![]() ![]() Most video files download seamlessly with no problems, but not all of them. For many years, there was no easy method (other than brute-force screen capture techniques) to capture video that was broadcast in RealMedia (.rm) format, and in fact this inability was used to promote the format to content providers who were anxious about distributing video online. Saving the streamĪdding this feature is an interesting choice for RealNetworks, which has steadfastly promoted the idea of streaming video over downloadable content. Earlier today, Real made the beta of RealPlayer 11 available to the public (which appears to be Windows only for the time being). Recently, I was able to test a beta version of the new RealPlayer, which comes with a nifty feature: the ability to download streaming video clips to your hard drive. RealNetworks wants to change this, and the company is banking on a new release of RealPlayer to reverse its fortunes. During this time, RealPlayer lost significant mind and market share, while its rivals Windows Media Player and QuickTime/iTunes grew in leaps and bounds. RealNetworks had not announced a significant upgrade to the program in many years, and there was even a period during which it was difficult to find the free version of the player on RealNetwork's web site. In all this commotion, RealPlayer, the software that originally launched the company, was lost in the shuffle. In 2003, RealNetworks acquired the digital streaming music service Rhapsody, and made waves with repeated attempts to bypass Apple's content protection by using Harmony software to allow their own copy-protected music files to be played on iPods. Originally starting with audio, the company later embraced video as well. RealNetworks started life in 1995 as Progressive Networks, a startup founded by former employees of Microsoft who were convinced that streaming media over the Internet was the wave of the future.
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