RealPlayer Blog

CEO Rob Glaser on the new RealPlayer.

Read Rob's blog at http://voices.allthingsd.com/ on the new RealPlayer: The World Isn't Flat

Matt Spragins, Director of Product, RealPlayer

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

The Fourth Estate Has Spoken

By Matt Spragins, Director of Product, RealPlayer

We’ve had an opportunity to work with press and analysts over the last few weeks to let them see and experience the new RealPlayer and now they’re weighing-in on the new RealPlayer. Here’s a sampling of what they’re writing:

“The new RealPlayer is badass for one reason: It can rip net videos, even those on YouTube and from video streams, with a single click.” Brian Lam, “Real Network's Media Player Rips Youtube Vids and More – Gizmodo http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/one-click/real-networks-media-player-rips-youtube-vids-and-more-264940.php

 

“Imagine you want to have a permanent collection of Mentos videos from YouTube, or whatever other content category you find interesting…well, now you can do it.” 

Eric Savitz, “D: RealNetworks Unveils New Version of Real Player With Web Video Capture”
– Barron’s Online: Tech Trader Daily http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2007/05/31/d-realnetworks-unveils-new-version-of-real-player-with-web-video-capture/

"This essentially frees up the content so that it can go anywhere you want to consume it, which means more people will consume it," [James] McQuivey [Forrester analyst] said. "That is why media companies are going to line up behind this." 

Franklin Paul, “RealPlayer to let users save YouTube, other video “
– Reuters, 5/31/07) http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070531/wr_nm/realnetworks_realplayer_dc_1

“The huge news here is that Flash .flv files can be saved.”

Andy Plesser “Bombshell from RealNetworks: Rip/Save/Burn "All" Online Video Fomats with New Player...Clips from YouTube and Yahoo Are Easily Downloaded (Beet.TV, 5/31/07) http://www.beet.tv/2007/05/news_break_rips.html

“There are already existing third party utilities on the market that perform similar functions, but after our demo with the service, it seems safe to say that Real's is one of the smoothest around, boasting the bonus of being integrated with Real's already beefy media player.”
AppScout, "New RealPlayer Gets YouTube on the Download" http://www.appscout.com/2007/05/new_realplayer_gets_youtube_on.php

New RealPlayer Demo

By Matt Spragins, Director of Product, RealPlayer

Robert Scoble of PodTech did a 20+ minute interview with RealPlayer Vice President Jeff Chasen where Jeff does an in depth demo of the new RealPlayer.

Check out the demo!

New RealPlayer Announcement

By Ben Rotholtz, General Manager, Web Services & Syndication & Matt Spragins, Director of Product, RealPlayer

On May 31^st at “D” we announced the new RealPlayer. The beta version of the new RealPlayer will be available by the end of June. That’s ’07.

How is the new RealPlayer different from previous versions? Let’s touch on a few highlights: The most notable difference is visible across tens of thousands of web sites immediately after installation. On-demand and live streaming and progressive video in the four major formats – Flash, Windows Media, QuickTime and Real – is now downloadable through a very simple download button that temporarily hovers near video content as it plays. You don’t need to worry about format. You don’t need to worry about the media player. Just hit the download button and your own Internet-wide personal video recorder from within Internet Explorer and Firefox (Safari and Firefox on the Mac to follow this year) will download or record non-copy protected Internet video directly to your hard disk, enabling you to watch the video content in wholly new ways – when and how you want to view it. What’s that mean? Full screen playback, playlists immersive video that allows you to lean back and discover video on your PC or burn it to a CD or DVD to rediscover web video through your television. By the end of the year we’ll also provide direct transfer to portable devices so that web video content can become part of your lifestyle no matter where you are you’ll have your own collection of Internet Video as you want to see it.

The new RealPlayer rationalizes multiple formats, multiple players and multiple playback experiences into one very simple interface that gives you the power to build, organize, view and transfer your own personal video clips. It’s that simple.

The new RealPlayer is completely easy to use. Install the new RealPlayer. Open your browser and find a site with video that interests you. If the content is not protected and the video is available in a format that the new RealPlayer understands then a download button appears. Sample a few seconds of the content to see if it’s something you might be interested in and then hit the download button and move on to another piece of content, to another site or close your browser to start another task. The video is rapidly copied or recorded to your library while you surf, play or work. Once the video arrives you can easily watch offline without internet bandwidth congestion (goodbye buffering), watch full screen (hello quality and detail) on your PC, television or portable device (welcome flexibility).

Add your own ratings and comments to your video downloads and recordings. If it’s a video clip you like you can easily share the links to original content you found so your friends can play it back with whatever player it was originally created for – they don’t need the RealPlayer (of course we think they’ll have a more rewarding experience if they’ve got the new RealPlayer so they can also download or record a copy for their own personal use as well).

There are numerous fine details across the new RealPlayer that make this one of the most exciting pieces of software to hit the Internet in a long time.

Please join us on this blog to talk about RealPlayer. Feel free to discuss features, industry trends and product direction to help us build a better experience for you.

Thanks for the feedback, the recommendations, the tirades and the non-stop encouragement that has driven us to create the new RealPlayer. We can’t wait to turn you on!

Welcome to the RealPlayer Blog

This site is dedicated to the new RealPlayer. We’d like to have an open conversation with you about what we’re developing and to gather your feedback about what we need to do to better your expectations for the world’s first truly universal media player.