Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Realplayer shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Realplayer offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Realplayer at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Realplayer? Wrong! If the Realplayer is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Realplayer then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Realplayer? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Realplayer and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Realplayer wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Realplayer then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Realplayer site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Realplayer, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Realplayer, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
{{Infobox_Software2|name = RealPlayer|
logo=|screenshot =|caption = RealPlayer 10 on Mac OS X|latest_release_version = 10.5|latest_release_date = October 2004|operating_system = [Cross-platform|license = [Proprietary software|website = www.real.com-->
RealPlayer, briefly known also as
RealOne Player, is a cross-platform
media player by RealNetworks that plays a number of multimedia formats including MP3, MPEG-4,
QuickTime,
Windows Media and multiple versions of proprietary RealAudio and RealVideo formats.Supported Formats by RealOne Player
The first version of RealPlayer was introduced in April 1995 as RealAudio Player, one of the first media players capable of streaming media over the Internet.Release History Version 6 of RealPlayer was called RealPlayer G2; version 9 was called RealOne Player. Free "Basic" versions have been provided as well as paid "Plus" versions with additional features. On Windows, version 9 subsumed the features of the separate program RealJukebox.
The current version for Microsoft Windows is RealPlayer 10.5. Other versions are available for Mac OS X, Linux, Unix,
Palm OS, Windows Mobile, and Symbian OS.RealPlayer - Multiple Editions The program is powered by an underlying
open source media engine called
Helix project.Helix Community License The next version of RealPlayer (version 11) is currently under development. A beta version was released in June 2007 and includes numerous new features.
Features
RealPlayer, beyond its function as an audio/video player, also contains additional features such as:
- Media Browser based on Internet Explorer which allows web browsing while playing media.
- Playlist editor similar to other media players, supporting "drag and drop" and playlist randomize.
- Theater Mode (full screen mode) video playback. The paid version offers a skinnable Toolbar Mode which uses less desktop space.
- Visualizations - graphical animations or "light shows". Five are included with RealPlayer set-up. Others are available from RealNetworks, including a 3D Visualization Plug-In Surreal.FX.
- Continuous Play (Loop multiple songs) and Shuffle Play (Play tracks randomly).
- Stay on top while playing option.
- Favorites menu to save and recall media locations for files or streams.
- Equalizer and Video controls. Crossfade and Gapless playback are included in RealPlayer Plus.
- Media library allows organization of media through track tagging and editing. The Premium version adds Audio Converter to convert between RealMedia, MP3, Advanced audio coding, Windows Media, and WAV formats, and others.
- Recording audio, (RealPlayer Plus only) which records audio via a sound card.
- LivePause pauses streaming video clips without having to stop the buffering.
- Version 10.5 included FairPlay#Harmony: RealPlayer Music on the iPod technology, making the Music Store compatible with iPod and Windows Media DRM-compatible players.
- Both the basic and the plus version can burn CDs. The current burning technology is powered by NPI; formerly it was powered by Adaptec (Roxio). The free version can burn audio and data CDs; the premium version burns MP3 CDs.
- CD ripping into AAC (in MP4) (32 kbit/s - 320 kbit/s) (default), Real Audio 10 (32 kbit/s - 320 kbit/s), MP3 (32 kbit/s - 320 kbit/s), Real Audio Lossless, WAV (1411 kbit/s), Windows Media Audio (Requires Windows Media Player 10 installed) (64 kbit/s - 192 kbit/s) formats.
- RealPlayer Music Store allows users to locate, preview, and purchase songs, which cost $0.49 to $0.99.
- SuperPass - paid access to premium recorded and live video broadcasts. In the U.S., content like CBS Big Brother 24/7 is provided for a fee of around USD$39.99. For Europe (except UK), this includes live broadcasts of BBC World Europe, Al Jazeera English, CNN International Europe, Euronews in seven languages, BBC News recent news clips, MTV UK music clips, and custom content from SportsNews TV, RealTV, Vidzone, and Comedy Time. Costs 17.50 € per month.
Supported Media Formats
- RealMedia formats: RealAudio (*.ra, *.rm), RealVideo (*.rv, *.rm, *.rmvb), RealPix (*.rp), RealText (*.rt), RealMedia Shortcut (*.ram, *.rmm)
- Streaming: RealTime Streaming Protocol (rtsp://), Progressive Networks Streaming Protocols (pna://, pnm://), Microsoft Windows Media Streaming Protocol (mms://), Real Scalable Multicast (*.sdp), Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (*.smil, *.smi)
- Audio: MP3 (*.mp3, *.mp2, *.mp2, *.m3u), CD Audio (*.cda), WAV (*.wav), Advanced audio coding/aacPlus v1 (*.aac, *.m4a, *.m4b, *.mp4, *.acp, *.m4p), Apple Lossless, AIFF (*.aif, *.aiff), AU Audio Files (*.au), Panasonic AAC (*.acp)
- Video: DVD (*.vob), MPEG Video (*.mpg, *.mpeg, *.m2v, *.mpe etc), AVI (*.avi, *.divx), Windows Media (*.wma, *.wmv and etc) (requires Windows Media Player 9/10), QuickTime (*.mov, *.qt) (Quick Time Player must be installed), Adobe Adobe Flash (*.swf) (Flash or Shockwave Player must be installed), Flash Video (*.flv).
- Playlists (*.rpl, *.xpl, *.pls, *.m3u)
- Graphics: Bitmap (*.bmp), GIF Images (*.gif), JPEG Images (*.jpeg, *.jpg), PNG (*.png)
Formats supported by a plug-in
{||-|
- AT&T A2B (*.a2b, *.mes)AT&T A2B
- Adobe SVG (*.svg)Adobe SVG
- Audible Audio (*.aa)Audible Audio
- Object Video (*.obv)DiamondBack Vision Partners With Media 100 To Explore MPEG-4 Internet Streaming Solution For Cleaner(TM) (Object Video)
- Luidia eBeam (*.wbs)eBeam Presenter Download
- Digital BitcastingDigital Bitcasting
- Envivio (*.mp4)Envivio Announces MPEG-4 Support for RealPlayer
- EVEN Technologies PSI Video (*.psi, *.fxv)Even Technologies - PSI Decoder
- LearnKey RealCBT (*.lkv)LearnKey RealCBT
- Liquid Audio (*.la, *.lmsff, *.lqt *.lavs *.lar *.la1 )RealPlayer supports Liquid Audio
- On2 VP5 (*.vp5)VP5 Plug-In DownloadRealPlayer to support VP5
- Netpodium Quickcast Image (*.npi)Supported RealPlayer Formats
- Nullsoft Streaming Video (*.nsv) rNSV for RealPlayer Formats
- LiveUpdate! Streaming MIDI files (*.mid, *.midi, *.rmi)Crescendo Forte Plug-In Info
- Camtasia Video (*.camv)Camtasia for RealPlayer info
- Ogg Vorbis/Theora (*.ogg, *.ogm)Xiph OGG for RealPlayer Download
- PulsePlayer (*.pw3)Pulse Player Detection
|
- RichFX (*.vpg, *.wgs)RichFX Plugin Download
- Mode2 CDsMode2Real Info and download
- MIMIO Boardcast (*.mbc)Mimio boardCast InfoMimio Plug-In Download
- BeHere iVideo 360° Movies (*.bhiv) Be Here To Debut Its iVideo Plug-in At Real Conference 2000
- iPIX 360° Movies (*.ipx) iPix Plug-In Download
- ScreenWatch (*.scw) ScreenWatch Plug-In Download
- Vivo Software Video Files (*.viv) RealNetworks Acquires Vivo
- MJuice Files (*.mjf) RealPlayer to support MJuice
- Blue Matter (*.bmt, *.bma) RealPlayer Supported Formats (Blue Matter)
- OZ.COM fluid3d OZ.Com announces fluid3d for RealPlayer
- IBM EMMS (*.emm) RealNetworks backs IBM digital music system
- On2 VP4 (*.vp4) VP4 for RealPlayer is available
- On2 VP3 (*.vp3) VP3 for RealPlayer
- ImagePower Motion JPEG2000 (*.jp2, *.avi) ImagePower's JPEG2000 Technology Compatible with RealPlayer
- 3GP Mobile Phone Video Files (3gp)
- Adaptive Multi-Rate Narrow Band (*.amr)
- Adaptive Multi-Rate Wide Band (*.amr)
|}
Plug-Ins
RealPlayer has wide variety of plug-ins. Some of the plug-ins are listed at the RealPlayer accessories page, but most are not. There is no official plug-in page.
