Introduction
How this Book Is Organized
Conventions Used in this Book
Additional RealSystem Resources
Technical Support
1 What's New in RealSystem?
What's New in RealSystem 8?
What's New in RealSystem 7?
RealPlayer 7 New Features
RealServer 7 New Features
What's New in RealSystem G2?
New Streaming Possibilities
Advancements in RealAudio and RealVideo
Easier Presentation Assembly
Enhanced Protocol Support
Compatibility with Previous Releases
2 Planning a Streaming Media Presentation
Step 1: Decide How to Deliver Clips
RealServer Streaming
Using RealServer through an Internet Service Provider
Web Server Downloading
Local Playback
Step 2: Choose Clip Types and Gather Tools
Audio and Video
Audio and Video Production Tools
RealAudio and RealVideo Encoding Tools
SMIL
Animation
Images
Images in SMIL Presentations
RealSlideshow Presentations
RealPix Markup
Text
RealPlayer's Update Features
Compatibility with Earlier Versions of RealPlayer
Protection of Copyrighted Content
Step 3: Develop a Bandwidth Strategy
Buffering
Initial Buffering (Preroll)
Rebuffering
Audience Bandwidth Targets
Multiclip Presentations
Streaming at Less than the Maximum Speed
Clip Bandwidth Characteristics
RealAudio and RealVideo
Flash
RealText and SMIL
RealPix (Slideshows)
Images in SMIL Presentations
Reaching Multiple Audiences
SureStream RealAudio and RealVideo
Switching Between Multiple Clips with SMIL
Step 4: Organize the Presentation Timeline
Timeline Considerations
Clips with Internal Timelines
Clips with Variable Timelines
SMIL Timing Commands
Timelines for Multiclip Presentations
Timeline Management
Step 5: Create Your Clips
3 Producing Audio
Understanding RealAudio
Bandwidth and Audio Quality
RealAudio Bandwidth Characteristics
RealAudio Codecs
Voice Codecs
Mono Music Codecs
Stereo Music Codecs
RealAudio 8 Stereo Music Codecs
Older RealAudio Codecs
Steps for Streaming RealAudio
Capturing Audio
Source Media
Recording Equipment
Shielded Cables
Input Levels
Volume Levels for Live Broadcasts
Sampling Rates
Optimizing Audio
DC Offset
Normalization
Dynamics Compression
Equalization
Encoding RealAudio with RealProducer
RealAudio in Multiclip Presentations
Audio Compatibility with RealPlayer 5
4 Producing Video
Understanding RealVideo
RealVideo Bandwidth Characteristics
RealVideo Frame Rates
RealVideo Clarity
RealVideo Window Sizes
Different Window Sizes for Different Bandwidths
RealVideo Codecs
RealVideo 8 Codec
RealVideo G2 Codecs
RealVideo Standard Codec
Scalable Video Technology
Steps for Streaming RealVideo
Recording Video
Source Media Quality
Video Staging
Scene Changes and Movement
Colors and Lighting
Digitizing Video
S-Video Output
Color Depth
Digitized Video Formats
Video Capture Frame Rates
Video Capture Screen Sizes
Computer Speed and Disk Space
Video Source File Size Limit
Encoding RealVideo with RealProducer
RealVideo Streaming Speeds
Video Compatibility with RealPlayer 5
RealVideo Filters
Noise Filters
Resizing Filters
Inverse-Telecine Filter
De-Interlace Filter
RealVideo Options
Variable Bit Rate Encoding
Two-Pass Encoding
Loss Protection
5 Producing Animation
Understanding Flash
RealSystem Software Versions for Flash
Flash Bandwidth Characteristics
Flash Clip Size
Flash CPU Use
Adding Audio to Flash
Bandwidth Division Between Flash and RealAudio
Targeting 28.8 Kbps Modems
Targeting 56 Kbps Modems
Targeting Both 28.8 and 56 Kbps Modems
Tips for Choosing RealAudio Codecs
Using Interactive Flash Commands
Flash Clip Timeline Commands
RealPlayer Commands
Seeking Into a Presentation
Playing, Pausing, or Stopping a Presentation
Popping Up New RealPlayer Windows
Go To Commands
Load Movie Commands
Timeline Slider Activity with Multiple Clips
Using SMIL Instead of Load Movie
Secure Transactions
Mouse Events
Streaming a Flash Clip
6 Assembling a Presentation with SMIL
Understanding SMIL
Creating a SMIL File
General SMIL Rules
Markup Starts with <smil> and Ends with </smil>
Body Section Is Required but Header Section Is Optional
Lowercase Text is Required for Tags and Attributes
Some Tags Must Close with a Forward Slash
Attribute Values Are Enclosed in Double Quotation Marks
