RealNetworks Releases Helix DNA Client to Helix Community
Reprinted from a RealNetworks press release:
RealNetworks, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNWK) , the global leader in Internet media delivery, today announced that Helix DNA Client source code is now available to developers in the Helix Community. The core engine powering the award-winning RealOne Player, the Helix DNA Client, is now available for software developers, consumer electronics companies and mobile phone manufacturers to use in building their own digital media applications and products. For the first time ever, developers can easily access the code of a commercial grade media player, integrate support for the industry-leading audio and video formats, RealAudio and RealVideo, as well as other formats, and create a robust media player for their own specific needs. Key companies already supporting Helix DNA Client and RealAudio and RealVideo development include Acer, Hitachi, STMicroelectronics and Nokia. (see related release)
Over 2,000 developers and companies have joined the newly created Helix Community since July to create digital media products and applications on a standardized platform. With server, player and encoder code, the Helix Platform will enable companies to create applications that interoperate and support a wide variety of media types. The Helix DNA Client being added to the community today includes Linux, Windows and Mac OS X-based clients that developers can use to support a wide variety of medial formats including RealAudio, RealVideo, MPEG-4, MP3, H.263 and 3GPP formats for PCs, mobile and consumer electronic devices. Available for both open source and community development projects, licensing terms for commercial use are more affordable than the announced MPEG-4 licensing. Server and encoder code will be added to the Community later this year.
“Today’s release of the Helix DNA Client is a watershed event for the digital media industry,” said Rob Glaser, founder and CEO, RealNetworks. “Three months ago, we announced the Helix platform in order to ignite the next wave of digital media delivery. Today’s release of the Helix DNA Client fulfills that promise. It will enable thousands of developers to standardize on a single open media player architecture and bring that architecture to millions of digital consumer appliances from dozens of different manufacturers around the world. We encourage all developers to freely register on the Helix Community website, download the source code and actively participate in driving the mass medium of Internet broadcasting to the next level.”
“The release of the Helix DNA Client source code allows Palm OS developers to create new and innovative digital media products that will allow people to receive and view video and other multimedia on Palm Powered devices,” said Steve Sakoman, chief products officer for PalmSource, Inc., provider of the Palm OS. “The Palm OS combined with the Helix DNA Client will enable superior multimedia functionality to enhance the great user experiences Palm OS devices are known for.”
“RealNetworks’ commitment to move towards the open source development model, as exemplified by the Helix DNA client, shows greater support for a larger audience of developers,” said Paul Cormier, executive vice president of Engineering at Red Hat, Inc. “Having new rich media technologies available is clearly a win for the Linux community.”
Helix DNA Client Source Code
The Helix DNA Client code in the Helix Community includes media players designed for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux operating systems. Twelve Community-based projects currently underway using the Helix DNA Client code include ports to the Palm and Symbian operating systems as well as creation of browser plug-ins for Mozilla and Opera. For a full listing of code elements and projects, please visit www.helixcommunity.org. Some specific elements included in the source code include:
Helix DNA Client Licensing
The Helix DNA Client is licensed through the Helix Community under two license options: the RealNetworks Public Source License (RPSL) or the RealNetworks Community Source License (RCSL). Both licenses are available at Helix Community — www.helixcommunity.org. In addition, as a part of the Helix DNA Client and RealAudio/RealVideo licenses, RealNetworks, for the first time ever, is licensing a broad array of RealNetworks-owned patents, including several patents that are fundamental to general streaming media and best-of-class implementations of highly desirable features and functionality.
The RPSL is structured to provide developers maximum flexibility in their use of the source code if their products are also open source. RPSL licensees also receive royalty-free licenses to certain key RealNetworks patents. The RPSL has been submitted to the Open Source Initiative (OSI) for an open source certification.
The RCSL is structured to ensure that all products built under the RCSL remain compatible with the Helix interfaces, while enabling licensees to retain control over the intellectual property in the products they build using the code. Licensing of the Helix DNA Client under the RCSL is free for research and development.