Audio EnhancementThere are four audio "enhancers" available for the latest version of RealPlayer.
DFX Audio Enhancer,
iQfx,
Volume Logic and Sanyo 3D Surround.
Lake PLS, created by Lake Technologies, works only with RealJukebox, and has limited use. There are some registry tweaks which allow Lake PLS to work with RealPlayer 10. Lake PLS is still available on the RealPlayer website.
RealPlayer Skin CreatorsRealPlayer has had two skin creator plug-ins: SkinsEditor for RealJukebox -- an easy to use skins creator made by DeYoung software. The second application, RealJukebox Skins Converter, converts Winamp skins into RealPlayer skins.
Playback Plug-Ins
Please see section RealPlayer#Formats supported by a plug-in.
Radio Tuners vTuner Plus and HMRadio are radio tuners specially created for RealPlayer.
VisualizationsThe available visualizations from the RealNetworks site are:
FrequencywurX, FyrewurX, FlamewurX, XFactor, Spectrl View, FluxWave, Puddle, Paint Drops, Polka dots, StickSterZ 1.0, Circle, On the road, Real Logo, Hubble Bubble. There are some more visualization plug-ins like Surreal.FX by RealNetworks, G-Force and WhiteCap by SoundSpectrum and SticksterZ 1.1 by Eric Metois.
Editions
RealPlayer for Windows
RealPlayer 10.5 for personal use includes audio CD burning capabilities,
Digital video recorder-style playback buffering, multimedia search, Internet radio, a jukebox-style file library, an embedded web browser (using Microsoft
Internet Explorer), and the ability to transfer media to a number of portable devices, including Apple's
iPod, MP3 players, and
Windows Media devices. The free version is not currently available for
Windows x64. The
BBC offers an advertising-free version for users of its website.
RealPlayer Enterprise is a free lightweight advertising-free version for business. It can be administered by RealPlayer Enterprise Manager.Most consumer features have been removed, and some plug-ins are not supported. Its RealSched.exe can be disabled in two steps, and it is not reinstalled upon running the player.
RealPlayer for Mac OS X
.The user interface of RealPlayer 10 for Mac OS X was written from scratch as a
Cocoa_%28API%29 application. It encompasses both Real's Helix playback engine for RealAudio and RealVideo, and Apple's QuickTime for other file and stream types. RealPlayer 10 for Mac OS X is distributed for free. It includes is a 10-band equalizer and video adjustment controls for RealMedia playback, and a full-screen, resizable "theater mode" for video playback.
RealPlayer 10 for Mac OS X supports web browsing via Apple's
WebKit, meaning RealPlayer and
Safari (web browser) share cookies. RealPlayer 10.1 is a
Universal_binary.
The interface of RealPlayer 10 is similar in feel to other Mac OS X applications. It provides an AppleScript dictionary and locally-shared favorites via
Bonjour_%28software%29.
RealPlayer for Linux/Unix
Linux.RealPlayer for Linux/Unix is developed separately from the Windows and Mac versions. The client is based on the open-source
Helix Player which can be found at the Helix Community Website. It supports RealAudio/Video, MP3 and Ogg Vorbis. The interface depends on the current GTK+ theme.
