RealNetworks

RealNetworks is a Seattle, Washington-based provider of Internet mass media delivery software and services. The company is best known for the creation of RealAudio, a compressed audio format, and RealVideo, a compressed video format, and for its leadership in the field of streaming media.

RealMedia audio streaming files can contain RealAudio and RealVideo streams, and several other formats like SMIL. Helix is their open source media framework. The code is released under the RealNetworks Public Source License starting in 2003 and the GPL in 2004.

=Music Store=

In August 2003, Real acquired Listen.com s Rhapsody music service, and renames it RealRhapsody . It offers streaming music downloads for a monthly fee. In January 2004, Real announced that they are creating RealPlayer Music Store, featuring digital rights management-protected music in the Advanced Audio Coding file format. After some initial tries to push their own DRM scheme (named Helix DRM ) onto all device manufacturers with the Creative Zen as the only existing compliant device, they sparked controversy by introducing a controversial technology called FairPlay#Harmony that allowed their music to play on iPods as well as Windows Media Audio DRM-equipped devices using a wrapper that would convert Helix DRM the two other target DRM schemes.

=History=

RealNetworks (then known as Progressive Networks) was founded by ex-Microsoft executive Rob Glaser in 1993. The original goal of the company was to provide a distribution channel for politically Political Progressivism content. It quickly evolved into a technology venture to leverage the Internet as an alternative distribution medium for audio broadcasts.

Company timeline: *November 1993: Progressive Networks formed *April 1.0 released (finalized June 1995) *August *October 2.0 debuts (finalized April 1996) *September s single If It Makes You Happy *October *February 4.0 (finalized June 1997) *July *September *September to become a publicly traded company *November of shares from RealNetworks (RNWK). *March *April . *July *April *May 1999: RealJukebox 1.0 launched *November support *May 8 *July 2001: RealNetworks reduces staff by 15% *September 2001: RealOne Platform launched, including new subscription service *January 2002: RealOne subscription service passes 500,000 subscribers *April 2002: RealVideo 9 released

audio codec.

*August 2002: RealNetworks reduces staff by 11% *October 2002: Helix DNA Client source code released under open source license *December 2002: Helix DNA Producer source code released under open source license *January 2003: Helix DNA Server source code released under open source license

. Starts a website at www.musicfreedomofchoice.org petitioning Apple to remove the lock-out from their products, but then removes the petition when many of the signers complain about RealNetworks similar policies.

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=External links=

*http://www.realnetworks.com *http://www.real.com

[http://home.hccnet.nl/h.edskes/finalbuilds.htm#realalt Real Alternative, free player alternative]

*See https://helixcommunity.org/ for more details. *[https://helixcommunity.org/content/licenses RealNetworks Public Source License] and other licenses for the Helix project *[http://www.real.com/linux/ Real Player 10 for Linux] *[http://www.realnetworks.com/company/press/releases/2002/xiph.html RealNetworks press release regarding Vorbis support] *[http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/0,39023166,20282419,00.htm Real to launch song store] *[http://news.com.com/2100-1041_3-5314753.html Real gets flamed over iPod campaign] *[http://www.ipodhacks.com/article.phpsid=1022 RealNetworks iPod Campaign Backfires] *[http://www.dvhardware.net/article4714.html Real Rhapsody 25 to snoop away customers from iTunes with free songs]