Real Networks, the developer of the Real ONE player and popular Real Audio and Real Media formats, announced today plans to create a “comprehensive” Free Software media player. The player will help to end GNU/Linux's long time lagging behind Windows and Macintosh streaming media players.
While Real has supported GNU/Linux for years with its aging RealPlayer 8 (extended with newer Real codecs), that player's successor, Real ONE, never went beyond alpha-stage development on UNIX-like platforms. Today's announcement should change that by creating a project that will provide modern Real Media and SMIL 2.0 support along with jukebox support for other formats such as MP3 and the Free Software-licensed Ogg Vorbis format.
According to Real's announcement, the Helix Player Project will produce a player that will provide “a similar level of media playback and SMIL 2.0 support” to that of the company's RealONE player. This project marks the first time in several years that a major multimedia company has announced a GNU/Linux player. Several closed-source players have been abandoned, after various degrees of stability were achieved, including RealONE (alpha-stage), WinAmp (alpha-stage), and MusicMatch Jukebox (1.0 release). The biggest differences in today's announcement is the Free Software nature of the project, excluding the RealMedia codecs themselves, and Real's apparently serious commitment to the project.
A Free Software player backed by a major developer like Real could actually become an accepted alternative to existing media players such as XMMS and Noatun, especially since it would provide streaming media support. No word was available if the player may eventually also support Real's recently acquired Rhapsody music download service.
The project will be an offshoot of the Helix Community, a Free Software umbrella formed last year by Real to create various multimedia components in a fashion similar to the relationship Mozilla.org had at the time with AOL Time Warner's Netscape unit.