Keeping the technology current for the Mac:
RealNetworks Ships RealPlayer G2 for Macintosh and RealPlayer G2 Update 2 for Windows
PR Newswire - May 05, 1999 09:17
New Features Include Improved Video Quality Through RealVideo G2 With Scaleable Video Technology and Support for MP3 Playback
SAN FRANCISCO, RealNetworks Conference and Exhibition '99, May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- RealNetworks(TM) (Nasdaq: RNWK), the recognized leader in streaming media, today announced the availability of two gold releases of its award-winning RealPlayer(R) G2 software. RealPlayer G2 Update 2 for Windows and RealPlayer G2 final release for Macintosh offer MP3 music playback and sharper, smoother video playback with RealVideo(R) G2 Scaleable Video Technology (SVT). RealPlayer G2 Update 2 also includes integration with RealJukebox(TM), announced Monday. All these new features build on previous releases of RealPlayer, which now has more than 60 million registered users, an increase of more than 10 million unique users since January, 1999.
"We are pleased to offer the growing number of RealNetworks consumers great new audio and video features in the latest RealPlayer G2 updates. 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, Inc. "In addition, the integration of RealPlayer G2 Update 2 with RealJukebox will enable RealNetworks consumers to have an optimized experience for media ranging from Internet radio to online TV to personal music collections."
RealPlayer G2 Update 2 features a RealJukebox button and a convenient menu item to make it easy for RealPlayer users to launch RealJukebox. This integration enables seamless use of RealPlayer for the best streaming audio and video on the Internet with RealJukebox for managing consumers' personal music collections. The RealJukebox beta turns PCs into the best way to experience music by enabling consumers to add, organize and play music right from their desktop.
RealPlayer G2 final release for Macintosh, targeted for RealPlayer Macintosh consumers, is the most advanced RealNetworks product ever released for the Macintosh platform. RealPlayer G2 for Macintosh brings advanced multimedia content authored with Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) to the growing Mac user base, along with other groundbreaking RealSystem(TM) G2 features like SureStream(TM) and MP3 playback support.
"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. "The RealPlayer G2 final release for Macintosh will enable Mac users around the world to experience the latest RealNetworks has to offer in streaming media."
RealPlayer Developer's Alpha, RNC '99 Edition, also announced today at the RealNetworks Conference & Exhibition '99, is designed for developers building software and content on RealSystem G2. This alpha software offers a sneak peak at the cool new features in the next generation RealPlayer. It is available for immediate download at real.com.
New Features in the latest RealPlayer G2 releases
RealPlayer G2 Update 2 and RealPlayer G2 Final Release for Macintosh will include the following features:
-- Improved video quality with RealVideo G2 with SVT:
-- CPU scalability provides smoother, sharper quality images for higher
bitrate video
-- Improved playback of videos with large image frame sizes
-- Optimized for Intel(R) Pentium III(R) Processors
-- Improved error handling enables RealPlayer to recover more data lost
during transmission due to packet loss
-- Supports playback of the popular MP3 music format
-- Optimized support for MP3 (MPEG Layer 3) music format included in
every RealPlayer
-- Support for variable bitrate (VBR) MP3 files
-- Support for popular MP3 playlist formats -- PLS & M3U playlists
-- Playback of MP3 files takes full advantage of the RealPlayer Audio
Analyzer, Equalizer, and iQFx RealPlayer Add-in
-- Additional performance improvements include:
-- Improved RealPix(TM) delivers multimedia playback with half the CPU
load
-- Improved full-screen performance for improved video experiences over
broadband
-- Added performance and reliability improvements
-- One button access to tutorials on how to create RealAudio and
RealVideo content, and instructions on how to download the free
RealProducer(TM) to create your own streaming media and post it on
your web site
RealSystem Market Leadership
RealNetworks continues to maintain a more than 85% share of the streaming media market. More than 85% of all Web pages on the Internet using streaming media use industry leading RealAudio, RealVideo, RealFlash(TM), RealText(TM) or RealPix(TM), and more than 300,000 hours of live RealAudio and RealVideo programming are available each week (Source: Hotbot). |
