In 1995, RealNetworks (then named Progressive Networks) pioneered streaming audio with the RealAudio Player. Soon after, the company added streaming video to its player's bag of tricks. RealNetworks then helped establish the audio jukebox software market and ignited the ripping revolution with the launch of Real Jukebox in 1999. In RealNetworks' latest attempt to stay at the forefront, the company has merged these two products. The result is RealOne.
In public beta when we tested, the free download is expected to go final in mid-2002. The predecessor products, RealPlayer and RealJukebox, will be discontinued, so like it or not, if you want RealPlayer, you'll need RealOne.
For $4.95 per month, you can add advanced features such as theater mode and a graphics equalizer. For $9.95 you can add premium content, including NBA games. The free version can encode MP3s at up to 360 Kbps but requires an update that you can download for free.
Visually stunning, RealOne's interface is an inviting fusion of soft colors, graphics, and text. On top are the player and a Related Info windows. On the bottom is a function-specific working area, where you rip and burn CDs, manage your library, and surf the Web. In library mode, the program supports the familiar Windows Explorer–style of directories and files, allowing easy drag-and-drop play list creation.
Both MusicMatch and Windows Media Player provide these same basic tools. What's different with RealOne is that it displays content within the embedded browser. RealOne also provides a compact player that is available when playing disc-based content or streaming content accessed through an external browser.
A toolbar mode (a fee-based feature), reduces controls to a low-profile tool bar, and the theater mode (also fee-based) blacks out the desktop, leaving the video playing against the black background with controls at the bottom. You also pay for a ten-band graphics equalizer, a jewel-case label creator, and color, sharpness, brightness, and contrast controls for video.
Our video quality tests showed RealOne to be the best streaming format. Its non-streaming audio format didn't perform well, but RealOne is essentially format-agnostic (once you upgrade), since it can encode Real, WMA, and MP3 formats.
Ripping performance was very competitive, edging out MusicMatch for the fastest time by about 20 seconds. To burn CDs at speeds faster than 2X, you must purchase a plug-in for $19.95. In testing, CD burning was slow and sometimes crashed the system. But keep in mind that RealOne was still in beta at press time.
RealOne's media library has fields for information and graphics. Though the program doesn't automatically follow clips that you move to new directories, it can move files for you, avoiding broken links. And the program is able to track down files that have been moved.
RealOne provides access to over 2,700 radio stations, searchable by the usual mix of genre, language, and other preferences.
We're extremely impressed with RealOne's jukebox capabilities. But it's unlikely that the typical user will pay close to $60 per year for advanced features.