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Technology Stocks : RealNetworks (NASDAQ:RNWK) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jason Levine who wrote (317)	3/19/1998 7:08:00 PM
From: Stang	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5843

RealPlayer 6.0 Will Stream Multiple Formats techweb.com AUSTIN, Texas -- RealNetworks' next media player will support a more complex multimedia architecture, presenting different formats of data in different windows, a company spokesman said Tuesday at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival here. Steve Mack, manager of RealNetworks' media lab, said RealSystem 6.0 will support several file formats, including JPEG, MIDI, and text, which have been unsupported in previous releases. Users can specify windows in which they want the player to support and receive simultaneous delivery of multiple data streams. Mack said data in a single stream must be encoded in a one-file format. Within RealPlayer 5.0's single window, all data must exist within the same file. Therefore, text accompanying a video must be encoded as though it is part of the video itself, in bandwidth-intensive pixels. RealNetworks' new developments will let content providers integrate a wide variety of content, including video, MIDI, and text into a single presentation, Mack said. However, each element can be transmitted separately, using only the minimum amount of bandwidth required. For example, a video window may display an action video clip, while a second text window could display a real-time sports or stock ticker. This reduces the total amount of bandwidth required to stream the data. RealSystem 6.0 also will also offer higher bit-rate optimization than its predecessor. RealSystem 5.0 can transmit two to three frames per second of high-action video content over a 28.8-kilobit-per-second modem. Mack said RealSystem 6.0 will transmit five to seven frames per second. Mack said these moves come as a reaction to continuing bandwidth constraints imposed on streaming video technology by both the size of the Internet itself and the limitations of end-user platforms. As 28.8-Kbps modems are likely to remain a prevalent standard for years to come, media architects recognize the need to develop increasingly creative methods of transmitting streaming content. Mack demonstrated a full-screen, high-action video as it would display if transmitted at 300 Kbps, yielding an effective transmission of 15 frames per second. This technology, however, is not likely to be in widespread use over the Net for years to come. Digital subscriber line modems and cable modems can transmit up to 1 megabit per second of data. However, regional telephone companies have been slow to offer DSL technology, and cable modems are still unavailable in most areas. Stang