Free Streaming Media Players

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1 Free Streaming Media Players A comparison of the free versions of the three most popular streaming media players- Real Player 7.0 Basic, Apple QuickTime 4.0, & Microsoft Windows Media Player 6.4 Significance of the Topic By media, the creators of such products as Real Player, Quick Time and Windows Media Player mean that their creations have the capability to play both audio and video files along with text and animation. That is, they allow the user to watch video and listen to audio much like one would watch a television show or listen to the radio. Each provides access to pre-set radio and pre-set television style channels such as CNN, MTV, ABC News and NPR. As such, these media players are obvious manifestations of how computers have become a significant part of mainstream entertainment. Particularly with the development of the smaller file size of the MPEG 1 audio layer 3 (MP3), the use of free streaming media players has increased in the last year. But, what do we mean by streaming? Streaming allows the user to listen or watch the file they are downloading as they download it. In the past, a person would have to wait (a very long time) for an entire file to download before it was accessible, but with the advent of streaming technology, the immediacy of the Internet-user entertainment consumer is satiated. The next question becomes, which is best to use? There are countless media players on the market; however the majority of everyday users tend to use one of three shareware versions (e.g. Real Audio, Quick Time and Windows Media Player). The following discussion will attempt to explore the pros and cons of each of these players. Discussion Real Player 7.0 Basic Real Player is probably the most popular of Beta version media players. CNET calls it the industry standard (Keizer, 2000). more than half a million players were downloaded by users during the first months of its availability in 1995 (Vaughan,1998, p.413). Real runs on both PC and MAC OS platforms, requires a 16-bit audio card and takes up

2 relatively little space (16MB on a PC and 32MB on a Mac) while using 4% of system resources when it is being run (Keizer). Real Player s interface is colorful and relatively user-friendly. It is set up to resemble a sort of mini movie screen for your computer with a channel list (Real Channels) to the left and with over 100 pre-set Net radio stations found under presets on the toolbar. It also has a built in search tool. Chances are that if you can function comfortably within a browser (e.g. Netscape or Internet Explorer) then you can operate Real Player as well. Real Player supports most formats except for Quick Time and Microsoft Windows Media Player proprietary extensions (e.g. mov, qt); however, by the end of 2000, it will support Media Player extensions. Ironically, its main drawback comes from its immense popularity. Because it is so popular, there is frequent net congestion, which will either prolong the download time before it begins to stream, cause it to play jerky or rebuffer midstream, or cause it stop playing all together. Another of Real Player s drawbacks is that it doesn t play CDs. This, however, is easily reconciled by the fact that you can download its free companion, Real Juke Box ( which does play CDs along with other forms of digital music (e.g. mp3). Microsoft Windows Media Player 6.4 (WMP) Microsoft Windows Media Player, as its name implies, was developed by Microsoft and comes bundled with Windows. As such, this media player has a great deal of potential in terms of market share. However, unlike Real Player, WMP is only available to PCusers ignoring the Mac segment of the population. Windows Media Player s interface is not as inviting as Real Player s and also lacks some of the RP extras. It does have a list of channels, found under favorites in the toolbar as well as links to radio stations, a music download site, and a media guide. One advantage of its basic appearance is that it is easy to operate. The media player battle has been extremely competitive between Windows Media Player and Real Player. One advantage that Media Player can boast is that its files tend to load and play faster than real audio ones. It requires 16MB of RAM and a 16 bit sound card and chews up 10% of system resources while it is being run (Keizer). WMP supports almost all media types-- except for Real Player extensions and plays CDs.

