Introduction
How this Manual is Organized
Conventions in this Manual
Additional RealSystem Resources
Technical Support
1 What's New in RealSystem?
What's New in Release 7?
RealPlayer 7 New Features
RealServer 7 New Features
What's New in RealSystem G2?
New Streaming Possibilities
Advancements in RealAudio and RealVideo
Easier Presentation Assembly
Enhanced Protocol Support
Compatibility with Previous Releases
2 Creating RealSystem Presentations
Streaming Multimedia Clips
Choosing Media to Stream
Audio
Video
Animation
Images
Text
Additional Streaming Formats
Clip Types Played by Previous RealPlayer Releases
Using Editing and Production Tools
RealNetworks Production Tools
Additional Tools
Working with Timelines and Bandwidths
Synchronizing Clips to a Timeline
Keeping a Bandwidth Budget
Writing a SMIL File
Hosting a Presentation on a Server
Using RealServer or a Web Server
Web Server HTTP and RealServer RTSP
Launching a Presentation
Working with the RealServer Administrator
Using RealNetworks Logos
Playing Clips Back Locally
Viewing a Presentation with RealPlayer
Protecting Copyrighted Content
Downloading RealPlayer Plug-Ins
3 Targeting Bandwidth
What is Bandwidth?
What is Preroll?
Choosing a Target Bandwidth
Developing a Bandwidth Strategy
Understanding Clip Bandwidth Characteristics
RealAudio
RealVideo
Flash
RealText
RealPix
Images
Delivering a Single Media Clip
Developing Multiclip Presentations
Supporting Multiple Bandwidth Connections
Using SureStream Clips for Multiple Bandwidths
Letting RealPlayer Choose between Multiple Clips
4 Producing Audio
Steps for Streaming RealAudio
Capturing Audio
Use High-Quality Source Media
Choose Professional Recording Equipment
Use Shielded Cables
Set Input Levels Correctly
Prepare Volume Levels for Live Broadcasts
Use Optimum RealAudio Sampling Rates
Optimizing Audio
DC Offset
Normalization
Dynamics Compression
Equalization
Creating RealAudio Clips
Choosing RealAudio Codecs
Encoding RealAudio with RealSystem Tools
Retain Source Files
Using RealAudio in a MultiClip Presentation
Multiple Encoding in a Single SureStream Clip
Batch Encoding
Streaming Other Audio Formats
Tips for Streaming other Audio Formats
5 Producing Video
Steps for Streaming RealVideo
Recording Video
Use a High-Quality Source Format
Stage According to the Video's Final Size
Minimize Scene Changes and Movement
Use Uniform Colors and Good Lighting
Digitizing Video
Capture at 30 or 15 Frames per Second (fps)
Use 24-bit Color Depth
Use S-video Output
Use a Fast Machine
Capture at a 320x240 Pixel Window Size
Digitize in AVI on Windows or QuickTime on Macintosh
Ensure Enough Disk Space for Digitized Video
Creating RealVideo Clips
Choosing RealVideo Codecs
Encoding RealVideo with RealSystem Tools
Retain Source Files
Using RealVideo in a MultiClip Presentation
Multiple Encoding in a Single SureStream Clip
Scaling Frame Rates with SVT
Video Window Cropping
Batch Encoding
Streaming Other Video Formats
Tips for Streaming other Video Formats
6 Producing Animation
Preparing a Flash Clip
Choosing a Target Bandwidth
Dividing Bandwidth Between Shockwave Flash and RealAudio
Adding RealPlayer 5.0 Compatibility
Maximizing Flash Efficiency
Keeping Shockwave Flash Files Small
Minimizing CPU Usage
Using Interactive Commands
Creating a Flash Clip
Exporting Shockwave Flash
Tuning Shockwave Flash
Exporting Audio
Delivering the Flash Presentation
Supporting RealPlayer 5.0
7 Assembling a Presentation with SMIL
Creating a SMIL File
SMIL General Rules
Mark-up Starts with <smil> and Ends with </smil>
Body Section is Required but Header Section is Optional
Lowercase Text for Tags and Attributes
Some Tags Must Close with a Forward Slash
Attribute Values Enclosed in Double Quotation Marks
SMIL Files Use the Extension .smi or .smil
Coded Characters Used in Header
HTML-Style Comments Allowed
Indentation Recommended
Specifying Clip Locations
Linking to Clips on RealServer
Creating Relative URLs
Linking to Clips on a Web Server
Linking to Local Clips
Grouping Clips
Playing Clips in Sequence
Playing Clips in Parallel
Ending a Parallel Group on a Specific Clip
Repeating a Clip or Group
Combining <seq> and <par> Tags
Specifying Timing
Setting Begin and End Times
Using Begin and End Times with Groups
Setting Internal Clip Begin and End Times
