Real Pays For Legal MP3 Playback On Linux

kforeman (aka Kevin Foreman, GM of Helix RealNetworks, Inc.) writes "As part of the free RealPlayer 10 for Linux, Real has paid Thomson for a legal MP3 playback license and then includes it at no cost as part of the newly released RealPlayer 10. As I speak to people, many are under the false impression that MP3 playback patent and royalty rights are free, since there are open source implementations of MP3 playback available. Not true. Nonetheless, we are glad to do our part of making the Linux desktop a first class citizen by legally providing MP3 playback to users via our new RealPlayer."

Comments

Distributions?

[dorward]

I wonder if Real are positioning themselves to get their client distributed with distributions. We might finally see Fedora (et al) with an mp3 player.

I wonder what the license says about redistributing the client? Would Fedora et al be able to distribute it?

In the meantime, I'll stick to Gentoo since they are happy to provide source code for all sorts of mp3 players.

Re:Distributions?

[Nichotin]

"We" should be careful with bundling proprietary applications that are free to use. You end up using all the proprietary applications, and freedom will vanish. It will also slow down Linux adoption on other platforms if the applications people use are proprietary.

Re:Distributions?

[jc42]

Ok, people fall into at least 1 of 2 camps.
1. Zealot: use Free software no matter how painful.
2. "Normal": use whatever software does the best job, is easiest to use, etc.


No, #2 should be called "geek". The real definition of "normal" is:

3. "Normal": Use whatever came with the computer they bought because it was heavily advertised and "everyone uses it". If they can't find software to do the job, they copy some app from a buddy's machine, or as a last resort laboriously download something from whatever web site their browser directed them to.

A major part of the problem with the "market" arguments is that for most people, there really is no market for software. That is, people don't decide in any meaningful sense what software to use, and they don't make informed choices among competing apps (or OSs). They are totally baffled by the supposed "market", and mostly just use whatever someone offers them.

In the computing field, doing comparison shopping immediately qualifies one for the "geek" label.

Re:MP3 Playback IS Free...

[Anonymous Coward]

There's a sizeable difference between being able to do it and being able to do it legally.

oh well

[indianropeburn]

This still doesn't make Real Player a good choice for media playback.

Props to them

[m50d]

They've done a very good thing for linux here. I say ta very much to them.

And yet the slashbots will still find a way to make them appear evil. After all, they're competing with apple.

Re:Props to them

[Kjella]

And yet the slashbots will still find a way to make them appear evil.

I'm sorry, but there's something to "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." No matter how apparently good Real is acting, I ask "What are they trying to pull now?" Lock-in? Bait and switch? Embrace and extend? I mean if I got to pick my brand of poison among closed source and DRM, the ranking is:

1. Apple, the "benevolent" master. Not really all that angelic as the slashdot crowd say they are, but at least they pretend not to be harsh.

2. Microsoft, menacing and harsh, but at least you know where you got them. One Microsoft way, all the way. The sheer market power makes you their puppet.

3. Real, the sleezy and creepy master. Isn't the menacing type, but you never knows what he'll do next. The kind you should fear with good reason.

Of course, there should be an option "none of the above"....

Kjella

Re:Props to them

[IamTheRealMike]

Apple isn't benevolent in the slightest. They haven't supported Linux whatsoever, and have actively required companies writing software for Linux to license their patents.

Sorry, but of all of them only Real is actually trying to improve - Apple just coast along on the basis of their fans ludicrous brand loyalty, Microsoft coast along on the basis of their monopoly and piles of cash, meanwhile Real has been contributing to open source and cleaning up their software, as well as making it portable to Linux. I say, good for them, and I'm certainly willing to give them a second chance.

Re:Don't need a license for personal use anyway

[Lumpy]

And, if you don't want to be sued, use a free and better lossy format (e.g.: Ogg Vorbis for music or Ogg Speex for speech).


you mean if you do not want to use your portable devices anymore use OGG.

I love ogg, but it is worthless to 90% of us that use mp3.

my car stereo does not support it, my home stereo's high end player does not support it and the 5 different portable players in the house does not support it.

therefore it is not a choice.

Until people pester the hell out of the player makers to support ogg, it will stay a special segment that very few use.

players like the audiotron and other home stero players can support it but the developers are being asses and refuse to add it. many portables certianly have the power to use it and again, the makers are intentionally refusing to use it.

until large numbers of people ask for OGG support and flood the support channels of the player makers it will never be supported.

I suggest that many here pice a few mp3 player makers and get at least 5 friends to mail the support email address asking for ogg support.

Until then, OGG is not the answer to anyone.

Re:no surprise

[sepluv]

If you don't like people "borrowing" your stuff, keep it to yourself.

Actually the whole point of a patent is that you invent something that takes time and effort and you tell everyone about it instead of keeping it a trade secret. As a reward for not keeping it to yourself, you are given a monopoly on it for a few years (stopping others from using your idea).

Of course, this patent is not really a valid patent as it is not on an invention (and didn't take time and effort and there's probably prior art and it would likely not have been kept a trade secret).

What about live streaming?

[Gallech]

A couple of things...firstly, the Real Helix 10 player is not as adware-intensive as the old RealOne player. In fact, I'd say its pretty clean.

Secondly, there is a big difference between a simple MP3 or Ogg Vorbis capable client and an actual stream player. Playing your MP3s and movies off your hard drive is not the end all of streaming...in fact, its not really streaming at all, but rather decoding and/or progressive downloading. How about live streaming from an actual broadcast? For that, you need an actual stream client: Windows Media Player, Real Player, Quick Time, and Flash with its content server.

Besides Real Helix, what other live network stream clients with actual stream servers are there for Linux? Unless we can name a couple of decent live streaming alternatives, perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to slam everything Real does?

I actually have to give them credit.

[Ayanami Rei]

They have always put out their product on linux, it usually worked more consistently than a flash plugin, and IIRC it was always declawed (because they knew how picky we are about that sort of thing, and that'd we'd notice).

Not that I used it all that much what with mplayer and all, but it was nice to think they weren't complete jerks.

Re:Real

[ZephyrXero]

The only way Ogg Vorbis is ever going to take off is if people start using them heavily and demand that it be included in their players. If everyone just waits around for it to happen, it never will.

Re:buffered stuff..

[pclminion]

Yes... WinAmp tried very hard to look like a physical device that never even existed.

Does a word processing program have a picture of a typewriter that you have to click on in order to type characters? So why the fuck does an MP3 player have to look like a stereo deck?

Re:buffered stuff..

[PaleBoy]

Computers don't have an image of a typewriter, but they DO have a keyboard, which is designed in the same manner as a typewriter, slow key placement and all...

There is a lot to be said for designing things based on user expectations of utility. Having buttons that reflect buttons that users have experienced on previous audio equipment is not a dumb idea at all.

Certainly you can improve upon and modify the interface to reflect it's new environment (the Ipod for portable mp3 players, for example), but users like to be able to pick up something and have it work. In order for that to happen, there needs to be some familiarity.