Real One Player ARGGGGH!!!

Mad Mike · 26-09-2003 7:16pm #1

Tried real one player last week and couldn't believe how awful the whole experience was. Seems strange that reputable sites like RTE etc. still associate themselves with this crowd.

Anyway I did find an alternative called Real Alternative which does work but is a little bit crude.

What I would really like is to able able to get a plug in or codec or some such that would allow me to play Real Media files in Windows Media player. Anybody know if this can be done?

LegacyUser · 26-09-2003 9:49pm

I concur, its total shítware, if you remove it from startup then start the program it puts itself back in startup, that is such a pain in the ass, not to mention all the other stuff, don't know if there is a plugin like you asked, I doubt it though, if there was no one would use realplayer

GUI · 27-09-2003 2:13pm

well their real one player is open source..
so id imagine their are addon codecs for other media players out there

po0k · 27-09-2003 3:01pm

There was a plugin for WinAmp, was for an older version of the format though. Dunno about an ActiveX codec.

TEH HAX. etc.

oneweb · 27-09-2003 3:33pm

***, I've found Real Alternative to be very good

I really like it.

/me spits at Real Player One and all its ugly siblings.

Ancient1 · 27-09-2003 8:10pm

its a necessary evil - never use it xcept for streaming.

Mad Mike · 28-09-2003 9:13am

In reality I have no problem with Real Alternative -- my only beef is with the fairly simple media player it comes bundled with.

Checking up on the documentation for Real Alternative from the website:

http://www.freecodecs.com/

I found the following quote:

" You do need a player that is capable of playing Real Media. The included Media Player Classic supports it and works very well"

This would seem to imply that the Real Alternative codec can be used with other media players. Unfortunately I cannot find any information on how to do this and I know next to nothing about audio and video formats and codecs.

Any one know more about this than I do?

Ancient1 · 28-09-2003 9:52am

If you have like a whole day to spend browsing, check out

www.dvdrhelp.com there's a ton of info there, especially the how-to section. Dont let the name deceive you though, there's lots of audio tips there as well, and excellent links as well.

See if you can find anything, check out the FAQ and how-to section.

Eurorunner · 28-09-2003 11:44am

Originally posted by Mad Mike
In reality I have no problem with Real Alternative -- my only beef is with the fairly simple media player it comes bundled with.

Checking up on the documentation for Real Alternative from the website:

http://www.freecodecs.com/

I found the following quote:

" You do need a player that is capable of playing Real Media. The included Media Player Classic supports it and works very well"

This would seem to imply that the Real Alternative codec can be used with other media players. Unfortunately I cannot find any information on how to do this and I know next to nothing about audio and video formats and codecs.

Any one know more about this than I do?

Windows media player classic will play real player/quicktime files. However, when it comes to streaming, it wont work if say on a site like RTÉ's for example, their video/audio streaming is real player based....unless someone here can tell me different - and if so, please advise how to make this work.

I have used quicktime/real player/win media player in the past - i dont really care about the actual interfaces of either of them. However, real player has a nasty side to it - especially the 'free' version. ie. real player pop-ups, advertising, etc.

Lennoxschips · 28-09-2003 11:54am

I'm glad other people hate Real One Player too. Real Audio streams are good quality and all that, but the player is ****e. All I wan the program to do is play sounds, not have it making tea and take the dog for a walk. Hasn't anyone over at Real Media had a look at WinAmp and wonder why it has been so successful?

Mad Mike · 28-09-2003 12:52pm

Originally posted by Eurorunner
Windows media player classic will play real player/quicktime files. However, when it comes to streaming, it wont work if say on a site like RTÉ's for example, their video/audio streaming is real player based....unless someone here can tell me different - and if so, please advise how to make this work.

Apologies if I'm telling you something you already know Eurorunner but I can confirm that the 'Media Player Classic' which comes with real alternative does actually play streaming audio and video on the fly. That's what I am currently using it for. 'Media Player Classic' is not the same as 'Windows Media Player Classic' although it looks and feels a bit like an ancient version of media player that came with windows 3.1

If you are into minimalism and don't want pop up intrusions and general taking over of your PC I can definitely reccommend Real Alternative and Media Player Classic. They are a no-nonsense combination that does the job fine. I have a notion that you can even get codecs for it to do quicktime. It does look and feel a bit primitive however and if you want flashing lights, skins and such you'll have to look elsewhere.

Real Alternative is available from:

http://www.freecodecs.com/

Eurorunner · 28-09-2003 1:09pm

Apologies if I'm telling you something you already know Eurorunner but I can confirm that the 'Media Player Classic' which comes with real alternative does actually play streaming audio and video on the fly.

Hell no! This is a good find. Going to download and check it out now.

It does look and feel a bit primitive however and if you want flashing lights, skins and such you'll have to look elsewhere.

My former self might have been impressed with flashy GUI interfaces but functionality is everything these days:)

Mad Mike · 28-09-2003 2:43pm

I feel I may have to eat my hat here.

After giving such "great" advice to Eurorunner I did a few extra experiments on RTE's website. Real alternative handles old programs fine but hiccups when it comes to live streaming. I know I have got it to play .smi files in the past but I guess it still not fully able for live streaming.

Apologies for sending you on a wild goose chase Eurorunner.

Eurorunner · 28-09-2003 3:18pm

Apologies for sending you on a wild goose chase Eurorunner.

No problem Mike...these things have to be checked out. I d/l'ed it and tried to run one of the rté clips with it but it couldnt manage it.

Anyone out there know of a solution to this problem. Even better if someone knows of a way to get WinMedia Classic Player to play streaming real player files. Is it just a case of having a certain codec??

MadKevo · 30-09-2003 8:10am

Pasted this into the Open dialogue box on Real Alternative/Media Player Classic:

rtsp://streaming2.rte.ie/encoder/2fm.ra

This is the meat from the link on the 2FM website - obtained it by saving target file from link and editing it in NotePad or whatever. Worked perfectly first time for me.

Of course it may not work for much longer with our little open conversation...

Very happy I can uninstall Real crap now *

/MK

* having some problems - uninstalling Real One player uninstalled Real Alternative... Hmmm, will update with progress...

OK, reinstalled Real Alternative - happy again!

Mad Mike · 30-09-2003 11:03am

Intrigueing.

Will try this out when I get home this evening.

If it is so simple how come real alternative doesn't do it already? Is there some kind of licensing issue?

oneweb · 30-09-2003 12:06pm

Probably just a bug. Try emailling the author of Real Alternative.

eirebhoy · 30-09-2003 12:14pm

Originally posted by bananayoghurt
I concur, its total shítware, if you remove it from startup then start the program it puts itself back in startup, that is such a pain in the ass, not to mention all the other stuff, don't know if there is a plugin like you asked, I doubt it though, if there was no one would use realplayer

I removed it from startups and it never came back to startups! Did you remove it by running msconfig?

Mad Mike · 30-09-2003 4:15pm

Originally posted by MadKevo
Pasted this into the Open dialogue box on Real Alternative/Media Player Classic:

rtsp://streaming2.rte.ie/encoder/2fm.ra

This is the meat from the link on the 2FM website - obtained it by saving target file from link and editing it in NotePad or whatever. Worked perfectly first time for me.

Brilliant MadKevo this trick worked first time for me too. If Eurorunner is still reading I feel I can regurgitate my hat now. Real alternative does work with streaming audio given this little trick.

It does look like a bug. Classic Media Player doesn't seem to be able to open the link automatically. I would send a mail to the author of the program except that they appear to be somewhat anonynous. The program has a link to a website that is still under construction.

Real One Player ARGGGGH!!!

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