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RealNetworks has pledged its support to the Xiph.org Foundation's Ogg Vorbis format and audio codec, or compression formula. RealNetworks said it will integrate the open source format into its Helix DNA Client, and that the RealOne Player and the Helix Universal Server would play and serve Ogg Vorbis.
Following RealNetworks' move, people will be able to play Ogg Vorbis content through RealPlayer without having to download special Ogg Vorbis software. RealNetworks claims there are 285 million unique registered users of the RealOne Player and RealPlayer.
It is generally thought that RealNetworks decided on this new position because of the growing threat to its market share from Microsoft. The software giant has been eroding RealNetworks' lead in the sector by giving away its Media Player software and server products as both companies fight it out to provide the basic technology infrastructure for the on-line distribution of audio and video. Recent figures from NetRating show that RealMedia reached 17 million at-home viewers in April, compared to Media Player's 15.1 million.
RealNetworks' decision could also impact on the popularity of MP3 and other proprietary audio formats such as Windows Media. MP3 has practically become the standard for trading and downloading audios over and from the Internet thanks to its small file sizes and high quality. However, the format is controlled by the MPEG Consortium, which charges software makers to use its encoders.
Ogg Vorbis, on the other hand, has been developed by a non-profit company and as such is royalty-free meaning that companies can incorporate the technology into their software without cost. In addition, Xiph.org Foundation has claimed that it offers audio quality comparable to, or better than, its proprietary counterparts.
Ogg Vorbis was officially released in mid-July and its backers believe that it can take on the likes of MP3 as a result of the deal with RealNetworks. Whether that becomes a reality or not is difficult to say as users of such technology are in their millions and Ogg Vorbis is as yet relatively unknown.
"The combination of the Helix DNA client with the Ogg Vorbis audio format is a huge step forward for the open source community and the world at large," said Emmett Plant, chief executive officer, Xiph.org Foundation, in a statement. "With the release of Ogg Vorbis 1.0, the ability to use RealNetworks technology to get our format into the hands of the masses presents a lot of potential."
RealNetworks and Xiph plan to release Ogg Vorbis plug-ins for the RealOne Player and the Helix Universal Server. When the plus-ins are completed and have been tested at RealNetworks, they will put on the RealNetworks AutoUpdate server, allowing users of RealOne Player and RealPlayer to listen to Ogg Vorbis content. RealNetworks did not say when this process would be completed.
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