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Real adds GPL to Helix Player, RedHat/Novell Join In

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the internet-radio-to-suck-less dept.

kforeman writes "Today, Linux desktop industry leaders, Red Hat and Novell announced with Real a deep product development and distribution agreement that will enhance the rapidly maturing Linux desktop experience. Specifically, Red Hat and Novell will standardize on the 100% open source Helix Player as the leading multimedia framework for their Linux desktops, and will help qualify and distribute the superset RealPlayer 10 with their upcoming Linux desktop offerings. As part of the announcement, within 30 days, Real will add the GPL as a licensing option the underlying Helix Player. For all of you free software developers who have been waiting for a true GPLed industry standard AV framework, we look forward to working with you."

8 of 322 comments (clear)

  1. Re:So? by nidx · · Score: 5, Informative

    it is called Real Alternative - found here

  2. gstreamer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Gstreamer already provides GPL'd framework.
    http://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/

    Someone might want to comment pros and cons
    of Gstreamer and Helix.

  3. Re:Codecs GPL'd? by pointwood · · Score: 5, Informative

    AFAIK, no - the real codecs are still proprietary. Helix does support the open source Xiph.org codecs though.

  4. Re:So? by hendridm · · Score: 5, Informative

    They already have it. Real Enterprise (free reg required to download). No ads, works great. If you don't want to post fake information, you can prolly find a copy on P2P, or you can just bitch and moan about the free registration here if you prefer...

  5. Re:Marketspeak by compactable · · Score: 5, Informative
    The issue with mplayer was not copyright ownership - it was largely with the non-GPL-ed codecs. The same issue faces the Helix player (codecs are not GPL - all that is released here is the framework).

    Check out the following philosophy of A'rpi ( http://mplayerhq.hu/homepage/design7/news-archive. html ) when faced with the concept of Debian packaging mplayer without the codecs (which is what I'm assuming Redhat & company will be doing with Helix):

    I think that including an unusable build of an application is even worse than not packaging it at all. It is not only valueless for the users (they will have to remove it and compile the source of the original version), but it gives the application a bad reputation, i.e. advertising it as a useless player being incapable of even playing a simple small file, or an unencrypted DVD (with AC3 sound)... Unfortunately most users won't notice the small comments in distribution specific files (like README.SuSE, or README.Debian) and will tell their friends, magazines (which occasionally write distro reviews) and post on portals/forums that it is a very bad, broken, unusable application.

    ... it will be interesting to see what happens with Helix payer, now that you have Redhat & Real (two public companies) trumpeting this as the big thiong fro linux desktop - will they throw in the non-gpl codecs so that everything dances perfectly, or will they ship only the shell & support for things like OGG, dissapointing linux converts used to their OS supporting more flavours of multimedia ... ?

  6. Give it a run and enjoy the BBC by kforeman · · Score: 5, Informative

    Our business model is changed. We make our money on consumer services like Rhapsody, SuperPass and STARZ! on Real Movies and therefore don't need to pay our staff with software add-ons or advertising.

    Download the binary or source and take it for a spin.

    Kevin Foreman,
    GM, Helix
    RealNetworks, Inc.

    --
    Kevin Foreman
  7. Re:Codecs contain spyware - Real Responds by kforeman · · Score: 5, Informative

    First, the Helix Player plays only 100% open source codecs, like Ogg Verbix and Theora.

    Second, the RealPlayer 10 for Linux adds to the Helix Player the non-open source components such as RealAudio/RealVideo, MP3 and Flash.

    Third, you are perpetuating an urban myth. Our Windows player contains no spyware and never has. Yes, someone filed suit on us, and it was thrown out of court for being a false accusation.

    Fourth, our business model is to sell back end webcast transmission software and consumer services like SuperPass and STARZ! on Real Movies.

    Fifth, over 50 semiconductor companies have licensed RealAudio and RealVideo SOURCE CODE for optimizing their nect gen chip sets. I would hope you agree that Intel, TI, Motorola, etc. engineers would not tolerate this nonsense.

    Rest easy and enjoy you free player on us.

    --
    Kevin Foreman
  8. Re:Codecs GPL'd? - Real Responds by kforeman · · Score: 5, Informative

    Guys, there are two important messages/audiences here: developers and users.

    1) Developers are looking for a standard GPL'd AV framework to built their applications. By adding the GPL to our Helix Player and with Red Hat, Novell, Sun and Turbolinux's support, we hope to catalyze the linux desktop industry to bring our better and faster time to market AV-based applications. We want to avoid a KDE/GNOME fracturing of the industry.

    2) Users get the best of both worlds. Besides the 100% GPL'd Helix Player (which plays Vorbis and Theora), the distros will ship a no-cost upgrade the RealPlayer 10 for Linux. The RealPlayer includes the non-open sourced component of MP3, Flash, RealAudio 10 and RealVideo 10.

    So, yes the codecs aren't open sourced (We don't own al the IP of RealAudio and RealVideo, and therefore can't even consider GPLing them), develoers and users still getthe best of both worlds.

    Enjoy the new players.

    --
    Kevin Foreman