Gizmodo Reviews RealPlayer SP

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://gizmodo.com/5301855/realplayer-sp-rips-converts-shares-and-syncs-internet-video' target='_blank'>http://gizmodo.com/5301855/realplay...-internet-video</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Real's new RealPlayer SP software, currently in beta, adds functionality to rip YouTube and other streaming videos from the Internet and get them onto whatever handheld you choose. It works well enough, but it's also crammed full of unnecessary features. RealPlayer SP is the evolution of the long-running RealPlayer software, which has become a multi-limbed beast of a program: It's a media manager and player, along with a packaged web browser, a subscription and a la carte music store (Rhapsody), a gaming store (Real Arcade), an audio recorder, and now a streaming video ripper/converter with ties-in to social networking sites."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1247264328.usr1.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>The long and the short of it is that if you're using a device like a Zune or a phone that can play h.264 video, this is a decent way to grab content from YouTube and other social video sites and get it onto your device, with conversion if necessary. It does a lot more than that, but the question is whether or not you need that fucntionality...</p>

[Vincent Ferrari]

If RealPlayer (in any form) was the cure for cancer, I'd rather die with tumors. ;)

No one company has provided me with the level of aggravation over the years that Real has, and I'll be damned if I'd ever let any computer I own or am responsible for run their crap ever again.

[Felix Torres]

Normally, I would agree.
But I'm curious about this new mutation:

1- Once in a while I find an online video worth keeping that the standard Flash-scrapers can't handle. Might be worth setting up a virtual machine to try this new abomination to see if it at least has a use. Would be surprised if it could scrape Hulu or netflix but it would be mighty interesting if it could...

2- Surprisingly, the have identified a feature that *belongs* in modern media managers: streaming video capture/scraping. Now to see how fast they're sued over it. :)

[Vincent Ferrari]

Normally, I would agree.
But I'm curious about this new mutation:

1- Once in a while I find an online video worth keeping that the standard Flash-scrapers can't handle. Might be worth setting up a virtual machine to try this new abomination to see if it at least has a use. Would be surprised if it could scrape Hulu or netflix but it would be mighty interesting if it could...

2- Surprisingly, the have identified a feature that *belongs* in modern media managers: streaming video capture/scraping. Now to see how fast they're sued over it. :)

The problem, of course, is that most of the streaming services out there don't allow for capturing of streams and specifically forbid it in their TOS, so I think you're right. Lawsuits will abound.

Real is a shady shifty company that his historically made garbage programs that kill computers and try to take over every aspect of them. I'm sorry but I wouldn't even risk a VM to that crap. Real had their chance with me on numerous occasions and failed every single time. I'm not a battered wife, and I'm not going back on the promise that they'll change.

[Jason Dunn]

Real is a shady shifty company that his historically made garbage programs that kill computers and try to take over every aspect of them.

If this were 2004, I'd agree with you, but the past few years I've been increasingly impressed with their software. Not that I'm running any of it mind you. :D

[Vincent Ferrari]

If this were 2004, I'd agree with you, but the past few years I've been increasingly impressed with their software. Not that I'm running any of it mind you. :D

Amazing how not running a company's software is the only way you could ever have a positive opinion of it :p

[Felix Torres]

Somebody ought to forward this thread to the Real CEO.:D

[Vincent Ferrari]

Somebody ought to forward this thread to the Real CEO.:D

He's heard it before. I remember a few years ago where he admitted the company made some horrific decisions in their software (including how it turns into a vacuum sucking all life into it) and how they had an uphill battle in changing perception of what their product is and the ethics of the company behind it.

I'd say he has an impossible feat, not an uphill battle. They ruined their image and they were first to the game. That should NEVER happen.

[Jason Dunn]

Amazing how not running a company's software is the only way you could ever have a positive opinion of it :p

Haha...well, what I meant was that I've seen their software installed on computers I've used, and I was both surprised and impressed with it - it's sure not the pop-up laden, virus-like software they put out in years past. And their DVD ripping software - the one they're in the courts over - is very slick!

[Eriq Cook]

I would second that response, but Real Player (for the very first time) has gained some respect. I used to classify Real Player as garbage pretty much, but with the new features that allow me to easily save flash videos from any site AND music (and save the music in mp3 format), I have a new found respect for the software. There are some music websites I visit with a flash-based music player. I wouldn't be able to save the music otherwise, but this software allowed me to save songs as MP3 and play it on my Zune.

Still though I would be cautious when installing and make sure you pay attention to the checkboxes when installing (and disable the darn message center. that's the most annoying part of any real product.)

[Adam Krebs]

Chalk me up to one of those who used to hate Real software. Real Player and Real Arcade were simply awful and had no useful purpose outside of testing the user's patience. That said, I've been using Rhapsody pretty steadily for the last year or two, and while it's got its share of annoyances its clear they have done a lot right with it. Almost everything is drag-and-drop, and streaming for the most part tends to just work. Of the big three subscription services (Napster and Zune being the other two), it's the one best suited to music lovers, having an actually useful genre dichotomy and some pretty cool channel options.