ISO/IEC 14496-23:20 08规定了符号音乐表示(SMR)。音乐的符号表示是基于以下的逻辑结构: 代表视听事件的符号元素， 这些事件之间的关系，以及 与如何呈现这些事件（视觉上如乐谱或听觉上）并与其他媒体类型同步相关的方面。 符号音乐表示能够在娱乐、寓教于乐、信息娱乐等几个领域中开发新的应用。，从教育和远程学习，到在家排练和音乐练习，从交互式电视机顶盒等消费电子产品到个人计算机和移动系统。SMR可用于表示多种象征性音乐，包括不同风格的圣歌、文艺复兴、古典、浪漫和20世纪风格、韩国记谱法、儿童简化记谱法、盲文等。ISO/IEC 14496-23:20 08规定 符号音乐可扩展格式（SM-XF）一种基于XML的语言，用于将乐谱编码为主要乐谱、单个部分和相关的歌词； 符号音乐格式化语言(SM-FL)一种基于XML的语言，用于定义应用于SM-XF格式以进行渲染的渲染规则； 符号音乐同步信息(SM-SI)，描述SMR元素和其他视听元素之间的同步信息的二进制格式； SMR比特流的语法和语义。

ISO/IEC 14496-23:2008 specifies Symbolic Music Representation (SMR). A symbolic representation of music is a logical structure based on:

1. symbolic elements representing audiovisual events,
2. the relationship between those events, and
3. aspects related to how those events can be rendered (visually as music notation or audibly) and synchronized with other media types.

The Symbolic Music Representation enables the development of new applications in several domains of entertainment, edutainment, infotainment, etc., from education and distance learning, to rehearsal and musical practice at home, from consumer electronics like set-top boxes for interactive TV to personal computers and mobiles systems. The SMR may be used to represent many kinds of symbolic music including different styles of Chant, Renaissance, Classic, Romantic and 20th Century styles, Korean notation, simplified notations for children, Braille, etc. ISO/IEC 14496-23:2008 specifies

• Symbolic Music Extensible Format (SM-XF) an XML based language used to encode musical scores as main scores, single parts and the associated lyrics;
• Symbolic Music Formatting Language (SM-FL) an XML based language used to define the rendering rules that are applied to the SM-XF format for rendering it;
• Symbolic Music Synchronization Information (SM-SI) a binary format describing the synchronisation information between the SMR elements and the other audiovisual elements;
• syntax and semantics of the SMR bitstream.