RealVideo 9 Enables Broadcast Quality for Broadband Users and Subscription
Quality for Dial-Up Users
Rapid Adoption of RealVideo 9 and RealAudio Surround Driven by 65 Leading
Media Companies, Content Creation Tools Providers and the RealOne SuperPass
Subscription Services
LOS ANGELES, Streaming Media West/Internet World, April 24
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- RealNetworks(R), Inc. (Nasdaq: RNWK) (Booth #404),
the global leader in Internet media delivery, today released
RealVideo(R) 9 and RealAudio(R) Surround, bringing broadcast quality video to
broadband users and a subscription quality video experience to dialup users.
RealVideo 9 provides 30% bandwidth savings over RealVideo 8 at all quality
levels. Combined with RealAudio Surround, RealVideo 9 delivers home theatre
experiences that require a small fraction of the storage space used by DVD.
RealAudio Surround enables multi-channel surround sound starting at 44 Kbps
and works with millions of receivers already in consumers' homes.
RealNetworks also continued its tradition of standards leadership by
submitting components of RealVideo 9 to the Joint Video Team, a joint working
group of MPEG and VCEG that will create the next version of MPEG-4.
"Content owners are embracing RealVideo 9 for two reasons," said Martin
Plaehn, senior vice president, Media Systems, RealNetworks, Inc. "First, it
reduces video storage and delivery costs by 30%. Second, RealVideo 9 provides
a dramatically improved experience for both dialup and broadband consumers.
When coupled with premium sports, news and entertainment programming, this new
video experience makes video subscription services more compelling for
consumers."
"We have always recognized that RealNetworks is at the forefront of
technology, and is a leading innovator for media delivery on the Internet,"
said Bernard Gershon, senior vice president and general manager, ABC News.com.
"RealVideo 9 at both low and high bandwidths is a true breakthrough. I
believe that RealVideo 9 will show modem users, for the first time, how good
Internet video can be."
Combined with the interactive, three-pane environment and instant-on
capability of the RealOne Player, as well as RealNetworks' subscription
management, digital rights management, and media delivery software products
and services, RealVideo 9 and RealAudio Surround enable the next generation of
revenue-generating audio and video services on the Internet.
Quality Breakthroughs for All Consumers
RealVideo 9 and RealAudio Surround together offer consumers at all
connection speeds the best Internet media experience available today.
-- Narrowband: Next-generation advancements in video compression
technology for dial-up connection speeds make half-screen video at
dial-up bit rates a reality.
-- Broadband: Consumers can watch VHS quality starting at 160Kbps.
-- Home Theatre: With near DVD quality video and surround sound audio now
possible at 500 Kbps, RealVideo 9 and RealAudio Surround greatly
improve the economics of Internet-movie distribution. Two full-length
movies can now be stored on a CD and up to fifteen full-length movies
will fit on a DVD. RealVideo 9 also supports all HDTV formats and
resolutions at data rates far below traditional HDTV.
A showcase of RealVideo 9 content is available at
http://www.realnetworks.com/info/realvideo.
Rapid Adoption of RealVideo 9
Consumers will start enjoying RealVideo 9 at many of their favorite Web
sites today. Twenty-two content providers including FoxSports.com, Maverick
Records, and New Line Cinema have RealVideo 9 content available for consumers
today, with an additional 15 content partners announcing their intent to
deploy RealVideo 9 content in the future. Moreover, adoption of
RealVideo 9 throughout the industry will be accelerated through
RealVideo 9 content offered in RealNetworks industry leading RealOne SuperPass
subscription service.
Content providers with content available now include: Animal Channel.org,
Arista Nashville, Atlantic Records, BNA Records, Capitol Records, EMI, Fox
Home Video, FoxSports.com, InterScope Records, Island Records, Maverick
Records, MCA Records, New Line Cinema, RCA Records, Santuary Records,
Universal/Motown Records, V2 Records, Verve Music Group, Virgin Records, and
Warner Brothers Records.