RealPlayer for Symbian
The Symbian version of RealPlayer allows mobile phones to play Real Audio, Real Video, MP3, 3GP, AMR and other media formats. It is provided as freeware.
RealPlayer for Palm
RealPlayer 10 is available for free for PalmOne-made Palm OS 5 devices, such as the Palm Tungsten or
Zire series. http://www.real.com/realmobile/palmone.html It is also compatible with RealPlayer Music Store tracks. However, they will neither install nor run on non-PalmOne-made devices like
Sony Sony Clie line of PDAs.
RealJukebox
It was a computer program released by
RealNetworks that allowed users to organise theirdigital music. It was first released in May 1999. By late 2001 the functions of the program had been integrated into the Real's core media player program, RealPlayer.
RealNetworks Scheduler
realsched.exe (RealNetworks Scheduler, also found as
Evntsvc.exe or
TkBellExe) is a background process, bundled with the installation of RealPlayer. It is intended to provide users with information about critical RealPlayer updates, and as such is only functional when a computer is connected to the Internet. It is non-essential to Windows and to RealPlayer. The process generally takes 136k of system memory. Realsched.exe has been known to exhibit excessive CPU usage. The file can be disabled with Windows software tools and moderate computer skills.
RealPlayer 11
In June 2007, RealNetworks announced that a new version of RealPlayer will be released. The first beta (version 11 build 6.0.14.484) contains a new user interface and some new functions like
Flash Video support, DVD burning and video recording. Advanced features such as the enhanced 10-band graphic equalizer and crossfade function are disabled, while basic features such as a 3-band audio equalizer are enabled. The MP3 ripping is set up to 320k. For Video downloading, various websites, such as BBC may have added DRM protection, which is respected.
Criticism
In 2006
PC World (magazine) Magazine named RealPlayer as #2 in its list of the 25 worst products of all time.{{cite web|url=http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,125772,pg,2,00.asp|title=The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time| first = Dan | last = Tynan|date=
2006-[03-26--> In 2007, it placed RealPlayer at #5 in its list of the 20 most annoying tech products.
Intrusive advertisements
RealPlayer 10 is configured to run the Message Center program automatically at system startup and RealPlayer shutdown. The Message Center has generated controversy because it features advertisements for bands. Some have said this could qualify as
adware. Although there is an option to turn the messages off, RealPlayer 10 will automatically turn some message options back on. As a result, the Message Center will almost always pop up with new messages. However, in version 10.5 it is possible to turn the Message Center off completely.
Privacy
In 1999 security researcher Richard M. Smith dissected some of RealJukebox's
network traffic and discovered that it was sending a unique identifier with information about the music titles to which its users were listening.{{cite web]|accessdate=2007-02-07-->{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_07/b3668067.htm|title=The Privacy War of Richard Smith|author=Amy Borrus|date=2000-02-14|accessdate=2007-02-05|work=businessweek.com--> RealNetworks acknowledged this, and after an outcry, removed it in version 1.02. Their download page stated RealJukebox included privacy enhancements and gave a link to the privacy policy.
Interaction with other sound applications
RealPlayer commands the system Wave volume control.{{cite web|url=http://real.lithium.com/real/board/message?board.id=realplayer&message.id=10921|title=Real Player sets system Wave volume inappropriately|author=Nillagoon|work=Real Customer Support Forum|date=
2006-03-30|accessdate=2007-02-09--> If RealPlayer is muted, other Wave sound sources (system sounds, [VOIP applications, screen readers, etc) will be muted. This issue has not been fixed.Two commercial solutions exist:
*The
Volume Logic plug-in addresses this bug by disabling RealPlayer's sound control and using its own.
*The Sanyo 3D Surround plug-in has the same feature, but does not disable RealPlayer's sound control.
