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TECHNOLOGY
RealMedia Comes
to Badpuppy’s GayToday
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| Audio & Video Signals
Are Now Accessible
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This
article requires the Real Player. Press the button to get the FREE plug-in! |
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For the past two weeks
GayToday’s entertainment features have featured RealAudio samples of CD
albums reviewed. By now, some readers/listeners may have downloaded
the FREE RealPlayer (located at http://www.real.com
). This article provides an overview of how RealMedia works and lists
a few outstanding RealMedia websites.
The RealPlayer is a considered
a plug-in. Plug-ins enhance the capabilities of one’s browser.
When you come across a page that has the plug-ins that you have already
loaded, these helper files add enhanced functionality to your computer.
The RealPlayer system make
it possible for Badpuppy’s GayToday to deliver audio and video signals
that can be accessed and played back immediately. The first of such functional
products was called RealAudio. At its inception, RealAudio was considered
a technological breakthrough. Prior to this, a user would have to
wait 5-10 times longer than the actual program. If a song lasted
through only 5 minutes of audio, it took 25 minutes, nevertheless, to download.
Imagine how long one would have to wait for a video file 30 times larger
than an audio file!
The way the RealPlayer works
is via a process called "streaming". Instead of running to the server
and getting the entire file, it procures pieces of the file and pushes
them to one’s processor depending on its speed and one’s connection rate.
As processors free up memory, it pushes more content into the processor
until the entire file has been executed.
Sometimes you may experience
signal loss, especially during 'peak' Internet times. What is happening?
You are waiting for the streamed data to clear your buffer. That's
why it is wise to do RealSurfing at off-peak hours.
One of the current trends
in the broadcast industry is to simulcast radio station signals on the
Internet. So if you're homesick and you want to hear what's happening
in another market, find the webpage for your favorite station and tune
in. There are many times, when you may wish to access your favorite
station and enjoy it as it plays in the background while, simultaneously,
you work on something else in the foreground.
Here are a few outstanding
radio shows you may enjoy accessing on the Internet:
| Station/Market: |
GLO Radio - San Francisco
(National) |
| WebPage: |
http://www.planetout.com/
gloradio/ |
| Media
Stream: |
Various |
| FORMAT: |
News content for the gay
and lesbian community
Archives
|
| Station/Market: |
Amazon City Radio (National) |
| WebPage: |
http://www.amazoncityradio.com/ |
| Media
Stream: |
Various |
| FORMAT: |
Of interest to women, including
spoken word, music, poetry and more. |
| Station/Market: |
National Institutes of Health
(National) |
| WebPage: |
http://www.radiospace.com/nihhome.htm |
| Media
Stream: |
Various |
| FORMAT: |
Business & Technology,
Entertainment & Sports, Consumer, Health, Current Events and Personal
Finance |
But the RealPlayer is no
longer limited only to audio. Besides RealVideo, new technologies
continue to emerge for this delivery system. The latest is called FLASH
and was co-developed by Macromedia and RealNetworks. FLASH combines
vector graphics with synched audio to create animations. Following
are some favorite RealVideo and FLASH sites.
| Name: |
Sony Interactive |
| WebPage: |
http://www.spe.sony.com/movies/ |
| Media
Stream: |
Various |
| FORMAT: |
Sony has created a team
of multi-media artists to promote their movie and music properties. |
| Name: |
Real Flash Animation Festival |
| WebPage: |
http://www.real.com/festival/index.html |
| Media
Stream: |
Various |
| FORMAT: |
Macromedia and RealNetworks,
had a contest encouraging users to utilize their technology. The
results can be classified as works of art. |
| Name: |
Film Com |
| WebPage: |
http://www.film.com/ |
| Media
Stream: |
Various |
| FORMAT: |
Trailers and movie reviews
of the latest offerings from Hollywood. |
This is just a sample of
the many types of RealMedia content currently available on the Internet.
One final note: I first became
fascinated with RealAudio because as a musician I hoped to showcase
my work on the Internet. I checked out several alternatives,
but RealAudio made the most sense. Plug-ins are like fads; what is
embraced today, may not be tomorrow. Recently, RealNetworks has inked
a deal with 500 ABC radio affiliates. By partnering with co-developers
and content providers, RealMedia has firmly established itself as
the industry standard for audio and video content delivery systems.
7If you know of any truly
cool RealMedia sites e-mail Carter Burnette for inclusion in a future article:
carter@bpcorp.com
Listen
to me sign off!
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