Additional content providers supporting RealVideo 9 in the future include:
ABC News.com, allFOOD.com, Ansaweb S.p.A, BBC, Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG),
Conhem, Court TV, E-Channels Corporation, Energis, iFilm, Inspace
(PaseLatino), PBA, Skanova, Telia, Vidzone, and Warner Bros. Online.
Market-Leading Content Creation Tools Support RealVideo 9
Content creators can start creating RealVideo 9 and RealAudio Surround
content today using a preview release of the RealSystem Producer 9, available
from http://www.realnetworks.com/info/realvideo. Additionally, both AnyStream and
Discreet today announced support for RealVideo 9.
Other technology providers supporting RealVideo 9 include: Accordent,
Adobe Systems, Akamai, Arbitron, AT&T Corporation, Avid Technology, Digital
Island, Equant, France Telecom, Intel, LearnKey, Loudeye Technologies,
MeasureCast, NEC, OPTX International, Pinnacle Systems, Real Broadcast
Network, SofTV, Sonic Foundry, Speedera Networks, TechSmith, Viewcast,
Williams Communications, and Winnov.
"We are pleased to be working with Real to integrate the new RealVideo 9
codec with Adobe Premiere and After Effects," said Bryan Lamkin, senior vice
president of Adobe's Graphics business unit. "Our customers will soon be able
to export RealVideo 9 content, making streaming media production even easier."
"RealVideo 9 and RealAudio Surround decoders optimized for Intel's Pentium
4 processor deliver an enhanced video and audio experience for playing rich
media content to both consumers and enterprises alike," said Tom Gibbs,
director Solutions Market Development Group, Intel Corporation. "Leading
companies like RealNetworks with their RealOne SuperPass subscription service
demonstrate the industry's commitment to providing outstanding media
experiences on the PC as well as on mobile devices." Intel and RealNetworks
are working together to ensure that RealVideo 9 is optimized for the Intel
Personal Internet Client Architecture (Intel(R) PCA) Processors for mobile
phones, smart phones, PDAs, and in-vehicle systems.
"With RealAudio Surround and one of the millions of Dolby(R) Pro Logic(R)
enabled consumer receivers, consumers can immediately enjoy multi-channel
surround sound streamed directly from the Internet into their living room,"
said Ed Schummer, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer
Division, Dolby Laboratories Inc.
"RealAudio Surround broadens the advancement of the surround sound
industry," said Jennifer Drescher, vice president, Marketing of SRS Labs.
"We're very excited to be working with RealNetworks at the dawn of this high
quality IP revolution that RealAudio Surround is enabling. We look forward to
the expanded business opportunities it provides SRS and our CircleSurround
technology as we enable consumers to enjoy streaming surround sound at their
desktop or through their home theater system."
Availability
A showcase of RealVideo 9 content is available at
http://www.realnetworks.com/info/realvideo. RealOne Player and
RealPlayer 8 (Windows, Mac) support RealVideo 9 today. RealVideo 9 will be
available for the RealOne Player for Unix and RealPlayer for PocketPC within
30 days. A preview of the next RealSystem Producer is available at
http://www.realnetworks.com/info/realvideo. The RealSystem Producer preview runs on
Windows 95 and above as well as Linux 2.2 and 2.4 kernels.
About RealNetworks
RealNetworks, Inc. is the global leader in Internet media delivery. It
develops and markets software products and services designed to enable users
of personal computers and consumer electronic devices to send and receive
audio, video and other multimedia services using the Web. Consumers can
access and experience audio/video programming and download RealNetworks'
consumer software on the Internet at http://www.real.com . RealNetworks'
systems and corporate information is located on the Internet at
http://www.realnetworks.com .
NOTE: RealNetworks, RealSystem, RealVideo, RealAudio, RealOne, and
RealPlayer and are trademarks or registered trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc.
All other companies or products listed herein are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective owners.
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CONTACT:
Erika Shaffer, +1-206-972-5514, or
eshaffer@real.com, or Kimberly Pepper, +1-206-892-6553, or
kpepper@real.com, or RealNetworks Public Relations,
+1-206-674-2613, or public_relations@real.com, all of
RealNetworks
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