See also
Notes
External links
- Official page
- Real Guide - RealNetworks Product List
- RealPlayer Enterprise Download
{{Infobox_Software2|name = RealPlayer|
logo=|screenshot =|caption = RealPlayer 10 on Mac OS X|latest_release_version = 10.5|latest_release_date = October 2004|operating_system = [Cross-platform|license = [Proprietary software|website = www.real.com-->
RealPlayer, briefly known also as
RealOne Player, is a
cross-platform media player by RealNetworks that plays a number of multimedia formats including MP3,
MPEG-4, QuickTime, Windows Media and multiple versions of proprietary
RealAudio and RealVideo formats.Supported Formats by RealOne Player
The first version of RealPlayer was introduced in April 1995 as RealAudio Player, one of the first media players capable of streaming media over the Internet.Release History Version 6 of RealPlayer was called RealPlayer G2; version 9 was called RealOne Player. Free "Basic" versions have been provided as well as paid "Plus" versions with additional features. On Windows, version 9 subsumed the features of the separate program RealJukebox.
The current version for Microsoft Windows is RealPlayer 10.5. Other versions are available for Mac OS X, Linux, Unix, Palm OS,
Windows Mobile, and Symbian OS.RealPlayer - Multiple Editions The program is powered by an underlying
open source media engine called
Helix project.Helix Community License The next version of RealPlayer (version 11) is currently under development. A beta version was released in June 2007 and includes numerous new features.
Features
RealPlayer, beyond its function as an audio/video player, also contains additional features such as:
- Media Browser based on Internet Explorer which allows web browsing while playing media.
- Playlist editor similar to other media players, supporting "drag and drop" and playlist randomize.
- Theater Mode (full screen mode) video playback. The paid version offers a skinnable Toolbar Mode which uses less desktop space.
- Visualizations - graphical animations or "light shows". Five are included with RealPlayer set-up. Others are available from RealNetworks, including a 3D Visualization Plug-In Surreal.FX.
- Continuous Play (Loop multiple songs) and Shuffle Play (Play tracks randomly).
- Stay on top while playing option.
- Favorites menu to save and recall media locations for files or streams.
- Equalizer and Video controls. Crossfade and Gapless playback are included in RealPlayer Plus.
- Media library allows organization of media through track tagging and editing. The Premium version adds Audio Converter to convert between RealMedia, MP3, Advanced audio coding, Windows Media, and WAV formats, and others.
- Recording audio, (RealPlayer Plus only) which records audio via a sound card.
- LivePause pauses streaming video clips without having to stop the buffering.
- Version 10.5 included FairPlay#Harmony: RealPlayer Music on the iPod technology, making the Music Store compatible with iPod and Windows Media DRM-compatible players.
- Both the basic and the plus version can burn CDs. The current burning technology is powered by NPI; formerly it was powered by Adaptec (Roxio). The free version can burn audio and data CDs; the premium version burns MP3 CDs.
- CD ripping into AAC (in MP4) (32 kbit/s - 320 kbit/s) (default), Real Audio 10 (32 kbit/s - 320 kbit/s), MP3 (32 kbit/s - 320 kbit/s), Real Audio Lossless, WAV (1411 kbit/s), Windows Media Audio (Requires Windows Media Player 10 installed) (64 kbit/s - 192 kbit/s) formats.
- RealPlayer Music Store allows users to locate, preview, and purchase songs, which cost $0.49 to $0.99.
- SuperPass - paid access to premium recorded and live video broadcasts. In the U.S., content like CBS Big Brother 24/7 is provided for a fee of around USD$39.99. For Europe (except UK), this includes live broadcasts of BBC World Europe, Al Jazeera English, CNN International Europe, Euronews in seven languages, BBC News recent news clips, MTV UK music clips, and custom content from SportsNews TV, RealTV, Vidzone, and Comedy Time. Costs 17.50 € per month.
Supported Media Formats
- RealMedia formats: RealAudio (*.ra, *.rm), RealVideo (*.rv, *.rm, *.rmvb), RealPix (*.rp), RealText (*.rt), RealMedia Shortcut (*.ram, *.rmm)
- Streaming: RealTime Streaming Protocol (rtsp://), Progressive Networks Streaming Protocols (pna://, pnm://), Microsoft Windows Media Streaming Protocol (mms://), Real Scalable Multicast (*.sdp), Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (*.smil, *.smi)
- Audio: MP3 (*.mp3, *.mp2, *.mp2, *.m3u), CD Audio (*.cda), WAV (*.wav), Advanced audio coding/aacPlus v1 (*.aac, *.m4a, *.m4b, *.mp4, *.acp, *.m4p), Apple Lossless, AIFF (*.aif, *.aiff), AU Audio Files (*.au), Panasonic AAC (*.acp)
- Video: DVD (*.vob), MPEG Video (*.mpg, *.mpeg, *.m2v, *.mpe etc), AVI (*.avi, *.divx), Windows Media (*.wma, *.wmv and etc) (requires Windows Media Player 9/10), QuickTime (*.mov, *.qt) (Quick Time Player must be installed), Adobe Adobe Flash (*.swf) (Flash or Shockwave Player must be installed), Flash Video (*.flv).
- Playlists (*.rpl, *.xpl, *.pls, *.m3u)
- Graphics: Bitmap (*.bmp), GIF Images (*.gif), JPEG Images (*.jpeg, *.jpg), PNG (*.png)
Formats supported by a plug-in
{||-|
- AT&T A2B (*.a2b, *.mes)AT&T A2B
- Adobe SVG (*.svg)Adobe SVG
- Audible Audio (*.aa)Audible Audio
- Object Video (*.obv)DiamondBack Vision Partners With Media 100 To Explore MPEG-4 Internet Streaming Solution For Cleaner(TM) (Object Video)
- Luidia eBeam (*.wbs)eBeam Presenter Download
- Digital BitcastingDigital Bitcasting
- Envivio (*.mp4)Envivio Announces MPEG-4 Support for RealPlayer
- EVEN Technologies PSI Video (*.psi, *.fxv)Even Technologies - PSI Decoder
- LearnKey RealCBT (*.lkv)LearnKey RealCBT
- Liquid Audio (*.la, *.lmsff, *.lqt *.lavs *.lar *.la1 )RealPlayer supports Liquid Audio
- On2 VP5 (*.vp5)VP5 Plug-In DownloadRealPlayer to support VP5
- Netpodium Quickcast Image (*.npi)Supported RealPlayer Formats
- Nullsoft Streaming Video (*.nsv) rNSV for RealPlayer Formats
- LiveUpdate! Streaming MIDI files (*.mid, *.midi, *.rmi)Crescendo Forte Plug-In Info
- Camtasia Video (*.camv)Camtasia for RealPlayer info
- Ogg Vorbis/Theora (*.ogg, *.ogm)Xiph OGG for RealPlayer Download
- PulsePlayer (*.pw3)Pulse Player Detection
|
- RichFX (*.vpg, *.wgs)RichFX Plugin Download
- Mode2 CDsMode2Real Info and download
- MIMIO Boardcast (*.mbc)Mimio boardCast InfoMimio Plug-In Download
- BeHere iVideo 360° Movies (*.bhiv) Be Here To Debut Its iVideo Plug-in At Real Conference 2000
- iPIX 360° Movies (*.ipx) iPix Plug-In Download
- ScreenWatch (*.scw) ScreenWatch Plug-In Download
- Vivo Software Video Files (*.viv) RealNetworks Acquires Vivo
- MJuice Files (*.mjf) RealPlayer to support MJuice
- Blue Matter (*.bmt, *.bma) RealPlayer Supported Formats (Blue Matter)
- OZ.COM fluid3d OZ.Com announces fluid3d for RealPlayer
- IBM EMMS (*.emm) RealNetworks backs IBM digital music system
- On2 VP4 (*.vp4) VP4 for RealPlayer is available
- On2 VP3 (*.vp3) VP3 for RealPlayer
- ImagePower Motion JPEG2000 (*.jp2, *.avi) ImagePower's JPEG2000 Technology Compatible with RealPlayer
- 3GP Mobile Phone Video Files (3gp)
- Adaptive Multi-Rate Narrow Band (*.amr)
- Adaptive Multi-Rate Wide Band (*.amr)
|}
Plug-Ins
RealPlayer has wide variety of plug-ins. Some of the plug-ins are listed at the RealPlayer accessories page, but most are not. There is no official plug-in page.
