RealSystem G2 Player beta Now Available

RealNetworks, Inc. today announced the release of the RealSystem G2 beta, RealNetworks’ next-generation streaming multimedia delivery system.

RealSystem G2, first released as a “preview” in May, is an open and extensible standards-based streaming media system that enables users to experience a multimedia presentation through the synchronization and playback of multiple media types.

Improvements to the Real Player include a powerful new music Codec designed to increase the frequency response of audio clips by 80% for modem connections, as well as new video post-filtering capabilities that create smoother images for end-users.

RealSystem G2 also features new SmartStream transport technology that delivers reliable and continuous end-user playback–even under real-world (i.e. typically s-l-o-w) network conditions. RealSystem G2 uses two new media types, RealText and RealPix, combined with support for Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL), to allow rich multimedia programming to be streamed over typical modem connections.

SMIL provides developers with the ability to utilize multimedia elements that include voice, music, visual effects, text and graphics, while the standard features of the RealSystem G2 Player allow the developer to include ASF, AVI, JPEG, MPEG, VIV, and WAV image formats in their “presentations.”

For more information about creating SMIL content for RealSystem G2, visit the WebDeveloper.com SMIL/G2 Tutorial series.

To find out more about RealSystem G2, or to download the new RealSystem G2 Player beta, visit the RealNetworks Web site.