AfterDawn: News

Real launches RealPlayer 10 with AAC support and music store

RealNetworks has launched a new version of its widely-spread multimedia player, RealPlayer. The new version, RealPlayer 10 includes support for AAC audio and for Real's latest video codec, RealVideo 10.

But the biggest news is definitely the fact that now Real is competing directly against Apple; RealPlayer 10 has integrated music store built into it, exactly like Apple's iTunes has. RealPlayer Music Store (very original, as Apple's music store is called iTunes Music Store) offers a selection of 300,000 songs for $0.99 each. RealPlayer also supports variety of formats and is capable of playing iTunes' tracks as well (after all, they're DRM-equipped AAC tracks as well).



So, nothing dramatic really, but all the signs are telling us that by the end of the year 2004, we'll see some winners and tons of losers in this legal music download hoobla that has quite clear resemblance to the dotcom bubble years in late 1990s.

Source: News.com

Written by: Petteri Pyyny @ 7 Jan 2004 13:27

• Previous article

• The number of music downloads plummets according to study

• Next article

• Macrovision sues 321 Studios

• 2 comments

• GrayArea

  At a buck a song it SHOULD be illegal. The average CD is what, 17, 18 songs or so? Cost of the average audio CD with NON-DRM restricted, NON-COPY PROTECTED, UNCOMPRESSED song "files" (yes, I know, they are trying to copy protect those too)? Does between 14 and 20 bucks sound about right for the average retailer? For the sake of argument let's say an average of a buck a song for audio CDs purchased at a store. This is a hard copy of a disc that was pressed at a factory, packaged with litho printed inserts, trucked to a warehouse, sold to a jobber, resold and shipped to a brick and mortar music store.
  Now let's look at "legal" on-line music sales. Lease some server space, load the content onto 'em, set up the web site, outsource some call center customer service (located in India) and... bling bling, "legal" robbery.
  
  After all that rambling I have a question, does anybody know, is there tax paid on the estimated value of "intellectual property" the way a retailer or manufacturer is charged tax on physical inventory?

  7.1.2004 15:05 #1

• Veblin

  RealPlayer 10 - StreamBox Ripper codec problem and solution.
  
  A new version of RealPlayer has been released. RealPlayer 10 is available as a beta version.
  After installing RealPlayer 10, StreamBox Ripper will no longer be able to convert files.
  
  StreamBox Ripper will show this error message.
  
  Decoding of the file requires external codec.
  Please download & install G2 Player (www.real.com)
  
  codec info (cook)
  
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  
  StreamBox Ripper needs the codec cook3260.dll
  
  Previous versions of RealPlayer or RealOne Player had this codec.
  RealPlayer 10 also has this codec, but it is named cook.dll so StreamBox Ripper cannot find it.
  
  Solution.
  Open folder.
  C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Codecs
  Right click on cook.dll and select Copy.
  Then right click in that same folder and select Paste.
  You will then have a file named Copy of cook.dll
  Right click on Copy of cook.dll and select Rename.
  Rename the file cook3260.dll
  You will then have this codec named both ways.
  cook.dll This is the one that RealPlayer 10 will use.
  cook3260.dll This is the one that StreamBox Ripper will use to convert files to .mp3, .wav, .wma.

  7.1.2004 22:34 #2