Combining clip-begin and clip-end with begin and end
Setting Durations
Setting a Fill
Clip Timing Example
Switching Between Alternate Choices
Setting Language Choices
Setting Bandwidth Choices
Adding Presentation Information
Managing the Playlist
Tips for Defining Clip Information
Using Coded Characters
Laying Out Multiple Clips
Defining the Layout
Setting the Root Layout Region
Defining Playback Regions
Using Percentage Values for Regions
Adding a Background Color
Fitting Clips to Regions
Ordering Overlapping Regions with z-index
Assigning Clips to Regions
SMIL Layout Example
Linking to Other Media
Making a Source Clip a Link
Targeting RealPlayer or a Browser
Defining Hot Spot Links
Setting an Anchor
Defining Spatial Coordinates
Setting Temporal Coordinates
Linking to a SMIL File
Tips for Linking to a SMIL File
Linking with a Timeline Offset
8 Extending SMIL
Defining Image Options
Setting Image Bit Rates
Overriding GIF Transparency
Linking to a Web Page or Clip
Controlling RealPlayer
Ensuring Reliable Image Transmission
Popping Up New RealPlayer Windows
Creating a Link for a New Window
Examples of Opening New RealPlayer Windows
Targeting the Same Window with Multiple Links in RealText
Opening Separate Windows with RealText
Launching URLs in the Current Window through RealText
Linking from a SMIL File Image
Creating a SMIL Hotspot Link
Caching Images Files
Using the "CHTTP" Caching Protocol
Controlling the RealPlayer 7 Cache
Overriding Caching with Cache-Control
Cache Size and Expiration Rules
Changing the Lifetime of a Cached File
User Control of the RealPlayer 7 Cache
Authoring SMIL Files for Caching
9 Playing Clips in a Web Page
Choosing the Netscape Plug-in or ActiveX Control
Using <EMBED> Tags for the Netscape Plug-In
Supporting Other Browsers
Using <OBJECT> Tags for the ActiveX Control
Setting Basic Parameters
SRC
WIDTH and HEIGHT
NOJAVA
Adding RealPlayer Controls
Basic Controls
ImageWindow
All
Individual Controls and Sliders
ControlPanel
PlayButton
PlayOnlyButton
PauseButton
StopButton
FFCtrl
RWCtrl
MuteCtrl
MuteVolume
VolumeSlider
PositionSlider
TACCtrl
HomeCtrl
Information Panels
InfoVolumePanel
InfoPanel
Status Panels
StatusBar
StatusField
PositionField
Linking Multiple Controls
Tips for Using Consoles
Multiple Controls Example
Controlling Image Display
BACKGROUNDCOLOR
CENTER
MAINTAINASPECT
NOLABELS
NOLOGO
Setting Automatic Playback
AUTOSTART
LOOP
NUMLOOP
SHUFFLE
Laying out SMIL Presentations
Defining the Layout with SMIL
Defining the Layout with HTML
Omitting SMIL Layout Information
Parameter Reference
10 Inserting Ads in a Presentation
How Ad Streaming Works
Displaying Banner Ads
Laying Out the Banner Region
Setting Banner Ad Properties
Specifying Durations for Rotating Banner Ads
Interleaving Media Ads with Clips
Creating a SMIL File for a Media Ad
SMIL File with No Regions
SMIL File with No Regions
Disabling the RealPlayer Playlist
Playing Interstitial Ads
11 Delivering a Presentation
Using RTSP and HTTP in URLs
Streaming Clips from RealServer
Linking your Web Page to RealServer
Using Ramgen
Listing Alternate Presentations with Ramgen
Combining Ramgen Options
Playing Clips from a Web Server
Limitations on Web Server Playback
No SureStream Clips Encoded for Multiple Bandwidths
Limited Ability to Keep Parallel Clips Synchronized
RealPix Presentations Buffer Longer
SMIL File Optional
SMIL Internal Timing Commands not Usable
No Ad Insertion
No RealPlayer Seeking
No RTSP URLs
No Live Broadcast
Configuring Web Server MIME Types
Creating a Ram File Manually
Changing a Presentation's Starting Size
Guidelines for Setting a Starting Clip Size
Adding Comments to a Ram File
Testing your Presentation
Advertising on RealGuide
12 Broadcasting a Presentation
Broadcasting vs. On-demand Delivery
Broadcasting Tools
Source Capture Equipment
Editing Equipment
Broadcast Application
RealServer
Preparing a Broadcast
Use SureStream with RealSystem G2 Codecs
Decide Whether to Archive a Live Broadcast
Get the Broadcast URL and RealServer Parameters
Perform a Trial Run of a Live Broadcast
Advertise a Public Broadcast Event
Using SMIL with a Broadcast
SMIL Limitations for Broadcasts
Including On-Demand Clips with Broadcasts
Synchronizing Multiple Broadcast Streams
A Quick Answers to Common Questions
Creating Streaming Clips
How do I make Streaming Audio and Video Clips?
