Release Notes: RealPlayer 4.0 for Windows
Editing Preferences
You can customize RealPlayer by changing the settings in the Preferences window. The Preferences control various aspects of the RealPlayer's functionality such as the number of clips to remember, network information, and proxy information. These preferences apply to all applications using RealPlayer technology.
General
The General tab in the Preferences window contains preferences for the number of clips saved on the Open Recent menu, Synchronized Multimedia support and BufferedPlay.
| Field |
Description |
| Recent Clips |
You can quickly replay clips by clicking Open Recent
on the File menu. This setting controls how many clips are displayed in the Open Recent menu. |
| Synchronized Multimedia |
Some RealAudio or RealVideo clips contain synchronized
multimedia events that display pages or images in your web browser. This setting controls whether
RealPlayer applications enable these events. |
| BufferedPlay |
RealPlayer applications allow playback of higher
quality clips on lower bandwidth connections. This setting controls how much of the clip is buffered
before beginning playback.
- Click Buffer at least xx seconds before playing if you want the RealPlayer program to
buffer a set amount of the clip before beginning to play.
- Click Buffer entire clip if you want the RealPlayer program to buffer the entire clip
before beginning to play.
|
Connection
The Connection tab in the Preferences window contains information about your bandwidth, statistics, and server timeout.
| Field |
Description |
| Bandwidth |
RealPlayer applications automatically select which
content can be delivered in real-time over your connection. This setting controls the bandwidth of
the content selected. |
| Statistics |
RealPlayer applications maintain statistics on
connection quality. These statistics help content providers improve the quality of their
service. This setting controls whether statistics are sent to the content provider.
Note: RealPlayer does not send the content provider any information about your
identity (your user name or e-mail address). |
| Network Timeout |
This setting controls how long RealPlayer
applications wait to receive data before considering a network connection to have failed. Increase
this value if you frequently receive timeout errors. |
Transport
The Transport tab in the Preferences window allows you to customize your network connection for RealPlayer.
The descriptions of these preferences assume a basic knowledge of Internet protocols and firewalls. For more information about firewalls, refer to our Firewall web site.
| Field |
Description |
| Network Transport |
RealPlayer clips can be transmitted to your computer
via several different network transports. This setting controls how these network transports are
selected. |
| Automatically select most efficient transport |
Use this setting if you are not aware of any problems
that require you to specify a transport method.
Click the Auto Configure button to have RealPlayer automatically configure itself to use the
most efficient mode of transport for your connection. |
| Use specified transports |
Use this setting if your computer has problems using
some network transports. (Consult your network administrator for the appropriate setting.)
Click the Specify Transports button to access the Specify Transports window. |
| UDP Port |
Some networks have limited ports available for Internet
applications. This setting controls which port RealPlayer applications use for receiving data. (Consult
your network administrator for the appropriate setting.)
Note: This setting does not affect TCP packets which can only be received through Port 7070. |
Specify Transports Window
| Field |
Description |
| Use TCP to Connect to Server |
Select this option if you want RealPlayer to use
TCP for the initial connection to RealServer. |
| Attempt to use Mutlicast for live content |
Check this box to have RealPlayer attempt to use
Mutlicast for live streams.
If you select this option, indicate how many milliseconds the Player should attempt to use this
type of transport before switching to UDP. |
| Attempt to use UDP for static content |
Select this option if you want RealPlayer to
attempt to use UDP for static content and live content not available via multicast.
If you select this option, indicate how many milliseconds the Player should attempt to use
this type of transport before switching to TCP. |
| Attempt to use TCP for all content |
Check this box to have RealPlayer use TCP for
all streams. |
| Use HTTP Only |
Select this option if you are behind a firewall
and cannot receive data through TCP. All data will be streamed through HTTP.
Note: You may not be able to receive some content if you select this option. |
Proxy
A proxy is a server that acts as an intermediary between a company's protected Local Area Network (LAN) and the Internet. The proxy server insures that all data transmission between the Internet and a user on the LAN is authorized. RealAudio Player can be configured to work with proxy servers by setting the proxy preferences. If you set the Proxy preferences, you must enter a RealPlayer Proxy and a HTTP Proxy.
Note: For more information about proxies and firewalls, refer to our Firewall web page.
| Field |
Description |
| Use Proxy |
Click this box if RealPlayer applications should
connect to the Server using a proxy; a check mark appears in the field. Otherwise, do not click
this box.
Note: If you are behind a firewall and do not know the host name or port number of your
proxy server, ask your firewall administrator. |
| RealPlayer Proxy |
Enter the domain name or IP address of the RealPlayer
proxy server and port number that RealPlayer applications should use to communicate with the proxy
server.
Note: For information on RealAudio Proxy, read our Firewall web page. |
| HTTP Proxy |
Enter the domain name or IP address of the HTTP proxy
server and port number that RealPlayer applications should use to communicate with the proxy
server. Check your World Wide Web browser's proxy configuration. |
| No Proxy for: [host 1, host2, host3...] |
If you have specified that RealPlayer applications
should be connected to the Server using a proxy, you can specify certain local hosts (domain names
or IP Addresses) with which you do not need to communicate using the proxy server. Enter these
hosts in this field. This field is only available if you have enabled the Use Proxy option.
Your firewall administrator can provide you with this information, if appropriate. |
Advanced
Options on the Advanced tab of the Preferences window override RealPlayer applications defaults for sound card compatibility. You do not need to use these options unless you are having trouble with sound quality.
| Field |
Description |
Disable 16-bit sound
(use 8-bit only)
|
Use this setting if you have an older sound card
and clips sound scratchy or distorted. |
Disable custom sampling rates
|
Use this setting if clips play at the wrong speed
or sound scratchy or distorted. (Requires a computer with a floating point coprocessor.) |
| Playback Performance |
RealPlayer applications use this setting to optimize
the performance of audio playback. Change this setting only if your computer seems sluggish or has
problems while playing some clips. |
Language
The setting on the Language tab of the Preferences window determines the language used within RealPlayer.
| Field |
Description |
| Current Language |
This field displays the language being used within
RealPlayer applications. |
| Installed Languages |
Select the language you want to use within RealPlayer
applications.
Note: Please contact RealNetworks regarding information on available languages. |
Upgrade
Using the Upgrade tab of the Preferences window, you can customize how often the application queries the RealNetworks home page to check for available upgrades.
| Field |
Description |
| Upgrade Notification |
RealPlayer periodically contacts the RealNetworks
web site to determine if a newer version is available. When a newer version is available, RealPlayer
alerts you and provides a link to a web site where you can download the new Player.
If you do not want RealPlayer to check for upgrades, check the Disable Automatic Upgrade
Notification button. |
| Check for Upgrade Availability |
Click this button to check for any available
RealPlayer upgrades. |
Continue to Uninstalling RealPlayer 4.0
