The following figure, Figure 3-1: RealPlayer Plus, is a visual quick reference for all the displays and controls that are on your RealPlayer (including the Plus features). Each of the specific areas labeled in this figure are illustrated and explained in detail later in the chapter. For additional information about each of these features, see Chapter 4: RealPlayer - The Basics and Chapter 5: The *Plus* in RealPlayer Plus, as well as the Help file available from your Help menu (select Help then Contents...).
This view of RealPlayer shows all of the bars and panels available in the default View/Normal display of the RealPlayer Plus.
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| You can change the order of how these are stacked by using the drag bar to move any bar higher or lower in the stack. (Just click and drag.) |
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| Macintosh users will notice several minor visual differences from Figure 3-1: RealPlayer Plus. |
The Title Bar shows the program title (RealPlayer Plus) and the title of the media clip that is being played or was last played. (See Figure 3-2: Title, Menus, and Control bar.) Each of the pull-down menus lists commands to control the functions of RealPlayer. Most of the menu commands duplicate command buttons located on the player.
The Control bar allows you to navigate through the clip you are playing, with player control buttons and a playback position slider.
The Control bar also gives you access to the Equalizer (Plus only), RealJukebox™, and the Compact Mode toggle (which switches between the Normal and Compact views).
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Learn more about navigating through a clip. Learn more about how to use the Equalizer. |
The Location bar displays the URL, or address, of the currently loaded clip; this is similar to the address bar in your Web browser. Clips can be files stored on your computer, or they can be streaming media from a web site. Use Back and Forward to jump back and forth between the clips you were playing, just as you would with your Web browser. (See Location bar for more information.)
The Clip Info bar displays information about the currently loaded clip. By clicking the rollbar you can make the information scroll past again. Clicking More Info opens a dialog with additional information if the content provider has supplied any.
The Playlist bar will open automatically when you are playing a multi-clip (a clip that contains other clips in sequence). When the playlist is displayed, the title of the clip currently being played is displayed in the left text box; the number of clips in the playlist and the number of the current clip is indicated in the right text box. (See also Playlist bar.) To open the Playlist bar manually, use the View menu (View/Playlist).
When a multi-clip has been loaded into the player, the clips will be listed on the playlist bar and can be played in sequence or in random order (select menu command Play/Shuffle Play). Individual clips from the list can be selected from a pull down menu in the clip title box, or with the Jump back and Skip next buttons.
The Content panel provides access to RealMedia™ on the Web. My Channels lists media channels that offer immediate access to new streamed multi-media content. With RealPlayer Plus, the Content Panel can also show My Favorites; a directory of folders that can be created and used to organize and access your favorite media clips. (More about favorite clips later, but this can include radio stations, media channels, and locally stored media clips.)
My Channels shows a list of streaming media channels that you can personalize from the available RealChannels provided by Real.com™ for your RealPlayer. (See Figure 3-6: My Channels.) Above the Channels list you will also see Real.com Take 5. It's an all-media intenet experience. Real.com Take 5 is updated each morning, along with a special "best of" weekend edition. Click on the Real.com Take 5 icon to start playing this feature. (See Real.com Take 5.)
You can customize your Channels list whenever you are on-line. Select from dozens of Channels provided by leading news, music, entertainment, sports, biz/tech, and health/science sources. (See also Channels.) All RealPlayer Channels take advantage of the new SMIL format which offers a richer experience by using multiple types of streams at once (see SMIL).
When you come across content that you want to return to regularly, you can use the Favorites/Add to Favorites command to bookmark the location (just like bookmarks on your web browser). You can display and select your favorite channels from the Favorites menu.
My Favorites is a list of links similar to bookmarks in a browser. You can add, remove, arrange, and even send Favorites to friends and co-workers (see Sharing Favorites). Favorites can be organized in folders and a single click will play the selected media. (See My Favorites for more information).
Figure 3-8: Display Panel (PC) |
Figure 3-9: Display Panel (Mac) |
The Display panel is where the visual part of a clip will be shown (text, graphics and images). It also hosts the Zoom, Video Controls(Plus only), Mute, and Volume, as well as Visualizations (PC) or the Audio Analyzer (Mac) controls.
Learn more about the Visualizations and Audio Analyzer and about the Video Controls
Click on the icons on the Media bar to access the following Real.com locations:
The Status bar gives you quick answers about your current connection and the actual length of the clip you are playing. If you are connected to a live feed (such as a radio station that is currently broadcasting) the word "Live" will appear instead of a time. More detailed information about the Status bar is available in your Help file (Help/Contents...).
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| "G2" content refers to streaming media that is encoded or streamed with the advanced data streaming technology developed by RealNetworks®. |
The Message bar appears if you receive a priority message (such as a Product Flash) from the Real.com Message Service. To play this message, click the message text on the message bar.
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| You can select in advance which Product Flashes you receive by setting your RealPlayer Preferences. See Content Preferences and Upgrade Preferences. |
On Windows systems, Flashes are also indicated as an icon in your Windows Tool Tray (where the time is displayed). Click the icon to launch the message. If you have StartCenter running, your RealPlayer icon will flash or have a gleam on it.
Learn more about the Real.com Message Service.
