At the RealNetworks Conference and Exhibition ’99 Wednesday, RealNetworks Inc. released RealPlayer G2
Update 2 for Windows and the final version of RealPlayer G2 for the Macintosh.
The updated software offers MP3 music playback and
sharper, smoother video playback with RealVideo G2 Scaleable Video Technology (SVT). In addition, RealPlayer G2 Update 2 also includes integration
with RealJukebox, unveiled Monday.
Real Networks said its release for Macintosh users is its most
advanced product ever released for the Macintosh platform.
“We believe that the Macintosh is the best platform for streaming media and
RealNetworks has been a stalwart in supporting the Mac with regular updates to their popular
RealPlayer software,” said Clent
Richardson, Apple’s vice president of worldwide developer relations.
RealPlayer G2 for Macintosh
provides advanced multimedia content authored with Synchronized Multimedia
Integration Language (SMIL) to Mac users, in addition with RealSystem G2 features such as
SureStream and MP3 playback support.
New features for both RealPlayer G2 releases include:
- Improved video quality with RealVideo G2 with SVT.
- CPU scalability providing smoother, sharper quality images for higher bitrate video.
- Improved playback of videos with large image frame sizes.
- Optimized for Intel Pentium III processors.
- Improved error handling enables RealPlayer to recover more data lost
during transmission due to packet loss. - Supports playback of the MP3 (MPEG Layer 3) music format.
- Support for variable bitrate (VBR) MP3 files.
- Support for MP3 playlist formats — PLS & M3U playlists
- Playback of MP3 files using RealPlayer Audio
Analyzer, Equalizer, and iQFx RealPlayer Add-in. - Improved RealPix to deliver multimedia playback with half the CPU
load.
- Improved full-screen performance for improved video over
broadband. - One button access to tutorials on creating RealAudio and
RealVideo content and instructions on how to download the free
RealProducer to create streaming media and post it on Web sites.
Also at today’s conference, RealNetworks is unveiling its
RealPlayer Developer’s Alpha, RNC ’99 Edition, aimed at developers building software and content on
RealSystem G2.
The alpha
software previews new features in the next
generation RealPlayer. It is available for
immediate download.
“Continual focus on developing the best technology and making
it easy for consumers to find compelling content is what has made
RealPlayer the streaming media product of choice for 60 million consumers,” said Maria Cantwell, senior vice
president, consumer and e-commerce Division, RealNetworks.
