What is the HMT file format?
.hmt files belong to the category of data files generated by HighMAT (High Performance Media Access Technology) - a disc standard co-developed by Microsoft and Panasonic. It was created to enable the recording of audio and video data on optical discs in a way that could be easily read and navigated by most HighMAT-compatible players via an on-screen menu.
.hmt files are not media files themselves - they contain the metadata, disc structure index, and thumbnail data that HighMAT-certified consumer electronics players use to build navigation menus. A HighMAT-formatted disc stores these files inside a HIGHMAT folder: CONTENTS.HMT (disc content index), MENU.HMT (menu layout), TEXT.HMT (text strings), and thumbnail .hmt files in an IMAGES subfolder. The actual media - JPEG photos, MP3/WMA audio, WMV and MPEG-4 video - is stored separately on the disc.
HighMAT was supported through the Windows XP CD Writing Wizard and a dedicated add-on for Windows Media Player. The standard was never extended to Windows Vista or later systems. Currently, this technology is no longer supported - Microsoft discontinued HighMAT around 2008 and removed the Extension download - hence .hmt files are very rarely encountered today.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWHMT files are metadata structures on optical discs; they contain no executable code. No known security issues. The technology is so obsolete that no malware targets the format.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open HMT files
Windows1 app
Windows Media Player (with HighMAT Extension)
Free HighMAT Extension was a free add-on for WMP on Windows XP - allowed writing HighMAT discs. No longer available for download; not supported on Windows Vista+. Technical details
deep spec| Purpose | Metadata, disc structure index, and thumbnail data for HighMAT-formatted optical discs |
| Standard co-developers | Microsoft Corporation and Panasonic (Matsushita Electric); announced 2002 |
| Disc folder location | Stored inside a HIGHMAT folder on the formatted CD or DVD |
| Key file roles | CONTENTS.HMT (content index), MENU.HMT (menu structure), TEXT.HMT (text strings); thumbnail HMTs in IMAGES/ subfolder |
| Supported media on disc | JPEG photos, MP3, WMA audio, WMV and MPEG-4 video |
| Standard versions | HighMAT 1.x; HighMAT 2.0 DVD extension announced 2003 but never widely adopted |
| Authoring tools | Windows XP CD Writing Wizard; HighMAT Extension add-on for Windows Media Player |
| Consumer device requirement | Requires a HighMAT-certified DVD/CD player to display menus; standard discs play normally on non-certified players |
| OS support | Windows XP only; never supported on Windows Vista, 7, or later |
| Microsoft discontinuation | Support and Extension download removed circa 2008 |
| Encoding | Binary proprietary; internal structure not publicly documented |
| Typical size | 1 KB - 100 KB per HMT file (thumbnail and index data) |
| Superseded by | Standard DVD-Video menus, Blu-ray disc menus, DLNA home media networking |
| Released | 2002 (HighMAT specification launched) |
HMT conversions
Community Q&A
asked by usersNo questions yet - be the first to ask about HMT files.
