RealNetworks’ iQ Server Downloads Hit 12,000

The tally is in: RealNetworks Inc. learned Tuesday that about 12,000
consumers downloaded its iQ server for use across a number of operating
systems.

Supported by Hewlett-Packard’s HP-UX, IBM’s AIX, and Sun’s Solaris OS,
RealSystem iQ speeds the delivery of information from service providers to
their clients using Neuralcast technology.

This technology enables satellite and terrestrial delivery between all
servers in the network to multiple locations.

Whereas many content delivery technologies use origin servers to distribute
media streams to edge servers, CDNs now realize that such designs suffer
from points of failure and require expensive remedies to lessen network
congestion. Neuralcast’s secret is that it aggregates the capacity of many
servers into one intelligent unit that is capable of coordinating content.

RealNetworks first made waves with RealSystem iQ on Dec. 11 last year and
has hit the 12,000 mark in less than two months.
CDNs such as Akamai Technologies, Digital Island and Enron Broadband
Services are just a few of a slew of firms that have quickly signed on for
iQ, attracting a number of users with the software.

“AOL has deployed the RealSystem software through our network to provide a
high-quality audio/video experience for our members,” said Terry Laber, AOL
Vice President for Systems Operations.

RealNetworks spokesperson Erika Shaffer said iQ may be downloaded for free
or subscribed to, depending on the level of service needed.

RealNetworks Tuesday also put the finishing touches on RealSystem Producer
8.5, an encoding tool that helps content creators integrate content encoded
in RealAudio 8 and RealVideo 8 into iQ.

This allows producers to let loose with multiple streams at once, and across
multiple formats. Shaffer said many major broadcasting firms, whom she could
not name, use Producer 8.5 across Sun’s Solaris platform.