RealPlayer was created by RealNetworks in the mid 90s. It
was never really a great program, but it worked and was still popular. I
remember using it myself, although I don’t remember why I bothered. It was ugly
to look at, had entirely too many pop up advertisements, and I remember there
being security issues – going so far as to changing parts of your registry! I
had honestly forgotten about this program for a long while and am still
surprised to see it updated currently.
The newest version will allow you to use the program free
for 30 days, after which you can pay a licencing fee of about $40, for premium
features. There is a limited free version, which isn’t worth having, in my
opinion, and two versions that sync with their cloud service. They have changed
the name of the project to be RealTimes with RealPlayer. The prices for premium
are $4.99 a month and $9.99 a month, for unlimited. It has advanced to being
supported on PC, Macintosh, the Xbox One, and Mobile smartphones and tablets.
You can also connect it with your Chromecast, Roku, and Kindle Fire, if you use
it on the television. (RealNetworks, 2016)
The installation on the new program is still pretty aggressive
and tries to force you into downloading other programs and toolbars, unless you
are paying attention and unchecking those options. There are also still plenty of advertisements
getting thrown at you. I only tested the free version, so I’m not sure if those
go away, if you choose to pay. No matter – personally I would still advise
anyone looking for a media player to go elsewhere, as there are plenty of
others to choose from that offer the same premium features, but for free.
VLC Media Player has been around for some time as well, but
is an open source program. This program has much more you can customize and even allows
the use of skins, which can make the player look and have the feel of other
common programs or fun themes. My personal favourite is dressing it up like the
Star Trek LCARS system, which I do with a lot of applications.
You can also play a LONG list of file extensions in this
player compared to other programs in the market. As the program has had
updates, I see that there are also many more features than when it first was
created. You can bookmark certain areas in your playback as favourites, and
utilize effects in the menu on any audio or video you might be playing to
optimize it to your liking.
VideoLan boasts that the program does not contain spyware or
user tracking, which is a calming thought. There are also no hidden or bulky advertisements
in the program – no ads at all! The program has even grown and evolved so much,
that it is available on Android and iOS, in addition to all of the other
operating systems it already is supported on. (VideoLan, 2016)
The VLC wiki shows all of the changes made to the project,
gives general information, and breaks down any projects that are currently being
worked on. You can support VLC in a number of ways, even if you’re not
contributing by coding. They do a great job of breaking down these categories
and providing examples of what you can do to participate, as well as provide
you with the correct people to contact to get on board. (MediaWiki, 2016)
RealNetworks. (2016). Features. Retrieved from http://www.real.com/ca/features
VideoLan. (2016). VLC media player. Retrieved from http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
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