What is a .ISM file?
ISM describes a Microsoft Smooth Streaming presentation.
- Did you know
- Smooth Streaming was Microsoft’s adaptive-bitrate technology for Silverlight and beyond.
- The ISM is a server-side manifest that IIS uses to map incoming requests to media files and is never sent to the player itself.
- Smooth Streaming stores its media as fragmented MP4 in .ismv and .isma files that the ISM ties together.
- What Analyser reads
- Inspect streaming manifests and video containers: HLS/DASH/Smooth Streaming/HDS manifests and playlists; pro/broadcast MXF/GXF/LXF/DV; ASF/.dvr-ms and RealMedia; DivX/F4V/Insta360/GoPro proxies/GIFV; raw elementary streams (IVF, Y4M, MPEG-1/2, H.264/H.265 SPS, AV1 OBU); MPEG program/transport and PVR/DVB recordings; Windows Recorded TV, Ogg Media, NUT; DPX/Cineon/Dahua/.yuv identified.
- Depth of analysis
- .ISM is an identification-grade format: Analyser recognises it from its bytes and decodes the header metadata it carries, rather than opening it in a full viewer. Formats that do get a full viewer are marked "Full" on the formats page.
- Open a .ISM file
- Drag a .ISM file onto the Analyser home page (or tap to pick one). It is identified entirely in your browser - nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and it works offline once installed.