Introduction

RealOne^™ Player is the successor to RealPlayer^® and RealJukebox^®, the world's most popular applications for playing streaming or downloaded media. By combining streaming media, digital downloads, and Internet browsing, RealOne Player provides an all- in-one consumer application for media distribution. This guide introduces you to the production techniques that you can use to create compelling streaming media presentations in RealOne Player.

Tip: To experience the many possibilities of streaming media, download RealOne Player from http://www.real.com, and then visit http://realguide.real.com. Refer to the RealOne Player Help menu for tips about using RealOne Player.

What is Helix?

Helix^™ from RealNetworks is a universal digital media delivery platform. With industry-leading performance, integrated content distribution, advertising, user authentication, Web services support, and native delivery of RealMedia, Windows Media, QuickTime, and MPEG-4, Helix from RealNetworks is a robust digital media foundation that meets the needs of enterprises and networking service providers.

How this Guide Is Organized

Chapter 1: RealOne Player

This chapter guides you through RealOne Player's three-pane environment, and introduces you to the various production techniques that you can use to coordinate streaming media with HTML pages.

Chapter 2: Media Production

This chapter outlines media clip production, explaining the types of clips that you can stream, and pointing out important issues to consider when producing streaming media.

Chapter 3: The Ram File

Read this chapter to learn how to write a Ram file, the file that launches RealOne Player and identifies a clip to stream. With a Ram file, you can also specify HTML pages that play along with a media clip.

Chapter 4: Clip-Encoded URLs

This chapter gives you instructions on an alternate way to open HTML pages as a RealAudio or RealVideo clip plays: encoding the page URLs directly into the clip.

Chapter 5: Javascript Commands

Refer to this chapter to learn how to use some of the Javascript functions available within the RealOne Player environment.

Chapter 6: SMIL Hyperlinks

This chapter introduces you to SMIL, a markup language designed specifically for coordinating media clips. It explains how you can use SMIL's timing features to open HTML pages as a clip plays.

Chapter 7: SMIL Sequences

Once you grasp the basics of SMIL as described in Chapter 6, read this chapter to learn how to use SMIL to create a sequence of streaming clips.

Chapter 8: SMIL Layout

Building on the information in Chapter 6 and Chapter 7, this chapter explains how to use SMIL to play multiple clips at the same time.

Appendix A: Quick Answers

Refer to this appendix for quick answers to common questions about producing streaming media.

Appendix B: SMIL Syntax

This appendix provides a reference for SMIL syntax rules. It's important to understand these rules to avoid errors when writing SMIL markup.

Appendix C: SMIL Tag Summary

Once you understand SMIL, use this appendix as a reference for SMIL tag and attribute values.

Appendix D: Ram File Summary

This appendix provides a quick reference for the Ram file parameters that Chapter 3 explains in detail.

How to Download This Guide to Your Computer

RealNetworks makes this guide available in the following formats for download to your computer:

The HTML+Javascript version, which you are viewing now, is available as a single, zipped archive that includes samples that you can play in RealOne Player. You can read this version with Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Note: If you browse the HTML+Javascript version of this manual with Netscape Navigator 6, you may not be able to play the linked sample files. If this occurs, you can open the sample files directly from the samples folder. This problem affects only local, relative URLs to clips played in RealOne Player. It does not affect streamed presentations in which clips are placed on Web servers or Helix Universal Server, and the viewer launches the presentation from a Web page rendered in Navigator 6.

Tip: If you experience problems with the Javascript TOC and index, choose Plain HTML Version from the pull-down menu.

The HTML Help version is available as a single .chm file for Windows 98 and later operating systems. It is identical to the HTML+Javascript version, except that it does not contain any sample files. The HTML Help version is smaller in size than the HTML+Javascript version, and it includes a search function.

An Adobe Acrobat (PDF) version includes page numbers in cross-references, making it more useful than the HTML versions when printed. You can download the free Acrobat viewer from Adobe's Web site at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html.

All of the online versions of this guide are available for individual download from RealNetworks' Technical Support Web site at:

http://service.real.com/help/library/encoders.html

Conventions Used in this Guide

The following table explains the typographical conventions used in this guide.

Notational Conventions
Convention	Meaning
emphasis	Bold text is used for in-line headings, user-interface elements, URLs, and e-mail addresses.
terminology	Italic text is used for technical terms being introduced, and to lend emphasis to generic English words or phrases.
`syntax`	This font is used for fragments or complete lines of programming syntax (markup).
`syntax emphasis`	Bold syntax character formatting is used for program names, and to emphasize specific syntax elements.
`variables`	Italic syntax character formatting denotes variables within fragments or complete lines of syntax.
`[options]`	Square brackets indicate values that you may or may not need to use. As a rule, when you use these optional values, you do not include the brackets themselves.
`choice 1\|choice 2`	Vertical lines, or "pipes," separate values that you can choose between.
...	Ellipses indicate nonessential information omitted from examples.

Additional Documentation Resources

In addition to this introductory guide, you may need the following resources, which are available for download at http://service.real.com/help/library/encoders.html:

Helix Producer User's Guide

This user's guide gives you the step-by-step instructions for running Helix Producer™, which turns audio and video files into streaming RealAudio® and RealVideo® clips. An online version of this guide is available through the Helix Producer Help menu.

RealNetworks Production Guide

This guide is the main reference manual for streaming media production. It expands on most of the topics presented in this introductory guide. Refer to it for instructions and tips on media production, as well as for complete information about using SMIL.

RealOne Player Scripting Guide

If you are a Web programmer, refer to this guide for instructions about using Javascript or VBScript with RealOne Player. Using these scripting languages, you can customize RealOne Player to turn it into your own Internet jukebox, for example.

Technical Support

To reach RealNetworks' Technical Support, please fill out the form at:

http://forms.real.com/service/techsupport/contact.html

The information you provide in this form will help Technical Support personnel respond promptly.

For More Information: Choose Help Page from the pull-down menu for additional information about obtaining assistance.