IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have received this error, you are not using the latest RealPlayer. RealPlayer 8 Basic is a FREE, recommended update available for Windows 95/98/NT and recent Macintosh systems.
If your system meets the minimum system requirements, we recommend that you update your player now by clicking here and following the download and installation instructions.
Error #53 Invalid host string in requested URL.
This error indicates that the RealAudio Player or RealPlayer was unable play the requested URL.
This error generally occurs in the RealAudio Player or RealPlayer for two reasons. One possibility is that your network has a firewall and the Player needs to be configured to use a proxy, and another is that an incorrect URL was entered into the Open Location feature of the Player.
If you receive this error, and you are on a network that has a firewall, you may need to configure a proxy in order to receive RealAudio or RealVideo clips. A proxy acts as a go-between for a firewall and a network. If you are behind a firewall, you need to obtain a proxy setting to which you can configure your player. Please contact your system administrator and ask them if the system has a RealAudio proxy or RealPlayer Proxy and to which port it is set. If your system administrator is unfamiliar with the RealAudio proxy, please direct them to the Firewall Administrator's Page for additional information.
To configure the RealAudio Player or RealPlayer for a proxy setting:
- Open the RealAudio Player or RealPlayer
- Under the View menu, select Preferences. For Mac versions of the Player,
Preferences is located in the Edit menu.
- From the Preferences dialog box, select the Proxy tab.
- Enter the information provided by your ISP for either the RealAudio Proxy, RealPlayer Proxy
or HTTP Proxy. If your network uses a HTTP Proxy, fill in the appropriate details and port
number.
- Click Ok at the bottom of the Preferences dialog box.
You may also receive an Error 53 if you use the Open Location option from the File menu in the Player and type in an incorrect or incomplete URL, such as:
- http://www.real.com
RealAudio/RealVideo files usually end in an .RA, .RM or .RAM extension, therefore an example of a valid URL is:
- pnm://audio.real.com/welcome.ra