New RealPlayer Downloads Video Clips

By the Betanews Staff | Published June 4, 2007, 3:44 PM

Ostensibly acknowledging that focusing on its own audio and video formats has become a losing proposition with the near-ubiquity of Flash video, RealNetworks is preparing a new version of its oft-maligned RealPlayer software that supports Windows Media, Apple's QuickTime and even Adobe's Flash.

Rather than continuing to focus on building software for media already on the desktop, Real is taking a unique approach by letting users download videos off the Web. Although independent developers have created tools for downloading Flash videos from sites like YouTube, such capability is not currently supported by the major industry players. Users will be able to burn the clips to CD or DVD, and share the links with friends directly through RealPlayer. A free version of the new software is expected next month.

Comments

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Most users I know simply have no idea the bloat that comes with Real, Quicktime, etc. They figure it's part of the computer process to watch as their machines slowly degrade as they install this crapware just to play simple media files.

When I try and explain the benefits of an app like MPC or VLC, their eyes glaze over and they just tell me they want to be able to plug in their hyped up ipods.

sigh.

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your all completely wrong.

why?

because out of all the players in the game, Real was late with open source, its own formats, and version after version of pure crap.

yet they survived. realized their mistake, and with a better multimedia player than microsoft, apple and adobe. they can only win by this decision.

so moan away all you want boys, in a year if you don't use VLC, then Real it'll be!

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Down with Real! This company will go down in internet history as "what not to do". Good bye.

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Yup I've been burned by them and have tried a few times to use it each time they claimed it had less trouble associated with it.
First it came with hidden spyware, then last time I tried it, it wouldn't give up control of my media no matter what I did it wanted to come up.
I don't care what they do I won't use them.
Thanks to Real Alternative I don't have to abandon the formats Real is known for that actually serve pretty well in some areas.

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I stopped using Real Player when they decided that even though I paid for the program, they were going to shut down functionality on it if I didn't renew for their however much per month.

I have it installed for the few places I go that haven't converted over yet and for some archive audio that I'm just too lazy to convert. :)

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Unfortunately Real have worked their way through every wide-eyed internet ingenue in the world - there is probably no-one left who trusts them, and this is too little FAR too late.

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And just to make SURE they are dead, they recently added forum police, through a company called Lithium. Now, you can't get much help, but you can get your post deleted if you don't have the proper positive attitude toward all things Real.

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