Software Encoders: Free Versus Pay

RealNetworks provides the RealProducer software product to author RealMedia content and also licenses their encoding libraries to third-party software companies. You can use these third-party companies' waveform editors to author on-demand RealMedia files. For live stream authoring, you can use RealProducer or other third-party tools such as Discreet's Cleaner Live. The third-party tools cost money and are not specific to the RealMedia format. In addition to RealProducer 8.5, these Step-by-Step tutorials will use Sonic Foundry's Sound Forge (Version 5.0) and Bias Inc.'s Peak (version 2.62 TDM) waveform editor programs to author RealMedia on-demand files.

RealProducer is the preferred software for authoring and encoding RealMedia streaming content. It's available in two flavors: Basic (free) and Plus ($199.95, with a 30-day money-back guarantee). Is it worth it for you to spend the money? It depends on your needs. The Plus version has advanced features that benefit the committed streaming audio author. The Basic version is perfectly acceptable for beginning authors.

Both versions can create RealMedia audio and video files for uploading to a RealServer. Both support encoding on-demand files and can also capture live audio and video for delivering live streams. Both versions support batch encoding (helpful if you're working with multiple files), although the Plus version allows for more flexibility and is better at doing its job in the background while you use the same computer for other activities. The Plus version also enables authors to generate backward-compatible RealMedia streams. Backward-compatibility is helpful as not everyone downloads every new version of the RealPlayer. RealProducer Plus also includes two other potentially useful tools: an on-demand file editor for files that are already RealMedia-encoded, and a simulator to show how various bandwidth conditions affect a live stream.

Target audience is also a factor in choosing which version of RealProducer is most appropriate for your needs. Target audience refers to how RealProducer describes the connection speed of your projected listeners (such as 56K modem, DSL, and so on). Using the SureStream technology, RealProducer includes multiple bit rates in your encoded stream for each selected target audience. RealProducer Basic can author up to two target audiences. The Plus version can author up to eight. The actual bit rate and codecs that are used during the encoding process are determined from default settings within RealProducer. Advanced RealProducer Plus users can override these defaults, choosing specific bit rate and codec combinations to fine-tune their on-demand files and live streams.

A full comparison of features for both RealProducer Plus and RealProducer Basic is available at www.realnetworks.com/products/producer/comparison.html. RealProducer Basic is available for download at www.realnetworks.com/products/producer/related_products.html. The Plus version can be purchased and downloaded at www.realnetworks.com/products/producer.

If you're just starting out as a RealMedia content author, download the Basic version. If you're planning on doing a lot of streaming or if you're one of those who have to have the latest, greatest, most full-featured version of any product and don't mind spending the money, RealProducer Plus will make you happy.

The examples in this book use RealProducer Plus. If there's any task that's accomplished using Plus that cannot be accomplished using Basic we promise to point it out.