Companies or individuals who want to distribute the Helix DNA Client without RealAudio/RealVideo can enjoy free licensing for the first million units annually and $0.10/unit beyond that. For those who want to distribute RealAudio and RealVideo playback, a license is available for $0.25/unit for products on Wintel-based platforms, and $0.25/unit with a $1M annual maximum payment for non-Wintel-based platforms. Separate license and pricing is required for broadband video-based devices. See www.helixcommunity.org for license and pricing details.
On July 22, 2002, the Helix Community was launched with the support of over twenty-nine companies and organizations including HP, Intel, Nokia, Oracle, PalmSource, Sony, and Sun Microsystems. RealNetworks and the Helix Community offer a more affordable and simple solution than other alternatives such as MPEG-4, which requires payments for video decode rights, usage-based storage fees and broadcast fees.
Support for the Helix Community
BlueFalcon
“The Helix initiative directly supports Blue Falcon’s mission to help large media and entertainment companies deliver digital media in the most efficient, cost-effective way possible,” said Paul Treece, chief technical officer, Blue Falcon Networks. “It provides our customers and our developers with a more profitable, accessible and streamlined approach for delivering large-scale digital media.”
BSQUARE
“As a leading provider of smart device products and services for the embedded devices market, BSQUARE is pleased to support the Helix initiative,” said Scott Bufkin, vice president of Professional Engineering Services, BSQUARE Corporation. “This cross-platform, standards-based media engine gives OEM device manufacturers the ability to deliver the type of content that consumers want, and BSQUARE looks forward to providing development solutions containing Helix DNA to device manufacturers.”
Symbian
“As a strong supporter of open standards, Symbian has licensed Symbian OS to the world’s leading handset manufacturers, including Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, Samsung, Siemens and Sony Ericsson,” said Bill Pinnell, multimedia product manager, Symbian. “Helix DNA represents an open multimedia standard that, when combined with Symbian OS, will foster the development of multimedia-rich applications for Symbian OS phones.”
TiVo
“TiVo supports RealNetworks work in developing the Helix Community and its efforts in the advancement of standards based media applications,” said Howard Look, vice president TiVo Developer Studios. “By remaining committed to an application development framework such as this, companies working in the community can ensure that the end result will be for the consumers ability to enjoy the content and services they want.”
Wind River
“Wind River, a leading provider of embedded software and design services for creating digital consumer electronics, is pleased to support Helix and the availability of standards based media engine source code,” said Sayeed Choudhury, director of market development for the Digital Consumer Group, Wind River Systems (NASDAQ: WIND) . “As developers will have full access to the source code, device manufacturers using our software platforms based on the VxWorks embedded operating system will be able to easily add complete media playback functionality in products such as digital set-top boxes, integrated DTVs, and digital home AV receivers.”
Further, Japan-based ACCESS, which has browser products licensed in over 72 million devices, is working with both the Helix Community as a developer and a support partner.
About Helix
Helix is a platform and a community for the standardization and expansion of digital media. The Helix DNA platform consists of source code developed by RealNetworks over the past eight years for the creation, delivery and playback of digital media, as well as a set of interfaces for building media-enabled applications. Helix Community members use this source code to build media-capable products with industry-leading technology, intellectual property and commonly used interfaces. The Helix Community offers source code of the Helix platform under commercial community and open source licenses available at www.helixcommunity.org. The Helix Community software infrastructure is powered by the CollabNet SourceCast environment. RealNetworks has also released a family of products built on top of the Helix Platform, including the Helix Universal Server available at www.realnetworks.com/products.
About RealNetworks
RealNetworks, Inc. is the global leader in Internet media delivery. It develops and markets software products and services designed to enable users of personal computers and consumer electronic devices to send and receive audio, video and other multimedia services using the Web. Consumers can access and experience audio/video programming and download RealNetworks’ consumer software on the Internet at www.real.com. RealNetworks’ systems and corporate information is located on the Internet at www.realnetworks.com.
NOTE: RealNetworks, Helix, RealOne, RealAudio and RealVideo are trademarks or registered trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.