An ASX file is a text-based redirect playlist for Windows Media setups, containing `` tags aimed at local file locations rather than storing content itself, and can include multiple such references so entries play sequentially as the player follows each link.

ASX files sometimes carry simple labeling metadata so players display proper titles instead of URLs, and may also include playback hints or older decorative elements with inconsistent support; they became widespread because publishers needed a straightforward way to trigger Windows Media Player, manage live radio/video feeds, supply backup stream links, and swap endpoints invisibly, and today the fastest way to decode an ASX is to open it and inspect the `href` targets that show the real content location.

To open an ASX file, you’re really loading a reference file that tells the player where the true media is, so approach varies by playback software and by whether the target is online or local; on Windows, right-click the `.asx`, choose Open with, select VLC, and VLC will follow the stream references, whereas Windows Media Player may work but can fail with older protocols or unsupported formats.

For more info regarding ASX file opener take a look at the web page. If playback fails or you want to check the stream it references, simply open it in a text editor and look for ``, because the `href` value is the actual media link you can copy into VLC’s Open Network Stream or a browser for standard `http(s)` files; an ASX with multiple refs acts like a playlist, so try alternate entries, and if `mms://` appears, testing in VLC is best since newer players may reject it, with repeated failure usually meaning the stream is offline or needs legacy Windows Media components rather than signaling a bad ASX.

If you have an ASX file and want to figure out the true stream URL, treat it as a simple text map by opening it in Notepad and searching for `href=` inside ``; that attribute holds the real link, and multiple entries indicate playlist or fallback behavior, with standard `http(s)` URLs usually being modern endpoints and `mms://` addresses being legacy streams best tested in VLC.

You may see machine-bound locations like `C:\...` or `\\server\share\...`, showing the ASX directs to resources that only exist on that computer or network, and inspecting the `href` entries beforehand ensures it’s not redirecting you to an odd domain while also highlighting whether broken or legacy URLs—not the ASX—are the true cause of playback issues.