FAQ 

What is RA? 
It is a command-line based decoder for RealAudio data streams. It takes a .ra input file and converts it into an easy-to-play raw sample. 

Will it run on my Amiga? 
Yes, it will run on any Amiga as far as I know. That is, I didn't set any processor-specific flags when compiling. Furthermore, it's relatively quick; on an 030 running at 25MHz, it will decode at near real-time. Anything faster (even an 030/33) should run just fine, even when streaming (see below). 

Will it play all RealAudio files? 
No. This version will only play back 14.4KB/s files. The higher-quality 28.8KB/s files will not work. 

Where can I find some of these files? 
The same places you've run across them before with Netscape or MSIE. One of the more interesting sites is Art Bell's home page. 

What does "streaming" mean? 
Streaming means that you can process a file as it's being transferred. In this case, it means that it is possible to play back the RealAudio file while it is being downloaded. 

So? 
This gives you the distinct advantage of not actually having to store the file on your hard drive. Plus, it's kinda cool. :) 

Does RA support streaming? 
Yes, it does. This will become most useful when the major Amiga browsers also support streaming. Currently, they can only download an entire file before passing it to a program, but upcoming versions should change this. 

What is rastream.rexx? 
It's a little program to demonstrate the above. It's only parameter is the full URL of a RealAudio file. It will download the file into an AmigaDOS pipe, and play back the data in that pipe during the process. 

Why don't you make it better / add a GUI / write an IBrowse plug-in / etc.? 
Several reasons, really. It's only a demonstration. It doesn't need a GUI for its intended purpose. The next version of IBrowse will easily support RA without need for any elaborate scripting. No offense, but please don't ask for rastream to be expanded. 

What are these .ram files (notice the "m" at the end)? Why doesn't RA decode them? 
I'm stumped on this. I have no idea why they even exist. Anyway, .ram files are little bits of text that contain the URL of a RealAudio file. RA only knows how to decode audio data, not URLs. Therefore, RA doesn't see anything interesting, so it basically skips the file. 

What is Play16? 
Play16 is an Amiga sample player. Quite simply, it's absolutely brilliant. To make Play16 play RA's output files, use the arguments RAW, FREQ, and BITS like so: 

Play16 RAoutputfile RAW FREQ 8000 BITS 16 

What is AHI? 
AHI is a retargetable audio system. It provides programmers with a common API to play sounds back on any supported audio hardware. For example, if a programmer makes his project AHI-compatible, it can automatically use the Amiga's native Paula output or any of the sound cards that AHI has drivers for. It's the audio equivalent of CyberGraphX, if that helps. 

Why do you use AHI? 
It does some really neat stuff. For example, you can calibrate your Amiga's built-in sound hardware, so that sounds played back through AHI sound as good as physically possible. Also, it provides a nifty AUDIO: device that you can copy samples to for real-time playback. 

Did you write RA? 
I wish I could take credit, but I can't. The source code archive came from a Usenet posting, as did patches and recommendations for improvement. Hence the credit line in the version string; this is a group collaborative, not an individual effort. 

Why is RA significant? 
Mainly because we were told that it couldn't be done. RealAudio's authors repeatedly chose to ignore our requests to port RealAudio to the Amiga, ostensibly because our beloved computer couldn't handle the computing demands. RA, if nothing else, proves this to be total BS.