Project 13C: RealOne Player

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Now that you know how to play Ogg Vorbis and SHOUTcast streams, it is time to help your system go a bit more mainstream by installing the RealOne Player. RealMedia streams are widely available and are provided by many mainstream broadcasters, both local and international. You can even play RealVideo streams as well.

Getting the RealOne Files

To download the RealOne Player file, go to the User Supported RealPlayer Download Page at http://scopes.real.com/real/player/unix/unix.html. Once there, fill out the form as in Figure 13-20, making the appropriate changes (name, email address, connection speed). In box #1, where it says Select OS, be very careful to select Linux 2.x (libc6 i386). Do not select the rpm version or any that say Red Hat. Once you’re done, click the Download User Supported Player button.

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Figure 13-20: Filling out the download form on the RealPlayer Web page

A new page will now open. Scroll down to the very bottom of that page until you see the section that says RealOne Player for Unix — Preview Release (see Figure 13-21). Once you find that, click the Download Now button directly below. If you can’t find the RealOne Player section, you probably selected the wrong OS version on the previous page. Go back and do it all over again.

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Figure 13-21: Downloading the RealOne Player

After you click the Download Now button, a page of download locations will appear in the same window. Click the location nearest you and save the file to your hard disk. When the download is done, you will find the r1p1_linux22_ libc6_i386_a1.bin file in your Home folder.

13C-1: Installing the RealOne Player

The RealOne Player installs via a script that makes the installation process a bit different than anything you’ve done so far. To install it, open a Terminal window, and then do the following (you shouldn’t be root, as we will install everything locally):

  1. Type in chmod u+x r1p1_linux22_libc6_i386_a1.bin and press ENTER.

  2. Type in ./r1p1_linux22_libc6_i386_a1.bin and press ENTER.

    In case you are having trouble making out the ones and Ls in those command strings, the characters in question in r1p1 and a1 are ones, while those in linux22 and libc6 are lowercase Ls.

  3. The installation script will begin doing its work, and the words “Extracting files for RealNetworks installation” will appear in your Terminal window. After a few seconds, the first part of the installation process will be complete, and an installation setup window will appear. In this window, accept the default Typical Install by clicking Next.

  4. Now the window will show the terms and conditions page for the RealOne Player. Read through it, and then click Accept.

  5. You will be presented with a list of connection speeds; choose the one that is appropriate for your setup and click Next.

  6. The installer will then install the necessary files in the two new folders it creates in your Home folder: Real and RealPlayerI recommend putting some sort of emblem on these folders later so you do not inadvertently dump them during a computer housekeeping frenzy.

  7. A registration window, now in the RealOne Player white and green theme, will open. Fill it out. The country box is of the drop-down type, so click the tiny arrow at the end of the box and select whatever country is appropriate. The name of the last box, Zip Code, may change to regional information if you choose a country other than the U.S. Nothing seems to work in that box except numbers, so just try a zip code or phone number to see if that will do the trick.

  8. Once you have typed what you must, the OK button will become available, so click it. If nothing happens when you do this, just press ENTER instead.

The RealOne Player will then open up with its first-run music and screen (see Figure 13-22). RealOne Player is now ready for action.


Figure 13-22: Running the RealOne Player

If your provider requires you to input proxy settings, you can do so by going to Menu > View > Preferences, which will open the Preferences window. Just click the word Proxy at the left side of the window, and then input your settings on the right side of the window where it says Manually Configure HTTP Proxy. Once you’re done, click OK, or press ENTER if that doesn’t work.

13C-2: Setting Up Mozilla to Play RealMedia Streams Automatically

The RealOne Player is now installed and set up on your machine, but in order to use it comfortably, it is probably best to set your Mozilla Web browser so that it will know what to do when you try to play a RealMedia stream. The easiest way to do this is by trying to open a stream straightaway. For convenience’s sake, I will use the National Public Radio site (www.npr.org) as my source stream; you can, of course, choose any stream you like. If you don’t know any streams offhand, just follow along with me. It doesn’t really matter at this point, because our objective is merely to set up Mozilla.

First, go to the site and click the link for the program stream. In the case of NPR, you will first be asked if you want to use Real Player or Windows Media Player. Click Real Player. After doing this, Mozilla will pop up yet another what-should-I-do-with-this-file window, asking you what to do with the stream. Check the radio button next to the Open with box, and type /home/username/RealPlayer9/realplay (replacing username with your own username, of course). Once you’ve done that, click OK, and the stream should begin playing after a few seconds of pre-buffering. The station icon for that stream, if there is one, will also appear in the RealOne Player window.

You probably won’t have to go through this process again, as Mozilla now knows what to do with RealMedia streams. If you do happen to get asked again somewhere along the way, follow the same steps again: Select Open with, type /home/username/RealPlayer9/realplay, and click OK.

Now that you are all set up, you probably want some more streams to try out right away. There are plenty of sites out there with RealMedia streams, but let me steer you to some of my faves to get you started (you may already know some of these):

Michael Feldman’s Whad’Ya Know? www.notmuch.com/Show

Sounds Eclectic http://soundseclectic.com

Car Talk http://cartalk.cars.com/Radio/Show

Radio Netherlands www.rnw.nl

A Prairie Home Companion www.prairiehome.org/listings



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Linux for Non-Geeks. A Hands-On, Project-Based, Take-It-Slow Guidebook
Linux for Non-Geeks: A Hands-On, Project-Based, Take-It-Slow Guidebook
ISBN: 1593270348
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 188

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