Can I Encode RealVideo Directly from a Video Camera?
How do I Ensure the Best Quality for Streaming Clips?
What Other Clips can I Stream?
Getting Production Tools
What Audio and Video Editing Tools can I Use?
What Digitized Audio and Video Formats does RealProducer Accept as Input?
Where can I get RealProducer?
How do I Create a Streaming Slideshow from Still Images?
How do I Create Streaming Flash Animation?
What's the RealSystem Authoring Kit?
Using SureStream
What is SureStream?
How do I make a SureStream Clip?
Can I use SureStream with a Web Server?
Writing SMIL Files
What is SMIL?
Is using SMIL Necessary?
When should I use SMIL?
How do I Write SMIL?
Streaming Clips
Do I need to have RealServer in Addition to RealProducer?
What Operating Systems does RealServer run on?
Where do I get RealServer?
Can I Stream Clips from a Web Server instead of RealServer?
What is a Ram File?
If I use SMIL, do I need a Ram File?
Can I Place Clips in a Web Page?
Why does RealServer use RTSP Rather than HTTP?
How do I Stream Clips with RTSP?
Advertising
How does Advertising with RealSystem Work?
What Kinds of Ads can I Stream?
How do I Set Up Advertising?
Do I have to Write SMIL to Stream Ads?
Broadcasting
What do I need for Broadcasting on a Network?
Can I Broadcast through my ISP?
Can I use SureStream in a Broadcast?
Can I Broadcast with a Web Server instead of RealServer?
Does a Broadcast Have to be Live?
Can I use SMIL with a Broadcast?
How Many People can I Reach with a Broadcast?
Can RealNetworks Broadcast Clips for Me?
Getting Technical Support
How Do I get Technical Support from RealNetworks?
Where can I find Additional Documentation?
Where should I go for the Latest RealSystem Information?
B Quick Steps for Streaming Clips
Streaming a RealAudio or RealVideo Clip
Embedding a RealVideo Clip in a Web Page
URL Reference
C Advanced Production Techniques
Viewing SMIL Source Mark-Up
Smoothing Transitions between Clips
Hiding Regions with z-index
Writing Complex SMIL Switch Statements
Switching with SureStream Clips
Switching with Multiple Test Attributes
Switching Presentations for Different RealPlayer Versions
Example 1: Caching Files for RealPlayer 7 but not RealPlayer G2
Example 2: Launching Multiple Windows for RealPlayer 7 but not RealPlayer G2
Displaying Captions for the Hearing Impaired
Filling a Captions Region when Captions are Off
Resizing the Playback Area for Captions
D SMIL Quick Reference
Header Tags
<meta.../>
<layout>...</layout>
<root-layout.../>
<region.../>
Clip Source Tags
Image Source Tag Options
Group Tags
<par>...</par>
<seq>...</seq>
<switch>...</switch>
Hyperlink Tags
<a>...</a>
<anchor.../>
Pop-Up Window Commands
E File Type Reference
F SMIL Language Codes
Glossary
Index
