file contents, or metadata is ever transmitted to a server.

SMI styling and markup are removed. Cue start times are truncated to centisecond precision and end times are not represented. Multi-line cue text remains multi-line, with only the first line receiving the timestamp.

Yes, completely free with no sign-up, no watermarks, and files up to 50 MB each. All processing happens in your browser, so your files are never uploaded to a server.

Source SMI timing (whole milliseconds (Start=...)) is converted to LRC timing ([mm:ss.xx] minute-second-centisecond).

Yes. The converter is fully responsive and works in any modern mobile browser on iOS and Android.

Ready to convert your subtitles?

Drop your SMI file here and convert to LRC instantly.