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RealNetworks Releases Helix DNA Producer Source
Rob Lanphier writes "We just released the Helix DNA Producer, a multi-format media-encoding engine for creating streaming broadcasts, on-demand streaming content, and downloadable audio video files. It supports RealAudio, RealVideo and Ogg Vorbis, and includes many input and output filters, variable bitrate encoding support, option for two-pass encoding, audio gain control, Firewire support. Press release is here and a couple of stories are here(1) and here(2)." Here's a page that details the licenses under which the code can be obtained.
Just what I want, a shitty encoder for the worlds shittiest piece of software on windows. Tons of spyware and hidden services that ask you if you want to disable it 2 times. Its damn near impossible to find the freeware player link on their site. It took a google search to locate it. I avoid their horrible software and choose windows media or even quicktime (nagware) whenever possible.
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
May Goatse rest his soul
There are ways of fighting this kind of lock in. One is to produce open codecs that, byte for byte, deliver equivalent or better quality to those in the "private domain". This is what the Ogg project is trying to do. Indeed, it's what the MPEG project is doing - the specs are open in the sense that anyone can look at them and create readers and writers, although as detractors are quick to point out, those who do implement the MPEG codecs and share their work, commercially or non-commercially, with third parties, are usually obligated to agree to pay royalties. Still, this is a situation infinitely better than the Apple/MS/Real situation.
Defeating this quagmire of content locked by the tools that distribute it will not happen by itself. Resources need to be devoted, and unless people are prepared to actually act, not just talk about it on Slashdot, nothing will ever get done. Apathy is not an option.
You can help by getting off your rear and writing to your congressman or senator. Tell them that open, non-proprietry, codecs are important to you - that you should have the right to control that that you store on your own disks. Tell them that you appreciate Real Network's efforts in this area, but that in the absense of full disclosure, you will have to find less secure and intelligently designed alternatives. Let them know that SMP may make or break whether you can efficiently deploy OpenBSD on your workstations and servers. Explain the concerns you have about freedom, openness, and choice, and how arbitrary file format locking destroys all three. Let them know that this is an issue that effects YOU directly, that YOU vote, and that your vote will be influenced, indeed dependent, on his or her policy on open codecs.
You CAN make a difference. Don't treat voting as a right, treat it as a duty. Keep informed, keep your political representatives informed on how you feel. And, most importantly of all, vote.
KMSMA (WWBD?)
while I agree that people should see for themselves what Real has to offer with Helix, I think past actions should be taken into account; Not ignored. If a rapist was giving candy out to children you wouldn't go, "oh how cheritable. he is being nice now!" You would be very critical and wonder what he may be up to. It's only natural to be suspicious about a previously unfavorable companies current offerings.
Now if they could just release the specs of their annoying proprietary rtsp handshaking and I'd be really happy!
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