Real Audio and the iPod

baldprof · #1 January 12th, 2004, 05:53 PM

There has already been a thread about the deal between HP and Apple, and what this means about WMA support.

But I am wondering about this Cnet article.

Why do you think Real would be doing this? No reaction from Apple as far as I know. It's almost as if Real was considering abandoning selling downloads in their service and just sticking with streams. Or something.

**fryke** · #2 January 12th, 2004, 06:10 PM

The article doesn't directly say that Real's store will be compatible with the product iPod. And I don't quite get what you mean by Real abandoning downloads and turning to streams (but I haven't read it all that thoroughly...), instead Real just STARTED with the downloadable songs...

baldprof · #3 January 12th, 2004, 06:55 PM

I should have put iTunes in the title instead of iPod.

Here's a link about the services available using their player.

I had noticed Real is adding AAC support to their player. I had wondered if Apple would perhaps reciprocate and add support for Real's propriety format to either iTunes or the iPod.

Or perhaps they are just giving themselves an "out" if their future plans to for downloads flop. Then at least people who are using Real's player for the other uses could go back to using iTunes for downloads. I just don't know.

Ripcord · #4 January 13th, 2004, 08:15 AM

I have to admit, I've had a tremendously easier time trying to find music on the Real store so far than on iTunes MS... More of the albums I've looked for have been complete (instead of including only a couple of songs, or leaving out a couple of songs), more of the "singles" I've looked for have been available, and more albums that I've looked for *seem* to be available at a discounted price instead of charging per song even if it's more than 10 songs... Though I haven't bought anything from the store.

diablojota · #5 January 13th, 2004, 09:10 AM

Well, if REAL began to offer AAC encoded files that played on the iPod, that would put M$' in its place. This means people have a choice over just iTMS. And the iPod would still reign supreme.

baldprof · #6 January 13th, 2004, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diablojota

Well, if REAL began to offer AAC encoded files that played on the iPod, that would put M$' in its place. This means people have a choice over just iTMS. And the iPod would still reign supreme.

I agree. But Real has this proprietary format ".rma" I think it is. Well to avoid having that look like a flop, a simple matter of offering an export option in their player.

diablojota · #7 January 14th, 2004, 03:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baldprof

I agree. But Real has this proprietary format ".rma" I think it is. Well to avoid having that look like a flop, a simple matter of offering an export option in their player.

They did. But they have adopted their own version of DRM protected AAC audio. Apparently it is currently incompatible with everything else. Hopefully REAL will reconsider and join the Apple movement. We all know that Apple is the best when it comes to Audio & Video things.

baldprof · #8 January 14th, 2004, 07:51 AM

Thanks for the information. Very interesting. So what Real has differs only in its DRM features. Well then it wasn't much of a stretch for them to extend their player to include access to iTunes.
But this is sort of a switch for Real. Weren't they one of the laggards as far as developing for X? Well I guess the threat from M$ caused them to have a different outlook.

I think I am going to download their player for OS X, because this will allow me to access Internet broadcasts of various sporting events. I wonder if I'll have the same problems that I had with it on Windows: the spyware and such.