SMIL Files Use the Extension .smil or .smi
Coded Characters Are Used in Headers
HTML-Style Comments Are Allowed
Indentation Is Recommended
Specifying Clip Locations
Linking to Clips on RealServer
Creating Relative URLs
Linking to Clips on a Web Server
Linking to Local Clips
Grouping Clips
Playing Clips in Sequence
Playing Clips in Parallel
Ending a Parallel Group on a Specific Clip
endsync="first"
endsync="last"
endsync="id(clip ID)"
Combining <seq> and <par> Tags
Specifying Timing
Setting Begin and End Times
Using Begin and End Times with Groups
Setting Internal Clip Begin and End Times
Combining clip-begin and clip-end with the begin and end Attributes
Setting Durations
Indefinite Durations
Setting a Fill
fill="remove"
fill="freeze"
Clip Timing Example
Repeating a Clip or Group
Repeating Playback a Specific Number of Times
Repeating Clips in Groups
Repeating Groups of Clips
Looping Playback Indefinitely
Looping Clips in Groups
Laying Out Multiple Clips
Creating the Root Layout Region
Defining Playback Regions
Using Percentages for Region Layout
Tips for Defining Regions
Adding Background Colors
Transparency in SMIL Regions
Defining How Clips Fit Regions
Ordering Overlapping Regions with z-index
Tips for Defining Z-Index Values
Assigning Clips to Regions
SMIL Layout Example
Switching Between Alternate Choices
Setting Language Choices
Setting Bandwidth Choices
Linking to Other Media
Making a Source Clip a Link
Targeting RealPlayer or a Browser
show="replace"
show="new" and show="pause"
Defining Hot Spot Links
Setting an Anchor
Defining Spatial Coordinates
Setting Temporal Coordinates
Linking to a SMIL File
Tips for Linking to a SMIL File
Linking with a Timeline Offset
Adding Presentation Information
Managing the Playlist
Tips for Defining Clip Information
Using Coded Characters
7 Extending SMIL
Defining Image Options
Setting Image Bit Rates
Overriding GIF or PNG Transparency
Linking to a Web Page or Clip
Controlling RealPlayer
Ensuring Reliable Image Transmission
Popping Up New RealPlayer Windows
Creating a Link for a New Window
name
URL
playmode
Examples of Opening New RealPlayer Windows
Targeting the Same Window with Multiple Links in RealText or Flash
Opening Separate Windows with RealText or Flash
Launching Clips in the Current Window through RealText or Flash
Linking from a SMIL File Image
Creating a SMIL Hotspot Link
Caching Files on RealPlayer
Using the CHTTP Caching Protocol
Controlling the RealPlayer Cache
Overriding Caching with Cache-Control
Cache Size and Expiration Rules
Changing the Lifetime of a Cached File
User Control of the RealPlayer Cache
Authoring SMIL Files for Caching
8 Playing Clips in a Web Page
Choosing the Netscape Plug-in or ActiveX Control
Using <EMBED> Tags for the Netscape Plug-In
Supporting Other Browsers
Using <OBJECT> Tags for the ActiveX Control
Setting Basic Parameters
SRC
WIDTH and HEIGHT
NOJAVA
Adding RealPlayer Controls
Basic Controls
ImageWindow
All
Individual Controls and Sliders
ControlPanel
PlayButton
PlayOnlyButton
PauseButton
StopButton
FFCtrl
RWCtrl
MuteCtrl
MuteVolume
VolumeSlider
PositionSlider
TACCtrl
HomeCtrl
Information Panels
InfoVolumePanel
InfoPanel
Status Panels
StatusBar
StatusField
PositionField
Linking Multiple Controls
Tips for Using Consoles
Multiple Controls Example
Controlling Image Display
BACKGROUNDCOLOR
CENTER
MAINTAINASPECT
NOLABELS
NOLOGO
Setting Automatic Playback
AUTOSTART
LOOP
NUMLOOP
SHUFFLE
Laying Out SMIL Presentations
Defining the Layout with SMIL
Defining the Layout with HTML
Omitting SMIL Layout Information
Parameter Reference
9 Inserting Ads into a Presentation
How Ad Streaming Works
Displaying Banner Ads
Laying Out the Banner Region
Setting Banner Ad Properties
Specifying Durations for Rotating Banner Ads
Interleaving Media Ads with Clips
Creating a SMIL File for a Media Ad
SMIL File with No Regions
SMIL File with Regions
Disabling the RealPlayer Playlist
Playing Interstitial Ads
10 Delivering a Presentation
RTSP and HTTP
Which URLs Use Which Protocol
Streaming Clips from RealServer
Linking Your Web Page to RealServer
Using Ramgen