Audio EnhancementThere are four audio "enhancers" available for the latest version of RealPlayer.
DFX Audio Enhancer,
iQfx,
Volume Logic and Sanyo 3D Surround.
Lake PLS, created by Lake Technologies, works only with RealJukebox, and has limited use. There are some registry tweaks which allow Lake PLS to work with RealPlayer 10. Lake PLS is still available on the RealPlayer website.
RealPlayer Skin CreatorsRealPlayer has had two skin creator plug-ins: SkinsEditor for RealJukebox -- an easy to use skins creator made by DeYoung software. The second application, RealJukebox Skins Converter, converts Winamp skins into RealPlayer skins.
Playback Plug-Ins
Please see section RealPlayer#Formats supported by a plug-in.
Radio Tuners vTuner Plus and
HMRadio are radio tuners specially created for RealPlayer.
VisualizationsThe available visualizations from the RealNetworks site are:
FrequencywurX, FyrewurX, FlamewurX, XFactor, Spectrl View, FluxWave, Puddle, Paint Drops, Polka dots, StickSterZ 1.0, Circle, On the road, Real Logo, Hubble Bubble. There are some more visualization plug-ins like Surreal.FX by RealNetworks, G-Force and WhiteCap by SoundSpectrum and SticksterZ 1.1 by Eric Metois.
Editions
RealPlayer for Windows
RealPlayer 10.5 for personal use includes audio CD burning capabilities,
Digital video recorder-style playback buffering, multimedia search, Internet radio, a jukebox-style file library, an embedded web browser (using Microsoft
Internet Explorer), and the ability to transfer media to a number of portable devices, including Apple's
iPod, MP3 players, and Windows Media devices. The free version is not currently available for
Windows x64. The
BBC offers an advertising-free version for users of its website.
RealPlayer Enterprise is a free lightweight advertising-free version for business. It can be administered by RealPlayer Enterprise Manager.Most consumer features have been removed, and some plug-ins are not supported. Its RealSched.exe can be disabled in two steps, and it is not reinstalled upon running the player.
RealPlayer for Mac OS X
.The user interface of RealPlayer 10 for Mac OS X was written from scratch as a
Cocoa_%28API%29 application. It encompasses both Real's Helix playback engine for RealAudio and RealVideo, and Apple's QuickTime for other file and stream types. RealPlayer 10 for Mac OS X is distributed for free. It includes is a 10-band equalizer and video adjustment controls for RealMedia playback, and a full-screen, resizable "theater mode" for video playback.
RealPlayer 10 for Mac OS X supports web browsing via Apple's WebKit, meaning RealPlayer and Safari (web browser) share cookies. RealPlayer 10.1 is a Universal_binary.
The interface of RealPlayer 10 is similar in feel to other Mac OS X applications. It provides an
AppleScript dictionary and locally-shared favorites via Bonjour_%28software%29.
RealPlayer for Linux/Unix
Linux.RealPlayer for Linux/Unix is developed separately from the Windows and Mac versions. The client is based on the open-source Helix Player which can be found at the Helix Community Website. It supports RealAudio/Video, MP3 and Ogg Vorbis. The interface depends on the current
GTK+ theme.
