Metafiles: .ASX - Advanced Streaming Redirector
About .ASX metafile
The Advanced Stream Redirector (.ASX) format is a type of XML metafile designed to store a list of Windows Media files (.WMA, .ASF, .WMV) to play during a multimedia presentation. .ASX files are textual command files that manage streaming of Windows Media files.
.ASX files are very small in size (about 1K) because they contain no data, just instructions. When a user clicks a link to an .ASX file, the browser downloads it to the cache directory, launches the Windows Media Player, and then starts to receive streaming media.
.ASX files are used frequently on streaming video servers where multiple .ASF files are to be played in succession. Both RTSP and MMS streaming protocols are supported, as well as HTTP.
The advantage of using .ASX files instead of .ASF files is their server location. .ASF files can reside on different server types:
- Windows Media Services Server. File names start with rtsp:// or mms://.
- HTTP Server. File names start with http://.
- Local or network drive. File names start with file://.
.ASX files, on the other hand, can always reside on an HTTP server. When the web browser interprets the .ASX file, it accesses the streaming media file that is specified inside the .ASX file, from the proper HTTP, RTSP, MMS, or file server.
.ASX files have MIME type video/x-ms-asf (as do .ASF files).
Examples of .ASX metafile
<ASX version="3.0">
<ABSTRACT>http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/</ABSTRACT>
<TITLE>BBC7</TITLE>
<AUTHOR>BBC</AUTHOR>
<COPYRIGHT>(c) British Broadcasting Corporation</COPYRIGHT>
<MoreInfo href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7" />
<Entry>
<ref href="mms://wmlive.bbc.co.uk/wms/bbc7/hi_s1" />
<ref href="mms://wmlive.bbc.co.uk/wms/bbc7/hi_s2" />
<MoreInfo href ="http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/" />
<Abstract>BBC7</Abstract>
</Entry>
</ASX>
<ASX version="3.0">
<TITLE>2CR FM</TITLE>
<ENTRY ClientSkip="no">
<TITLE>2CR FM</TITLE>
<AUTHOR>2CR FM</AUTHOR>
<COPYRIGHT>GCap Media</COPYRIGHT>
<REF HREF="http://mediasrv.musicradio.com/2CR?WMContentBitrate=40000"/>
</ENTRY>
<LOGURL HREF="http://medialog.musicradio.com/wmsiislog.dll"/>
</ASX>
<ASX version = "3.0">
<Entry>
<Ref href = "mms://videosrv6.cs.washington.edu/education/courses/.../1audio.wma" />
<title> CSE 77777, Lecture 1 </title>
<author> Univ. of Washington </author>
<copyright> Univ. of Washington 2001 </copyright>
</entry>
</ASX>
<asx version="3.0">
<title>Example.com Live Stream</title>
<entry>
<title>Short Announcement to Play Before Main Stream</title>
<ref href="http://example.com/announcement.wma"/>
<param name="aParameterName" value="aParameterValue"/>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>Main Stream</title>
<ref href="http://example.com/live.wma"/>
<author>Example.com</author>
<copyright>©2005 Example.com</copyright>
</entry>
</asx>
How to play .ASX file
You may use Windows Medi Player to play .ASX files.
Troubleshooting .ASX file playback in Windows Media Player
Open the .ASX file in a text editor like Windows Notepad and try to find the stream URL from the REF section (the URL is surrounded by quotes). You can copy the URL from the .ASX metafile and then open it in the Windows Media Player:
- Start Windows Media Player
- Click "File" -> "Open URL..."
- Paste the URL and hit the "OK" button
The problem with .ASX file usually comes from its incorrect format. Windows Media Player can produce errors when trying to get the media content directed correctly.
Since most .ASX files point to Windows Media content (.WMA, .ASF, .WMV), another suggestion is to reinstall the Windows Media Codec if you have problems. It is also a good idea to reinstall DirectX after installing the Windows Media Codec.
Downloading/Recording/Capturing/Ripping/Saving Windows Media stream from .ASX files
To download/record/capture/rip/save .ASF, .WMV, .WMA stream directed by .ASX metafile, you may use any streaming media recorder that supports Windows Media format and the protocol used (RTSP, MMS or HTTP). We also suggest you to read about finding stream URLs.
WM Recorder is an easy to use stream recorder that can capture more Windows Media streams than any other stream recorder. It can record Windows Media video streams (.ASF, .WMV) and audio streams (.WMA) streamed through the RTSP, MMS and HTTP protocols.
Downloading/Recording/Capturing/Ripping/Saving Windows Media stream in parts using .ASX metafile
To download/record/capture/rip/save Windows Media stream (.WMA, .ASF, .WMV) in parts, you can create a new metafile or edit the existing one. See the following FAQ for more:
How to record Windows Media (Audio and Video) streams in parts with WM Recorder
Hint: Looking for an easy way to convert Youtube to MP3 or download YouTube Videos? Try Freecorder.
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