Listing Alternate Presentations with Ramgen
Combining Ramgen Options
Playing Clips from a Web Server
Limitations on Web Server Playback
No SureStream Clips Encoded for Multiple Bandwidths
No Secure RealAudio and RealVideo Clips
Limited Ability to Keep Parallel Clips Synchronized
RealPix Presentations Require Clip Size Information
SMIL File Optional
SMIL Internal Timing Commands Do Not Work
No Ad Insertion
No RealPlayer Seeking
No RTSP URLs
No Live Broadcast
Configuring Web Server MIME Types
Creating a Ram File Manually
Setting a Presentation's Starting Mode
Notes on Setting a Starting Clip Size
Adding Comments to a Ram File
Testing Your Presentation
Advertising on RealGuide
Using RealNetworks Logos
11 Broadcasting a Presentation
Broadcasting vs. On-Demand Delivery
Broadcasting Tools
Source Capture Equipment
Editing Equipment
Broadcast Application
RealServer
Preparing a Broadcast
SureStream Broadcasts
Broadcast Computer CPU Power
Archiving Broadcasts
Broadcast URL and RealServer Parameters
Trial Runs
Advertising an Event
Using SMIL with a Broadcast
SMIL Limitations for Broadcasts
Including On-Demand Clips with Broadcasts
Synchronizing Multiple Broadcast Streams
A Quick Answers to Common Questions
Creating Streaming Clips
How do I make streaming audio and video clips?
Can I encode RealVideo directly from a video camera?
How do I ensure the best quality for streaming clips?
What other clips can I stream?
Getting Production Tools
What audio and video editing tools can I use?
What digitized audio and video formats does RealProducer accept as input?
Where can I get RealProducer?
How do I create a streaming slideshow from still images?
How do I create streaming Flash animation?
What's the RealSystem Authoring Kit?
Using SureStream
What is SureStream?
How do I make a SureStream clip?
Can I use SureStream with a Web server?
Writing SMIL Files
What is SMIL?
Is it necessary to use SMIL?
When should I use SMIL?
How do I write SMIL?
Streaming Clips
Do I need to have RealServer in addition to RealProducer?
What operating systems does RealServer run on?
Where do I get RealServer?
Can I stream clips from a Web server instead of RealServer?
What is a Ram file?
If I use SMIL, do I need a Ram file?
Can I place clips in a Web page?
Why does RealServer use RTSP rather than HTTP?
How do I stream clips with RTSP?
Advertising
How does advertising with RealSystem work?
What kinds of ads can I stream?
How do I set up advertising?
Do I have to write SMIL files to stream ads?
Broadcasting
What do I need for broadcasting over a network?
Can I broadcast through my ISP?
Can I use SureStream in a broadcast?
Can I broadcast with a Web server instead of RealServer?
Does a broadcast have to be live?
Can I use SMIL with a broadcast?
How many people can I reach with a broadcast?
Can RealNetworks broadcast clips for me?
Getting Technical Support
How do I get technical support from RealNetworks?
Where can I find additional documentation?
Where should I go for the latest RealSystem information?
B Quick Steps for Streaming Clips
Streaming a RealAudio or RealVideo Clip
Embedding a RealVideo Clip in a Web Page
URL Reference
C Advanced Production Techniques
Viewing SMIL Source Markup
Smoothing Transitions Between Clips
Hiding Regions with z-index
Writing Complex SMIL Switch Statements
Switching with SureStream Clips
Switching for Different Video Window Sizes
Switching with Multiple Test Attributes
Switching Presentations for Different RealPlayer Versions
Example 1: Caching Files for RealPlayer 7 or Later But Not RealPlayer G2
Example 2: Opening Multiple Windows for RealPlayer 7 or Later But Not RealPlayer G2
Displaying Captions for the Hearing Impaired
Filling a Caption Region when Captions Are Turned Off
Resizing the Playback Area for Captions
D SMIL Quick Reference
Header Tags
<meta.../>
<layout>...</layout>
<root-layout.../>
<region.../>
Clip Source Tags
Image Source Tag Options
Group Tags
<par>...</par>
<seq>...</seq>
<switch>...</switch>
Hyperlink Tags
<a>...</a>
<anchor.../>
Pop-Up Window Commands
E SMIL Language Codes
F File Type Reference
Glossary
Index