RealPlayer for Symbian
The Symbian version of RealPlayer allows mobile phones to play Real Audio, Real Video, MP3, 3GP, AMR and other media formats. It is provided as freeware.
RealPlayer for Palm
RealPlayer 10 is available for free for PalmOne-made
Palm OS 5 devices, such as the
Palm Tungsten or Zire series. http://www.real.com/realmobile/palmone.html It is also compatible with RealPlayer Music Store tracks. However, they will neither install nor run on non-PalmOne-made devices like Sony
Sony Clie line of PDAs.
RealJukebox
It was a
computer program released by
RealNetworks that allowed users to organise theirdigital music. It was first released in May 1999. By late 2001 the functions of the program had been integrated into the Real's core media player program, RealPlayer.
RealNetworks Scheduler
realsched.exe (RealNetworks Scheduler, also found as
Evntsvc.exe or
TkBellExe) is a background process, bundled with the installation of RealPlayer. It is intended to provide users with information about critical RealPlayer updates, and as such is only functional when a computer is connected to the Internet. It is non-essential to Windows and to RealPlayer. The process generally takes 136k of system memory. Realsched.exe has been known to exhibit excessive CPU usage. The file can be disabled with Windows software tools and moderate computer skills.
RealPlayer 11
In June 2007, RealNetworks announced that a new version of RealPlayer will be released. The first beta (version 11 build 6.0.14.484) contains a new user interface and some new functions like
Flash Video support, DVD burning and video recording. Advanced features such as the enhanced 10-band graphic equalizer and crossfade function are disabled, while basic features such as a 3-band audio equalizer are enabled. The MP3 ripping is set up to 320k. For Video downloading, various websites, such as BBC may have added DRM protection, which is respected.
Criticism
In 2006
PC World (magazine) Magazine named RealPlayer as #2 in its list of the 25 worst products of all time.{{cite web|url=http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,125772,pg,2,00.asp|title=The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time| first = Dan | last = Tynan|date=2006-[03-26--> In 2007, it placed RealPlayer at #5 in its list of the 20 most annoying tech products.
Intrusive advertisements
RealPlayer 10 is configured to run the Message Center program automatically at system startup and RealPlayer shutdown. The Message Center has generated controversy because it features advertisements for bands. Some have said this could qualify as adware. Although there is an option to turn the messages off, RealPlayer 10 will automatically turn some message options back on. As a result, the Message Center will almost always pop up with new messages. However, in version 10.5 it is possible to turn the Message Center off completely.
Privacy
In 1999 security researcher Richard M. Smith dissected some of RealJukebox's
network traffic and discovered that it was sending a unique identifier with information about the music titles to which its users were listening.{{cite web]|accessdate=2007-02-07-->{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_07/b3668067.htm|title=The Privacy War of Richard Smith|author=Amy Borrus|date=2000-02-14|accessdate=2007-02-05|work=businessweek.com--> RealNetworks acknowledged this, and after an outcry, removed it in version 1.02. Their download page stated RealJukebox included privacy enhancements and gave a link to the privacy policy.
Interaction with other sound applications
RealPlayer commands the system Wave volume control.{{cite web|url=http://real.lithium.com/real/board/message?board.id=realplayer&message.id=10921|title=Real Player sets system Wave volume inappropriately|author=Nillagoon|work=Real Customer Support Forum|date=2006-03-30|accessdate=2007-02-09--> If RealPlayer is muted, other Wave sound sources (system sounds, [VOIP applications, screen readers, etc) will be muted. This issue has not been fixed.Two commercial solutions exist:
*The
Volume Logic plug-in addresses this bug by disabling RealPlayer's sound control and using its own.
*The Sanyo 3D Surround plug-in has the same feature, but does not disable RealPlayer's sound control.
See also
Notes
External links
- Official page
- Real Guide - RealNetworks Product List
- RealPlayer Enterprise Download
BBC - Radio - Help - How do I download and install RealPlayer?
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