(RealAudio¨ G2/RealVideo¨ G2)
Contents
RealPlayer
7 and RealProducer 7 Software
How do I acquire RealPlayer
7 and RealProducer 7 software?
In order to listen to
RealMedia files, you will need to download and install a version of RealPlayer
7 software. You have the option of downloading and purchasing the full
version of RealPlayer
7 Plus or downloading the free player RealPlayer
7 Basic.
In order to create and manage
RealMedia files, you will need to download and install RealProducer
7software. You have the option of downloading and purchasing the full
version of RealProducer
Plus 7 Beta or downloading the free version of Basic
RealProducer 7.
For more information about products
and services, see http://www.service.real.com.
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File Formats
What audio and video formats
can be converted into RealMedia clips using RealProducer 7?
- Audio (.au)
- Waveform audio (.wav)
- Video for Windows (.avi)
- QuickTime for Windows (.mov) requires
DirectX 6.0
- Moving Pictures Expert Group (.mpg,
.mpeg, .mpa, .mp2, .mp3) requires DirectX 6.0
Please note that currently, you cannot
convert MPEG-2 files with RealProducer 7.
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Getting Started with Audio and
Video Files
How do I start creating audio
and video files, if I am a beginner?
We recommend reading the RealProducer
G2 Authoring Kit to learn the basics for creating audio and video
files. To download the kit, go to http://www.realnetworks.com/products/authkit/.
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Converting Existing Files into
RealMedia Files
How do I convert my existing
audio file into a RealMedia file?
In order to convert your audio file
into a RealMedia file, you will need to use RealProducer 7 program. If
you are familiar with converting files in RealProducer 7, enter in the
appropriate data in the fields provided.
If you have never converted sound
files into .rm files,we suggest using the recording wizard as follows:
- Open the RealProducer 7 program.
- Click on File and then
select Recording Wizards, next choose Record from File.
- You will enter the Recording Wizard
and be asked to find your file, you can either search with the Browse
function or enter in the filename. Once you have completed this
task, click on Next.
- You will be asked to fill out a
form concerning the clip and specific information. You may fill the
form out or leave it blank, click Next to proceed.
- You will have the option to select
the type of file either Multi-Rate SureStream for RealServer G2 or sigle
rate for web servers. Once you have completed this task, click on Next.
- You will be asked to choose a target
audience, we recommend selecting 56K Modem as this will accommodate
most users. If users are running 28.8 modems, by selecting the 56K Modem
option the clip may briefly timeout and resume. Once completed with
your selection, click Next.
- Choose the format of your file
and click Next.
- You will be asked to name your
file, use the format "filename.rm". It is important to know
when naming a Real Media file not to use the underscore
("_") character, it will not be interpreted correctly by the
.ram file. Once you have completed this task, click on Next.
- A screen with all of the information
concerning your file will appear, click Finish to close the
wizard and return to the RealProducer 7 main window.
Once you have completed the wizard,
you have successfully converted your sound file into a RealMedia file.
How do I convert my video
file into a RealMedia File?
In order to convert your video file
into a RealMedia file, you will need to use RealProducer 7 program. If
you are familiar with converting files in RealProducer 7, enter in the
appropriate data in the fields provided.
If you have never converted video
files into .rm files, we suggest using the recording wizard as follows:
- Open the RealProducer 7 program.
- Click on File and then
select Recording Wizards, next choose Record from Media
Device.
- Select the Input Sources either
audio, video or both and click Next.
- You will be asked to fill out a
form concerning the clip and specific information. You may fill the
form out or leave it blank, click Next to proceed.
- You will have the option to select
the type of file either Multi-Rate SureStream for RealServer G2 or Single
rate for web servers. Once you have completed this task, click Next.
- You will be asked to choose a target
audience, we recommend selecting 56K Modem as this will accommodate
most users. If users are running 28.8 modems, by selecting the 56K Modem
option the clip may briefly timeout and resume. Once completed with
your selection, click Next.
- You will be asked to select an
video device if your file has video capabilities. These options are
based on the content of your video, most users choose Normal Motion.
Once you have completed this task click Next . If your file
does not include video features, proceed to the next step by clicking
Next.
- You will be asked to name your
file, use the format "filename.rm". It is important to know
that when naming a RealMedia file not to use the underscore
("_") character, it will not be interpreted correctly by the
.ram file. Once you have completed this task, click Next.
- A screen with all of the information
concerning your file will appear, click Finish to close the
wizard and return to the RealProducer 7 main window.
- You do have the option of changing
the recording. To do so click on Start to begin recording,
once completed click Stop. A dialog box will appear asking
you to confirm ending the recording, but the session will continue to
record. You must click Yes to stop recording.
- After the recording has stopped
a dialog box will appear with three options. First, you may Add
Your Clip to Janus Now! To place your file on a public listing
of clips hosted by RealNetworks. Second, you may View Statistics
to view complete information about your recording session. Or you
may Close the dialog box and return to the RealProducer 7 main
window.
Once you have completed the wizard,
you have successfully converted your video file into a RealMedia file.
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Updating and Creating .ram Files
Do I need to update my existing
Real Audio/Video 5.0 .ram files to work with RealSystem G2?
