RealNetworks Gets Behind Mobile Media Services

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.atnewyork.com/news/article.php/2201341' target='_blank'>http://www.atnewyork.com/news/article.php/2201341</a><br /><br /></div>"RealNetworks wants to port its expertise in desktop media downloading to mobile devices in the future. RealNetworks is launching what it is calling RealOne Mobile Guide, which will deliver news, sports and other audio, music and video clips to users with sophisticated mobile phones and wireless devices that operate with some of biggest wireless carriers in the country. The new service will work on Nokia's 3650, and RealNetworks also said it will work on PocketPC and other wireless devices in the future."<br /><br />Considering how slow GPRS data is, could you really stream much of anything over it? I could see this being more possible with 1XRTT or a 3G system, but not until data plans are all flat rate and affordable.

[JoeMoon]

On top of that, RealNetworks software is such a memory hog - and a nightmare to remove once your realize how sluggish it is. I would be terrorfied to even consider installing it on my PPC.

My prediction for RealNetworks is the same I had for Novell, WordPerfect and Netscape... Your time of dominance is over... Stop trying to reestablish your product lines against MS... Learn from those who have gone down before you and get out while you have cash in the coffers...

Joe...

[Sslixtis]

Considering how slow GPRS data is, could you really stream much of anything over it? I could see this being more possible with 1XRTT or a 3G system, but not until data plans are all flat rate and affordable.

On top of that, RealNetworks software is such a memory hog - and a nightmare to remove once your realize how sluggish it is. I would be terrorfied to even consider installing it on my PPC.

My prediction for RealNetworks is the same I had for Novell, WordPerfect and Netscape... Your time of dominance is over... Stop trying to reestablish your product lines against MS... Learn from those who have gone down before you and get out while you have cash in the coffers...


Amen :angel:

[Bob Anderson]

Bandwidth is a major problem.

In fact, last night on one of the local Seattle news programs they showed the RealPlayer Mobile running on that Nokia phone. As it was playing, it glitched for a second, then resumed... something no one would find acceptable if they were paying for a subscription, etc.

The astute PR person from Real just made the comment that "that kind of thing can happen from time to time as the networks that transmit the data aren't as fast as they will be later in the year" (or something to that effect) nice try at damage control... but if there are more users on that system odds are, even if it is incrementally faster, there will be more interruptions! Bottom line was that it glitched right in front of everyone, including potential new customers... and is, as fact would have it, the primary reason streaming video to cell phones is silly.

Now, I may be wrong here, but are people going to really watch video (feeds) on a phone? Is Real Networks just pumping money into a lost cause? With the bandwidth issues along with the size of what can be displayed on a cell phone I think this is just plain dumb.

Now, being able to download videos that you've recorded from your PVR and or home movies, and having access to them on a mobile device (note: mobile device not necessarily a mobile phone) - without streaming - is a market I know is waiting to be capitalized on. I hope that companies are working on tools to facilitate this type of activity rather than some silly streaming of news/sports/entertainment info. at a horribly slow (and as a result indistinguishable picture) rate.

That's my two cents worth on this topic!![/b]

[Kaber]

I just wish real player for PPC was worth even installing. I can't get it to work with anything over the network. I can only get files to play if I download them to my PPC via ActiveSync. Thats totally unexceptable. I want Pocket PC apps to have as little to do with Active Sync as possible. That includes installing them.

I used to be able to get stuff to play. NPR's Real player program stream used to stream perfect on my iPAQ. What gives?

[nirav28]

They're going to loose any sort of market segment they have.

First of all, why not let the user just download the content to the mobile phone, instead of streaming. I'm sorry, but GPRS coverage is still lacking in the U.S and there are going to be glitches. Sudden signal lose or drop can cause the stream to hickup momemtarily and it has to rebuffer again. Which would waste precious and costly bandwidth.

Besides, not to mention that Real player sucks..atleast on the desktop. Its a damn virus I tell you. Everytime I launch it (not by choice), it will kick in some background service , and will not remove it after I close the player.


IMO, Microsoft needs to get their heads out of their collective ass and do something about mediaplayer for the PPC. I know they did a good job for WMP 9.0, but it seems that PPC is always getting new innovations as a after thought. Sure mediaplayer 8.0 PPC does stream, but the UI is horrible!!!

[Abba Zabba]

I know they did a good job for WMP 9.0, but it seems that PPC is always getting new innovations as a after thought. Sure mediaplayer 8.0 PPC does stream, but the UI is horrible!!!

Thats why in PPC 2k3 we're getting WMP 9 for the PPC.

But back to the Posts. Real Player is a piece of crap that no only hardly works but when it does it crashes your system. This thing will be the ultimate bandwith hog over GPRS. Who in their right mind will stream video over a cell phone when you can't even get unlimites GPRS for the price of 1xRtt especially not at the same price :?:

Real Player, streaming video to a cell phone.... not yet, still too early for this to even take off :evil: