Overall, RealPlayer — and now RealOne Player as well — is a class-act app that will appeal to anyone who has ever had to wait an eternity just to listen to a thirty-second sound byte or view a video clip. And with the increasing prevalence of Real multimedia content on the Web, this is one app you'll definitely want to have for your online daily Web surfing.
While there is still considerable room for improvement in the quality of audio and video streaming technology, RealPlayer shows that you don't need to wait for the arrival of cable modems and DSL lines in order to fully enjoy real-time true multimedia content on the Web.
New in RealPlayer 10.0: PerfectPlay2, Live Pause, Music Guide, new feature tabs, new look & feel, improved performance, portable devices support, improved message center Upgrade Meter:5
New in RealOne Player: Integrated RealPlayer, RealJukebox, and RealDownload components, access to RealOne SuperPass premium service (monthly fee), expanded MP3 search capabilities, new interface, much more; Release Notes Upgrade Meter:5
New in 8.0: Streaming MP3 support, Real.com Radio tuner, Integrated RealDownload client (based on NetZIP Internet Download Manager) and integrated Net2Phone client in Real Entertainment Center, 3-band equalizer (10-band available in RealPlayer Plus), skins support (offering visualizations, animations, and more), Internet Media Discovery, iQfx 2.0 with 3-D Stereo sound, new installation options, various bug fixes; Release Notes Upgrade Meter:5
New in 7.0: More than 100 live Internet radio presets, Take5 entertainment showcase (with fresh content daily -- ie. an entertainment portal), revamped user interface with enhanced media navigation features, improved start-up time, improved MP3 performance with support for streamed MP3 content, Real.com Message Service Upgrade Meter:5
New in G2 Update 4: Integrated RealJukebox Basic 1.0 client, MP3 playback capabilities, integrated AOL Instant Messenger client, higher quality video with enhanced RealVideo G2, playback of HTTP-streamed MP3 files, improved full-screen performance; more bug fixes for earlier G2 releases; Release Notes Upgrade Meter:5
New in G2: Integrates Intel's new Web Streaming Video technology (for smoother web video and enhanced playback performance), FRU (frame rate upsampling) technology for broadcast quality video at up to 30 frames per second, stereo and near-CD audio quality capabilities, SureStream support, SmartStream technology, AutoUpdate feature, web-based administration for network and server management, scalable multicasting capabilities, dramatic enhancements to audio and video quality; Release Notes Upgrade Meter:5
Pros: Outstanding real-time audio/video on demand; free server, encoder, and player
Cons: Clips must be run from a specialized server for real-time streaming to occur
