What is the CLPI file format?
CLPI files are used by Blu-ray technology as part of the BDMV disc folder structure.
A .clpi file stores information related to the audio and video streams recorded on a BD disc but does not contain any audio or video data itself. Each .clpi is paired with a matching .m2ts stream file of the same five-digit name - for example, 00001.clpi describes 00001.m2ts. The file lives in the BDMV/CLIPINF/ folder on the disc or in a ripped image.
CLPI files are necessary for proper Blu-ray playback. Beyond synchronizing streams, they hold a codec map (stream PIDs, language attributes, codec types) and an EP map - a table of seek points that allows fast-forward, rewind and chapter navigation to land accurately within the large .m2ts stream. Without this map a player would have to scan the entire stream to find a given timecode.
The file begins with an 8-byte ASCII header: the type tag HDMV followed by a version string such as 0200 (standard BD) or 0300 (some UHD/4K Blu-ray discs). A backup copy is kept in BDMV/BACKUP/CLIPINF/ on the disc. AVCHD camcorder recordings reuse the same clip-info format.
CLPI files can be read by players such as VLC media player, and tools like MakeMKV parse them to locate and extract individual titles.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA .clpi clip-information file is small binary metadata - not executable, not video - so opening it is harmless (and does nothing visible). The real cautions are legal and source-related: ripping retail Blu-rays bypasses AACS copy protection, which is restricted in some jurisdictions, and "free Blu-ray player / BDMV codec" download sites are a common adware/PUP vector - get VLC, MakeMKV and HandBrake only from their official sites.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open CLPI files
Windows3 apps
VLC media player
Open-source Media > Open Disc, or open the folder ABOVE BDMV - VLC reads the playlists/clip-info and plays the title. Don't open a .clpi alone. 
Cyberlink PowerDVD
Paid Mainstream commercial Blu-ray player; opens the disc/BDMV folder with full menu and AACS support. Uses .clpi internally for seeking. 
MakeMKV
Freemium Not a player but a ripper: open the BDMV folder/disc to extract the main title to MKV (it reads the clip-info/playlists to assemble the movie). 
macOS2 apps
VLC media player
Open-source Open the folder containing BDMV (or the disc); VLC follows playlists/clip-info to the streams. 
Linux2 apps
VLC media player
Open-source Open the disc or BDMV parent folder; install libaacs/libbdplus for protected discs. Plays via playlists/clip-info. Technical details
deep spec| File header | 8-byte ASCII: "HDMV" (type tag) followed by a 4-byte version string |
| Internal version strings | "0100", "0200" (standard BD), "0300" (some UHD/4K Blu-ray discs) |
| Encoding | Binary, big-endian |
| Typical file size | ~1 KB to a few hundred KB (grows with the number of EP map seek points) |
| Disc location | BDMV/CLIPINF/ folder; backup copy in BDMV/BACKUP/CLIPINF/ |
| Naming convention | Five-digit number matching its .m2ts stream (e.g. 00001.clpi ↔ 00001.m2ts) |
| Main data blocks | ClipInfo, SequenceInfo, ProgramInfo (codecs/PIDs), CPI/EP map, ClipMark, ExtensionData |
| EP map function | Maps timestamps to byte offsets in the .m2ts stream, enabling accurate chapter seek and fast-forward |
| Media content | None - contains only metadata; all audio/video is in the paired .m2ts file |
| Compression | None (fixed-field binary tables) |
| Encryption | None (the .clpi itself is unencrypted; disc video may be AACS/BD+ protected) |
| AVCHD compatibility | AVCHD camcorder recordings reuse the same clip-info format and folder structure |
| Released | 2006 (Blu-ray Disc / BD-ROM specification); AVCHD uses the same clip-info format |
| Latest version | CLPI version "0200" (BD); "0300" on some UHD/4K Blu-ray discs |
| Specification | blu-raydisc.com |
CLPI conversions
Community Q&A
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