RealEncoder 5.1

Welcome to the RealEncoder 5.1 from RealNetworks. RealEncoder lets you convert your audio and video files into RealNetworks RealVideo format. The software and documentation are provided to you in accordance with your license agreement.

For the latest information on our products and Web sites, visit the RealNetworks home page.

Support and technical information is available at:

http://service.real.com

Contents

Installation

Windows 95 and Windows NT

The RealEncoder is shipped as a self-extracting archive.

RealEncoder 5.1 for Windows consists of the following files:

If you use Adobe Premiere, the following file is installed in the /Premiere/plugins directory:

Macintosh PowerPC

RealEncoder 5.0 for Macintosh consists of the following files:

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System Requirements

Windows 95 and Windows NT

This version of the RealEncoder is a 32-bit Windows application that requires:

Hardware Requirements:

Additional Hardware Requirements for Live Video Encoding:

Capturing Video with a QuickCam:

When using an external port video camera like a Quickcam be sure to use External Port Camera option when capturing video.

Macintosh PowerPC

This version of the RealEncoder requires:

Hardware Requirements:

Known Problems

Known Problems - Windows 95 and Windows NT

  1. The Encoder does not return an error message when the hard disk is full.
  2. The Encoder may not close properly if the source file is on a remote computer and the network connection is severed.
  3. Uncompressed Quicktime movies created on SGI machines and exported to windows format cannot be encoded. Encoder will report that file format is not supported.
  4. 4.0 RealPlayer Crashes When Playing Clips Encoded With 5 Kbps and 16 Kbps Voice Codecs: This is a known issue when the 5.1 RealEncoder is installed onto a machine that already has a 4.0 RealPlayer installed. The problem can be easily resolved by installing the new 5.0 RealPlayer onto the machine in question.
  5. Encoding When Using Fractal Codecs Takes A Long Time: Encoding clips with the RealVideo Fractal is a very CPU intensive process. To reduce encoding times select a template that you want to use and click on Advanced button. In the advanced settings dialog set the encoding speed slider to faster and then update the selected template. Encoding time should be reduced accordingly.
  6. Server Returns "Server Alert: Invalid Password" When Password Is Correct: Due to the security enhancements with the 5.x RealServer, the 5.x RealEncoder only streams live feeds to 5.x RealServers. Check the version of the server that you are streaming to and ensure that the server is version 5.x or greater.
  7. Performance Is Reduced Substantially When Video Card Is Not Set to RGB24: Encoder performance is reduced by up to 50 percent if your video card is not set to RGB24. Ensure that your capture card has to been set to RGB24.
  8. Not Enough Resources To Maintain Live Stream When Encoding With A External Port Camera: Be sure to use the External Port Camera option when capturing video from an external port camera such as a Connectix QuickCam.
  9. Premiere Crashes When Exiting While Still Encoding A File: This is a known issue with the Premiere Plug-In.
  10. When Using Command Line Tools DOS Prompt Does Not Allow Enough Characters to Support All Parameters: This is a known limitation with Windows. An easy solution is to place commands into batch file and excute Command Line Tools from there.
  11. Video Quality Affected When Encoding Live To Server On Machines Slower Than 166 MHz: Encoding live video with Optimized Frame Rate selected or with high Fixed Frame Rates on machines with processors slower than 166 MHz may affect encoding performance, including poor video quality, choppy video or video that appears to jump back and forth. The recommended processor speed for encoding live video is at least 166 MHz. To alleviate these symptoms, we recommend that you select a Fixed Frame Rate around 5.0 frames per second or less when encoding on machines slower than 166 MHz. If the problem still persists try lowering the fixed frame-rate setting further.

Known Problems - MacIntosh PowerPC

  1. To set a default folder for the Open Session dialog, open the General Controls control panel and set Documents to "Last folder used in the application".
  2. Application Timeout During Batch Encoding: to correct this situation include the following in your Applescript batch file: 
    with timeout 999999 seconds 
end timeout

  3. Unable to Encode the Video Portion of a Quicktime File: The current version of the Mac Encoder only supports video encoding of QuickTime files compressed with Cinepak, Apple's Video Compressors and Raw compression codecs. For Quicktime files compressed with any other codec format, only audio encoding is supported.
  4. Cannot Bring Up Template Summary Dialog During Multi-Template Encoding: During multi-template encoding you cannot bring up the Template Summary dialog for an individual template until the entire multi-template encoding process has completed.
  5. Batch Encoder Doesn't Allow Abort: The current version of the batch encoder will not abort until the completion of the file currently being encoded.
  6. In-Clip Marker Causes Sound Distortion When Using Adobe Premiere Plug-In: To prevent this, export the portion of the clip that is to be encoded and then re-encoded without the In-Clip Marker
  7. Uncompressed Quicktime movies created on SGI machines and exported to windows format cannot be encoded. Encoder will report that file format is not supported.

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