RealNetworks has released the public beta for the latest upgrade to their RealPlayer software package for Macintosh, which allows you to download video and convert it for your device in just two clicks. RealPlayer SP (where SP stands for social and portable) is so far the only all-in-one package for downloading, converting and sharing video from the web, and it couldn’t be any easier.
Let’s say you’re watching a video on YouTube, and enjoy it so much that you want to take it with you on your iPhone, iPod touch or (soon) iPad. You could, of course, simply access YouTube on your device, but that depends on a decent data or WiFi signal. Using RealPlayer SP Beta, you can be watching the video on your computer, and RealPlayer SP will ask you if you wish to download the video. Simply click “Download,” and within a few minutes it’s stored on your computer. You can then press “Convert,” tell it to which device you want to send the video by selecting the name (no need to edit any settings if you’re unsure about them), and voila—it’ll be added to iTunes ready for your next sync.
Unfortunately, if the video content is DRM protected, such as with Hulu, BBC iPlayer or content downloaded from the iTunes Store, you won’t be able to download or convert it. That’s fair, though; the copyright is in place for a reason, and it should be respected. If the content isn’t DRM protected, such as the great shows from Revision3, then you’re free to download and convert.
The list of devices for which you can convert the video is highly comprehensive, which is automatically updated by RealNetworks for any new devices. Already, there’s an option to convert for the HTC Google Nexus One, and the screen ratio, frame-rate and format are all taken care of. It’s not limited to mobile phones, either. Video can be converted for the Xbox 360, PS3, Apple TV and more. The ability to convert video for the iPad will be updated once the device is released.
The other side to RealPlayer SP is the social side. With this upgrade, sharing what you’re watching with your friends is simple. Once you’ve downloaded a video, you can share the original video link over at Facebook, Twitter or even MySpace. It won’t upload the video to those sites, because it already exists online. It will simply provide a link to the original source from where you downloaded the content, letting everyone know what you’re watching.
RealPlayer SP Beta has been available for PC for around a year and has been a great success, so the Mac-users will be a little late to the party. Still, it’s a free download available from today, and it’s well worth checking out.
Product [Real Player SP Beta for Mac]
How much is RealNetworks paying you to publish this "news" article? What Mac User has any use for RealNetworks products any more?
Jerry,
RealNetworks is, of course, not paying anything. The ability to download video content from the Internet and convert it to your device in just a couple of clicks is not possible using any other method that we are aware of. If you've never been interested in downloading DRM-free video for your devices, then maybe RealPlayer SP isn't for you. Otherwise, it's a convenient piece of software to have, for any Mac user.