RealNetworks unveils software line for multimedia displays

By Chris Nerney
Network World, 5/4/98

The company that three years ago launched the first streaming media application this week unveiled a group of products that will allow enterprises to deliver synchronized multimedia presentations to employee desktops.

RealNetworks Inc.'s new RealSystem G2 line of software is designed for creating and playing Internet and intranet audio, video and animation files.

One version of the new product packages multimedia servers, players and authoring tools to enable enterprises to create and deploy intranet applications such as live executive broadcasts, company meetings, sales force training and enterprise learning.

Another RealSystem G2 package

geared toward public Web sites that use multimedia

allows content developers to create synchronized audio, video, images, slides and text presentations. With this package, RealNetworks is trying to address two big problems routinely faced by users of Internet-based multimedia programs: 1) The constant need to download software that can run audio or video files in a growing number of formats, and 2) sluggish, spotty audio and video transmissions, especially at slower connection speeds.

"In terms of the quality of multimedia over the Internet, we're just not there yet," said Ron Rappaport, an analyst at Zona Research Inc., of Redwood City, California. The primary goal of RealSystems G2 is to get users "there," according to RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser.

Company officials said the key elements of RealSystem G2 are its support for a wide range of multimedia types and its new server-based SmartStream technology. Based on open standards, RealSystem allows users to run files in numerous multimedia formats, including AVI, JPEG, MPEG, WAV and AU.

SmartStream is designed to eliminate transmission problems caused by fluctuating bandwidth. If bandwidth slows while a large multimedia file is being transmitted, SmartStream enables the media stream to stop and give the client an opportunity to catch up. This process is called rebuffering.

Formerly known as Progressive Networks, RealNetworks introduced the first streaming media software, RealAudio, in 1995. Last year, the company launched RealVideo and RealPlayer, which combines audio and video capabilities. These products combined have the vast majority of market share for Internet streaming software.

Components and prices of RealSystem G2 are as follows:

Basic Server Plus, for small businesses, costs US$695.
RealSystem G2 Intranet Solution, for enterprises, starts at $6,995. It includes the RealServer multimedia server, 100 RealPlayers and software for creating and encoding audio and video files.
RealSystem G2 Internet Solution, for Web sites that broadcast audio and video, starts at $5,995.