3 Windows Media Player is useful to have especially given its convenient omnipresence if you are a PC user, but if you have room for only one program, then you may want to choose Real Player since the majority of internet-based media is in Real Player format. Apple QuickTime 4.0 Quick Time Media Player is designed by Apple and is the only one that was specifically designed for Macintosh operating systems. But, unlike Microsoft s media player, QT functions across platforms. That is, there is a Windows version in addition to the Mac OS version. It requires 16MB of ram on PCs and only 8MB on Macintosh computers and plays most media file formats except for Real Player and Windows Media Player proprietary formats. Quick Time s interface is designed to look like a miniature computer monitor. It, like Real Player and Windows Media Player, has entertainment channels (e.g. CNN.com, ABC News, & Nickelodeon). There are twenty-one channels (compared to 90 Real Player channels) that pull out from a panel beneath the play button and are also listed under favorites on the toolbar. Also, it has no search tool and no QT media guide--- thus, making it difficult to locate sites that make use of Quick Time technology. Its largest disadvantage, however, is that it requires 12% of Window s system resources in order to run (Keizer). This may cause a home PC to perform sluggishly or to freeze if other applications are running at the same time. Conclusion So, which is better? This is a question that is difficult to answer. After weighing the pros and cons of each, it may come down to a matter of personal preference. Real Player Platforms RAM Sound Requ. Supported Formats Win 95/98 & Mac OS 8.1 PC- 16mb MAC- 32MB 16 bit audio card & speakers All except Quick Time & CDs (with Real Juke Box) Media Player Win 95/98 16 MB 16 bit sound card All except Real Player & CDs Quick Time Win 95/98 Mac OS PC 16 MB Mac 8 MB Soundblaster or comp. Audio in pc All except Real Player and Media Player formats

4 The real contest seems to be between Real and Microsoft. Early in March, as Foley reported (2000), Real agreed to include support for Microsoft s Media Player formats by the end of the year. Real representatives believe this will allow their player to become a universal player and will thus increase their market appeal. While Microsoft insists that the deal brings them one step closer to near world domination (Foley, paragraph 17). Real representatives retorted "Microsoft is just one of the colors on the globe, Doherty said. "Real is still the mapmaker." (Paragraph 18). CNET performed their own comparisons and gave the strongest stamp of approval to Real Player, giving it a score of 9 out of 10. Microsoft s Windows Media Player earned a seven and Quick Time earned a 5. I performed my own (unscientific) test and agree while disagreeing with CNET. I performed my test on a PC with Windows 98 and found that both the sound and video quality was clearest using Quick Time. Windows Media Player and Real Player came in second and third respectively. However, Quick Time caused my computer to run sluggishly and made it very difficult for other applications (e.g. Microsoft Word) to perform efficiently. Real Player, however, ran with relative efficiency without affecting other applications. Nevertheless, Keizer asserts that differences seem to be most obvious at higher bandwidths (i.e. ISDN- a faster cable connection as opposed to a 56K dial up modem). You can examine the differences for yourself with the links below. Examine the differences for yourself: Test out the quality yourself by comparing the differences yourself by clicking on the links below. You will also find links to examples of each of the media players at the end of this report. Quick Time Real Player Window Media Player References Foley, M. (2000, March 14). MS-Real Networks? What s the real deal? ZDNet News Internet [Online]. Available:

5 Keizer, G. (2000, January 11). Live from your PC: CNET reviews three top streaming media players. CNET Internet [Online]. Available: Hill. Vaughan, T. (1998). Multimedia: Making it work. New York: Osborne McGraw *This paper is written by Leah Graham for the course EDC385G Multimedia Authoring at the University of Texas at Austin. Related Links Real Player 7.0 Basic (Real Player s home page) Real Video Show Case Music, entertainment, and sports media links

The Late Show with David Letterman http://www.cbs.com/lateshow Live Concerts.Com http://www.liveconcerts.com Features interviews and performances by musicians including live concert events. Broadcast.

6 The Late Show with David Letterman Live Concerts.Com Features interviews and performances by musicians including live concert events. Broadcast.com A site run by Yahoo that allows you to search specifically for media items like CD s, audio books, and TV and radio stations. Formats are real audio and Windows media. Apple QuickTime (Quick Time s home page) Channel QT Includes software, plug-ins, and links to tool including Virtual Reality tools. NHL Break Away Site with Hockey clips from play off games. Texas State Senate Supplies latest news updated daily and Real Audio broadcasts of sessions. Includes a Quick Time Video tour of the capitol building. Microsoft Windows Media Player (WMP home page) Selection of streaming audio and video. You'll find the latest headlines, music, online radio stations, streaming movies, live sports, etc. Microsoft Web Events A guide to audio and video on the Web. Includes a categorized directory of sites offering multimedia content and a schedule of featured events. You can hear the weather, your horoscope, and even the joke of the day. You can search this site for just about any type of audio or video file found in the WMP format. MSNBC

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