RealAudio - quick explanation

Quick explanation of RealAudio

N.B. This was written before MP3 and Windows Media Player really came of age. (RealAudio has moved on too).

Assuming your computer has speakers, you should be getting sound and video over and above the usual static images we used to expect from the web. RealAudio is only one of several programs which you can install to do the business. The main thing is it's free! (Go for the G2 player, if you decide to download the G2Plus you'll have to pay). You just download the program, double click on it to install it (or use Add-Remove Programs), and then either forget about it until you come across something on the web which you want to listen to - it starts automatically - or you can be guided to audio (incl. RealAudio broadcasts and MP3) and video-based web content - sporting events, live radio stations, news, interviews, music, and lectures.

Did I say it's free?

Boring explanation (so I'm told)

Part 1 . Compression

Sound generally takes up a lot of memory. The audio production of the Madeleine Smith Story, for example, which is just under an hour long, takes up (as a .wav file) 582 megabytes of hard-disc space so, even just to get it up on to the web-site, it first has to be compressed to a fraction of that size. (Once the deed is done, it actually comes in at less than 7 megabytes).

Part 2. Streaming Audio

Now, if you felt inclined, you could just download the whole 6.7mb file on to your computer but, depending on your modem speed etc., you would have to sit for ages waiting for it to download, (possibly only to discover that it's a load of rubbish which you don't want to listen to anyway) but with RealAudio and the likes, a stream of data is delivered to your computer and processed as it comes in so you don't have to wait for a whole sound file to download, you are listening as soon as it starts to come in - pretty much immediately - regardless of the size of the file on the web site.

Hope you enjoy the story.

Jimmy Powdrell Campbell

RealAudio Player System Requirements

Miniumum

90MHz Intel* Pentium* processor or equivalent
16MB of RAM
14.4Kbps modem (audio only); 28.8Kpbs modem (for audio and video)
16-bit sound card and speakers
65,000-color (High Color/16-bit) video display card (video)
Windows* 95 operating system
Internet connection and web browser