RealPlayer (briefly known also as RealOne Player) is a proprietary cross-platform media player by RealNetworks that plays a number of multimedia formats including MP3, MPEG-4, QuickTime, Windows Media, and multiple versions of proprietary RealAudio and RealVideo formats.Supported Formats by RealOne Player

The first version of RealPlayer was introduced in April 1995 as RealAudio Player, one of the first media players capable of streaming media over the Internet.Release History Version 6 of RealPlayer was called RealPlayer G2; version 9 was called RealOne Player. Free "Basic" versions have been provided as well as paid "Plus" versions with additional features. On Windows, version 9 subsumed the features of the separate program RealJukebox.

RealPlayer 11 was released for Windows in November 2007, and for Mac OS X in May 2008. Versions of RealPlayer are also available for Linux, Unix, Palm OS, Windows Mobile, and Symbian OS.RealPlayer - Multiple Editions The program is powered by an underlying open source media engine called Helix.Helix Community License

Features

RealPlayer, beyond its function as an audio/video player, also contains additional features such as:

• Media Browser based on Internet Explorer which allows web browsing while playing media.
• Playlist editor similar to other media players, supporting "drag and drop" and playlist randomize.
• Theater Mode (full screen mode) video playback. The paid version offers a skinnable Toolbar Mode which uses less desktop space.
• Visualizations - graphical animations or "light shows". Five are included with RealPlayer set-up. Others are available from RealNetworks, including a 3D Visualization Plug-In Surreal.FX.
• Continuous Play (Loop multiple songs) and Shuffle Play (Play tracks randomly, however realplayer will select the random tracks in sequence eg Track 1, Track 5, Track 2, Track 6, Track 3 etc.).
• Stay on top while playing option.
• Favorites menu to save and recall media locations for files or streams.
• Equalizer and Video controls. Crossfade and Gapless playback are included in RealPlayer Plus.
• Media library allows organization of media through track tagging and editing. The Premium version adds Audio Converter to convert between RealMedia, MP3, AAC, Windows Media, and WAV formats, and others.
• Recording audio, (RealPlayer Plus only) which records audio via a sound card.
• LivePause pauses streaming video clips without having to stop the buffering.
• Version 10.5 included Harmony technology, making the Music Store compatible with iPod and Windows Media DRM-compatible players.
• Both the basic and the plus version can burn CDs. The current burning technology is powered by NPI; formerly it was powered by Adaptec (Roxio). The free version can burn audio and data CDs; the premium version burns MP3 CDs.
• CD ripping into AAC (in MP4) (32 kbit/s - 320 kbit/s) (default), Real Audio 10 (32 kbit/s - 320 kbit/s), MP3 (32 kbit/s - 320 kbit/s), Real Audio Lossless, WAV (1411 kbit/s), Windows Media Audio (Requires Windows Media Player 10 installed) (64 kbit/s - 192 kbit/s) formats.
• RealPlayer Music Store allows users to locate, preview, and purchase songs, which cost $0.49 to $0.99.
• SuperPass - paid access to premium recorded and live video broadcasts. In the U.S., content like CBS Big Brother 24/7 is provided for a fee of around USD$39.99. For Europe (except UK), this includes live broadcasts of BBC World Europe, Al Jazeera English, CNN International Europe, Euronews in seven languages, BBC News recent news clips, MTV UK music clips, and custom content from SportsNews TV, RealTV, Vidzone, and Comedy Time. Costs 17.50 € per month.
• Video Download - version 11 for Windows allowed users to download videos from sites such as YouTube and store them on their computer in Flash Video format.