RealSystem G2 Production Guide BETA 1 Release Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Companies, names, and data used in examples herein are fictitious unless otherwise noted. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of RealNetworks, Inc. ©RealNetworks, Inc. RealAudio and RealVideo are registered trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc. The Real logo, RealServer, RealPlayer, RealText, RealPix, RealAudio Encoder, RealVideo Encoder, RealEncoder, RealPublisher and RealSystem are trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc. STiNG is a trademark of Iterated Systems, Inc. ACELP-NET codec used under license from Université de Sherbrooke. Sipro Lab Télécom, Inc. Copyright ©1994- 1997. All rights reserved. DolbyNet is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. Dolby Digital AC-3 audio system manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. Apple, Macintosh, and Power Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Macromedia is a registered trademark and Flash and Shockwave are trademarks of Macromedia, Inc. Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows, and Windows NT are registered trademarks and ActiveX is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Netscape and Netscape Navigator are registered trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation. Pentium is a registered trademark and MMX is a trademark of Intel Corporation. Sonic Foundry and Sound Forge are registered trademarks of Sonic Foundry, Inc. Other product and corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of other companies. They are used for explanation only, with no intent to infringe. RealNetworks, Inc. 1111 Third Avenue, Suite 2900 Seattle, WA 98101 USA http://www.real.com Contents INTRODUCTION 1 How to Use this Manual........................................................ 1 Conventions in this Manual ................................................... 3 Additional RealSystem G2 Resources...................................... 3 1 WHAT’S NEW IN REALSYSTEM G2? 5 RealSystem’s New Features .................................................... 5 New File Streaming Possibilities ......................................... 5 Advancements in RealAudio and RealVideo ........................ 6 Easier Presentation Assembly............................................. 6 Enhanced Protocol Support............................................... 7 Compatibility with Previous Releases...................................... 8 2 CREATING A REALSYSTEM PRESENTATION 9 Streaming Media with RealSystem G2 .................................... 9 Streaming vs. Downloading ............................................... 9 Working with Timelines ....................................................10 Choosing Media to Stream ...................................................10 Working with Source Files.....................................................11 Understanding File Formats..............................................12 Encoding and Compressing Source Files............................12 Synchronizing Files to a Timeline.......................................14 Writing a SMIL File...............................................................14 Putting Files on RealServer ....................................................16 Viewing your Presentation.....................................................17 Downloading RealPlayer Plug-Ins......................................17 3 TARGETING BANDWIDTH 19 What is Bandwidth?.............................................................19 Choosing a Target Bandwidth...............................................20 Developing a Bandwidth Strategy..........................................21 Understanding Clip Bandwidth Characteristics ..................21 Delivering a Single Media Clip...........................................23 Developing Multimedia Presentations ...............................23 Supporting Multiple Bandwidth Connections ........................24 iii Contents RealSystem G2 Production Guide Encoding Single Files for Multiple Bandwidths...................25 Letting RealPlayer Choose between Multiple Files ..............25 4 PRODUCING AUDIO 27 Steps for Streaming RealAudio..............................................27 Recording Audio ..................................................................28 Editing Digitized Audio Files .................................................30 Producing RealAudio ...........................................................31 Choosing RealAudio Codecs.............................................31 Encoding RealAudio with RealSystem Tools ......................34 Streaming Other Audio Formats ...........................................35 AU ..................................................................................35 WAV ...............................................................................35 5 PRODUCING VIDEO 37 Producing High Quality Video...............................................37 Shooting a Video .............................................................37 Digitizing Video ...............................................................38 Producing RealVideo ............................................................39 Video Input Formats ........................................................39 Using RealVideo Codecs...................................................39 Streaming Other Video Formats............................................40 AVI..................................................................................40 Vivo.................................................................................40 6 PRODUCING ANIMATION 41 Introduction to RealFlash.....................................................41 Tools for Creating RealFlash.............................................41 Preparing a RealFlash Presentation .......................................43 Choosing a Target Bandwidth ..........................................43 Maximizing Flash Efficiency ..............................................44 Using Interactive Commands ................................................47 Creating a RealFlash Presentation .........................................48 Importing an Audio Source...............................................48 Exporting Shockwave Flash...............................................48 Exporting Audio...............................................................49 Creating a SMIL File .........................................................50 Transferring Files to RealServer .........................................50 7 ASSEMBLING A PRESENTATION WITH SMIL 51 Creating a SMIL File .............................................................51 SMIL General Rules..........................................................52 Adding a Header..................................................................52 iv RealSystem G2 Production Guide Contents Using Coded Characters...................................................53 Specifying File Locations.......................................................54 Linking to Files on RealServer............................................55 Linking to Local Files ........................................................56 Organizing a Presentation.....................................................57 Playing Files in Sequence...................................................57 Playing Files in Parallel......................................................57 Combining <seq> and <par> Tags.....................................58 Specifying Timing .................................................................59 Setting Begin and End Times.............................................60 Setting a Fill.....................................................................60 Setting Internal Clip Begin and End Times .........................60 Clip Timing Example ........................................................61 Switching Between Alternate Choices ....................................61 Setting Language Choices .................................................61 Setting Bandwidth Choices...............................................62 Laying Out Multiple Clips .....................................................64 Defining the Layout..........................................................64 Assigning Clips to Regions................................................69 SMIL Layout Example.......................................................69 Linking to Other Media ........................................................70 Making a Source File a Link...............................................71 Targeting RealPlayer or a Browser .....................................71 Defining Hot Spot Links ...................................................72 Linking to a SMIL File .......................................................75 8 PLAYING A PRESENTATION IN A WEB PAGE 79 Choosing the Netscape Plug-in or ActiveX Control .................79 Using <EMBED> Tags for the Netscape Plug-In..................79 Using <OBJECT> Tags for the ActiveX Control ...................80 Setting Basic Parameters.......................................................81 Adding RealPlayer Controls ..................................................82 Suppressing Labels...........................................................87 Using Multiple Controls ...................................................87 Setting Automatic Playback ..................................................89 Working