Yes, to take advantage of the new
features that RealSystem G2 offers, you will need to modify your existing
.ram files as follows:
Old Format as supported by
RealAudio/Video 5.O:
- UNIX: pnm://<yourdomainname>/~userid/filename.rm
- NT: pnm://<yourdomainname>/userid/filename.rm
New Format
as supported by RealSystem G2:
- UNIX: rtsp://<yourdomainname>/userid/filename.rm
- NT: rtsp://<yourdomainname>/userid/filename.rm
*Your existing RealAudio/Video 5.O
.ram files will continue to work with the upgraded RealSystem G2 server.
However, effective May 1, 2000 we will discontinue support of the RealServer
5.0.
I am currently using RealAudio/Video
5.O on Unix and the "~userid" format in the .ram file, will
this work with RealSystem G2?
No, you will need to upgrade your
.ram files to the RealSystem G2 format. It is important to delete the
"~userid" and replace it with "userid".
How do I create a .ram file?
For each .rm file that you create,
you will need to create a .ram file. First, use a text editor such as
Notepad to create a text file with a .ram file extension. You should consider
using the same file naming convention for example the "test.ram"
file will launch the "test.rm" file. The .ram file should contain
one line in the following format for both Unix and NT users:
rtsp://<yourdomainname>/userid/filename.rm
Substitute your domain name, userid
and the complete filename including the ".rm" extension. This
file can reside in the root directory of your account.
Once the .ram text file is created,
you should save it and upload it to your web site using ASCII
as the transfer mode.
Now that you have completed creating
and uploading your .ram file, you should have both the .rm and the .ram
files in your root directory.
How do I create the HTML code
for a .ram file on my website?
The following HTML code can be inserting
into your website's HTML source:
<a href="http://yourdomainname.com/textfile.ram">Click
Here</a>
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Please remember to substitute your
own domain name and RealMedia file into the example HTML code above.
If you reference the .rm file directly
from your HTML code, the file may play, but you will not benefit from
the streaming media effect.
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Uploading RealMedia Files
What mode should I use to
upload .rm files to my website?
All .rm files should be uploaded in
Binary mode to the root directory of your website.
What mode should I use to
upload .ram files to my website?
All .ram files should be uploaded
in ASCII mode to the root directory of your website.
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Streaming Media
What is streaming media?
Streaming media allows you to send
small packets of information over a network connection. The user receives
the information packets and plays your clip little by little. The process
is transparent to the user, except for a small amount of buffering at
the start of the clip.
Streaming media can be either RealAudio
or RealVideo. Before the concept of streaming media, users had to wait
for a file to download from the Internet or a network server in order
to play it. When you create streaming media, users can view it almost
instantly.
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Web Page Features
How do I create a web page that opens
a separate RealPlayer 7?
- Open the RealProducer 7 program.
- Click on Tools and then
select Create WebPage.
- The Web Page Wizard will
appear, proceed by filling in the appropriate information for each item.
The wizard will take you through selecting your media file (by default
the last RealMedia File created will appear), select your file and click
on Next.
- You will now see a page called
playback methods, choose the Pop-up Player method and click
on Next.
- The web caption page will ask you
to enter the text that links to your clip, enter in the information
and click on Next.
- At the Web Page Filename form,
enter the name and directory of the web page that you would like to
create and click on Next. You will be informed that a web page
and a RealMedia metafile have been created.
- If you wish to preview you page
with a browser just click on Preview on the Results page.
- Exit the wizard by clicking Finish.
How do I create a web page
with an embedded RealPlayer 7 by using HTML code?
First, make a copy of your .ram file
and save it as a .rpm file, then upload to the same directory as the .ram.
Next, reference the new.rpm within the web page's HTML as follows:
<EMBED SRC="yourfile.rpm" WIDTH=250 HEIGHT=35 CONTROLS=ControlPanel
AUTOSTART=TRUE> |
How do I create a web page
with an embedded RealPlayer 7 by using a wizard?
To use the wizard click
on Tools and then select Create Web Page and proceed
as follows:
- Open the RealProducer 7 program.
- Enter the Web Page Wizard and
proceed by filling in the appropriate information for each item. The
wizard will take you through selecting your media file (by default the
last Real Media File created will appear), select your file and choose
Next.
- In the Playback methods, choose
the Embedded Player method and click on Next.
- The Player Control Layout page
appears, you can decide what components of the RealPlayer to include
within the Web page. Select a layout and Auto Start if you
want the file to play automatically when your web site is opened once
you are done, click on Next.
- The web caption page will ask you
to enter the caption name that will appear as a title for the RealMedia
file. Then, decide if you would like the caption to be above or below
the files and click on Next.
- At the Web Page Filename form,
enter the name and directory of the web page that you would like to
create and click on Next. You will be informed that a web page
and a RealMedia metafile have been created.
- If you wish to preview you page
with a browser just click on Preview on the Results page. You
must have RealPlayer installed to view your page correctly.
- Exit the wizard by clicking Finish.
- Web pages you create with the Web
Page Wizard will point to files located on your hard drive. If you upload
your pages to a web server, these local file references will update
automatically.
- You should avoid making manual
changes to any file references in HTML files created by the wizard.
Changes to these files or any file references contained in the .ram/.rpm
metafile may cause errors when publishing your web pages to a remote
server.
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Additional Support for RealSystem
G2
For additional information about creating
multimedia presentations and streaming media effectively with your clips,
please refer to the RealSystem G2 Authoring Kit, available to download
at:http://www.realnetworks.com/products/authkit/.
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