*************************************************************** RealAudio Player 2.0 Release to Microsoft from Progressive Networks http://www.RealAudio.com *************************************************************** Release Notes For the latest information see http://www.RealAudio.com This document describes Progressive Networks' RealAudio Player. Our web site is http://www.RealAudio.com. Please check it for the latest information. For technical information and answers to frequently asked questions, see http://www.realaudio.com/help.html. The software and documentation is provided to you in accordance with your license agreement. On-line help is available for the RealAudio player in a Windows help file called RAPLAYER.HLP ------------------------------------------------------------------- Installation The RealAudio Player for Windows 95 and Windows NT consists of the following files: RAPLAYER.EXE, RAPLAYER.HLP, README.TXT, RALICENS.TXT, RA32.DLL, RA3228_8.DLL, RAGUI32.DLL, RAOCX32.DLL, NPRA32.DLL -------------------------------------------------------------------- System Requirements To play RealAudio files, your system must meet the following requirements: * 486/33 SX or better PC running Microsoft Windows NT or Windows 95 * 8 MB RAM. * 2 MB free disk space. * A sound card with a Windows Sound driver. (The RealAudio Player is not compatible with the PC Speaker program or other software programs which simulate a sound card.) * An Internet Connection. Either a direct connection or a 14.4 Kbps or better modem with a SLIP or PPP connection to an Internet Service Provider. * A 32-bit winsock. RealAudio now offers 28.8 content. To listen to RealAudio 28.8, you need: * 486/66 DX or better running Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT. * An Internet Connection. Either a direct connection or a 28.8 Kbps or better modem with a SLIP or PPP connection to an Internet Service Provider. ------------------------------------------------------------------- New Features * RealAudio 28.8 - RealAudio 28.8 is a new algorithm that provides enhanced sound quality to all users who have a 28.8 Kbps modem or better connection to the Internet. This near-FM (monophonic) sound quality greatly enhances the clarity of music and voice delivered in real-time over the Internet. * Plug-in - The new RealAudio Plug-in allows content creators to seamlessly integrate RealAudio directly into their Web page layouts. * Firewall Proxy Support - RealAudio supports the RealAudio Proxy allowing safe access to RealAudio content through firewalls. See our Firewall information page at http://www.realaudio.com/firewall.html for more details. * TCP-only Audio Delivery - RealAudio supports receiving audio via TCP-only. If your site blocks UDP delivery, please select the TCP-only option from the Network Preferences, available under the option menu. Do not use TCP-only mode when you are using a dial-up connection. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Reporting Feedback We are very interested in your experiences with our products. Please use the multipurpose reporting form located at http://www.realaudio.com/problem.html to report problems, if you have comments, or to offer suggestions. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sound Quality If you are experiencing poor sound quality there are several simple steps you can take to determine the cause. First, use the Connection Statistics box to determine if there is packet loss. Packet loss during transmission over the Internet is the main cause of poor sound quality. If packet loss does not seem to be causing poor sound quality, you can try adjusting the way the RealAudio Player delivers sound to your computer's sound card. Choose Preferences from the View menu and then select the Advanced tab. You will see check boxes for "Use 8-bit Only" and "Use 11 kHz only": Use 8-bit Only ------------------ Use this option only if there is evidence of compatibility problems with your soundcard. The Player normally delivers 16-bit audio to the sound card. If the sound card only supports 8-bit audio, the Player delivers 8-bit audio. If your sound card fails to inform the RealAudio Player that it only supports 8-bit audio, you may hear only random or garbled sound when playing clips. Check this option to override the 16-bit default and play 8-bit sound. Use 11 kHz Only --------------------- Use this option only if there is evidence of compatibility problems with your sound card. The Player normally delivers 8 kHz audio to the sound card. If your sound card does not support the 8 kHz sampling rate, the audio may sound high-pitched or too fast. Check this option to instruct the Player to convert audio to 11 kHz before delivering it to the sound card. This option increases CPU usage slightly. If you continue to receive poor quality audio, please see our FAQ entry on audio quality at: http://www.realaudio.com/help.html Select FAQ and from there choose the "Audio Quality" entry. Please note that to receive RealAudio 28.8 you should have at least a 19.2 Kbps connection to your Internet Service Provider. In a 19.2 Kbps connection you may hear slight gaps in the audio. Dial-up users should be sure to keep the network connection preference as UDP (the default). In TCP mode, no audio packets are lost, but their arrival may be late enough to cause gapping in the audio. TCP mode is useful when you are directly connected (via a local area network) to the internet. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Known Problems * Starting or quitting large applications while playing RealAudio can cause some brief disruption of the playback. * Playback on some 486/25 SX computers does not work properly. * The user interface during playback of 28.8 content on slower systems may have slow response time. Performance of other applications may suffer during playback. To improve system performance select the General tab from the View|Preferences menu and adjust the Best Audio Quality/Lowest CPU Usage slider. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Browser Upgrade After you upgrade your browser, you may lose the configuration information for the RealAudio player. The easiest way to re-configure your browser is to re-install the player. Alternatively, you can manually configure your browser: * Viewer name: c:\RAPLAYER\RAPLAYER.EXE * Mime Type: audio * Mime Subtype: x-pn-realaudio * File Extensions: .ra, .ram * Homepage URL: http://www.realaudio.com/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1995, 1996 Progressive Networks, Inc.