Installations Gone Awry

By Ben Rotholtz, General Manager, Web Services & Syndication

Previous versions of the RealPlayer delivered uneven experiences over the years for some consumers.  “Uneven,” ah, that’s so ‘PC’ -- must be a Seattle thing. Let’s be blunt, “Uneven” is too kind for some of the loops and hurdles that got in the way of the very basic value-proposition of RealPlayer: “Let me play.” Consumers just wanted the unimpeded ability to play a clip they found on the Internet, not wade through an installation sequence that just lingered on-and-on.

It may have seemed like some malicious plot on our part to wreck the consumer experience of what was fundamentally a very useful piece of software. The RealPlayer was one of the Internet’s most revolutionary applications and ignited media on the Internet.

Real did not design installation to be a series of frustrating experiences. It was more like a number of experiments that got away from us. Too many cups of coffee mixed with too many agendas.

Installation: It’s the heart of the first-time experience. Will this software meet my needs? Will it meet my expectations? Do I trust it as a guest on my machine? Will it be a fundamental part of my lifestyle?

The new RealPlayer, available at the end of June, approaches installation in a very different way from previous versions. The new RealPlayer is all about the unimpeded zero-to-sixty ability to download and record video clips across tens–of-thousands of Internet sites. The new RealPlayer is our video platform. It’s our priority to make installation transparent.

We’ve got four installation screens for the Windows version (the Mac version will be available later this year and we’ll update you on any variants). There is the license agreement:

Then we provide the ability to set the location for the RealPlayer install and provide an option to add a desktop icon (you can uncheck it). Note, there is not even an option for putting RealPlayer in the system tray anymore). You can disable the “Download this Video” button from your Internet Explorer or Firefox browser: If downloading and recording is of interest to you leave option this checked. Lastly, “Make RealPlayer the default player for any media-types not currently associated with another application.” What’s that mean? If another media player hasn’t taken a media-type (that is, open X player when you see Y kind of video file) then we’ll attempt to play it back with the RealPlayer. Remember the media-type wars where QuickTime, Windows Media and RealPlayer would battle for playback? We’re not playing anymore.

The third screen enables consumers to opt-out of software that we distribute for partners. We think this software is of great benefit to consumers (for example, the Google Toolbar or the Firefox browser) but it’s your choice and you can uncheck installation. 

The last screen of the installation sequence won’t affect anything unless you check boxes. If you want to sample other products that Real creates, such as RealArcade or Rhapsody, you can check the box and we will install a desktop icon you can click to find out about these products. If you want to be notified about movie trailers and clips, new music or highlights from the Guide you have to check the boxes. The message center is off by default. If you want to be on a mailing list you can supply us with an email address.

 

Hit “Finish” and start playing.

Ben Rotholtz, General Manager, Web Services & Syndication

Comments

[kuteba]

kutebakweder

[Fed up]

From the beginning of using Real Networks I have been getting this message. "RealNetworks Download and Record manager has stopped working" I'm fed up. Nothing on the Real Networks forums or suggested questions relates to this problem. I purchased a better level of the service in the hopes of not having this problem. I feel cheated. I have six web sites and I'm going to post on all of them how crummy this product is.

I've had it.

[Greg]

I have tried to download realplayer 11 at least 5 times. Every time it looked successful but then nothing was there. There are some files in "Real" folder in the program files but no setup file, so I still can't load it. I took my computer to my local computer expert. He had the same problem. He unistalled my virus protection thinking there was some conflict there. No! Nothing but problems. I don't understand it because I have Realplayer 11 on my work computer and have never had a problem. My computer tech says he has found pages and pages of reports about the problem I have had with the download. And Real Networks hasn't fixed it yet? What's up with that? And yes we are on the Real.com site trying to download. I would switch in a heartbeat but the problem is I have multiple files in .flv format saved with my work computer with Realplayer that I don't seem to be able to play on anything else. So now I can't watch them on my home computer. And companies wonder why people are getting fed up with large companies and their half-assed product just-get-it-out the door business philosphy.

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[mike]

will this thing ever finish downloading? i have been at 44% for hours... snap

[mike]

it froze up at 44% on the first try, 2nd attempt locked up at 44% again, third install i made it to 60% locked up, started over again fourth try and im froze up at 72% and my 3 day free trial ends in 24 hours, snap.