Chapter 3: Creating RealMedia

This chapter describes how to use RealEncoder to convert standard media into streaming RealMedia files. You will learn how to create RealMedia files from a variety of input sources.

RealEncoder includes a number of simple wizards to guide you step-by-step through the recording process. These recording wizards are specifically designed to:

• convert existing audio and video files into RealMedia files
• record RealMedia files from media capture devices
• broadcast live RealMedia content using a RealServer

If you are more familiar with the recording process, you can bypass the wizards and set up the recording process manually. This option is discussed later in this chapter.

Before you begin to create RealMedia content, let's briefly tour the different components of the main RealEncoder window.

The RealEncoder Main Window

The RealEncoder main window is where you create, start, view, and stop a recording session.

The Main Window

The upper section of the window is where you monitor the recording process. During a recording session, viewers show you the input video and the recorded output. Meanwhile, an audio level indicator gives you a visual representation of the audio track of your recording.

The lower section of the window lists all necessary information about the final RealMedia file. You enter this information prior to recording.

On the bottom are the recording controls. These controls allow you start, pause, and stop the current recording session.

Recording from Media Files

This section describes how to record a RealMedia file from different types of existing media files.

Only the following audio and video formats can be converted into RealMedia clips using the RealEncoder:

• Audio (.au)
• Waveform (.wav)
• Video for Windows (.avi)
• Uncompressed QuickTime® for Windows (.mov)

  You cannot use compressed QuickTime files.

To create a RealMedia file from an existing file using the recording wizard:

1. Select New Session from the File menu. (If the wizards are disabled you can select File>Recording Wizards>Record From File.)

   The New Session - Choose Recording Wizard dialog opens.

   

2. Select Record from File and click OK.

   The recording wizard opens to the Introduction page.

   

3. Click Next.

   The Source File page opens.

   

4. Use the Browse button to locate the audio or video file that you will use as the source for your recording.
5. Click Next.

   The Media Clip Information page opens.

   

6. Enter the Title, Author, and Copyright information in the provided spaces.

   This information will appear in the viewer's RealPlayer when your clip is played. This step is optional.

7. Click Next.

   The File Type page opens.

   

8. Select the type of RealMedia file you want to create: Stream Smart or Single Rate. For more information on Stream Smart files, see "Using Stream Smart".
9. Click Next.

   The Target Audience page opens.

   

10. Select the connection speed for your audience. You may make more than one selection if you are creating a Stream Smart file.
11. Click Next.

    The Audio Format page opens if your source file contains audio. If not, skip the next step.

    

12. Select the type of audio that your file consists of (if applicable), and click Next.

    The Video Quality page opens if your source file contains video. If not, skip the next step.

    

13. Select the video quality for your output file (if applicable), and click Next.

    The Output File page opens.

    

14. Enter the name and directory of your final output file.

    Your file must have a .rm extension (myfile.rm).

15. Click Next.

    The Prepare to Record Page opens.

    

16. Review all information regarding your file. If it is correct, click Finish.

    You are returned to the RealEncoder main window.

17. Click Start to begin recording.
18. Click Stop to quit recording before the source file ends.

    A dialog box opens asking you to confirm ending the recording, but the session continues to record.

    

19. Click Yes to close the dialog box and stop the recording.

    	Tip
    	You can press the Shift key and click Stop together to stop recording instantly and bypass the confirmation dialog box.

    The Recording Complete dialog box opens. This dialog shows you final statistics about your RealMedia file.

    

20. Click OK to return to the main window.
21. Click the Play button to open your RealPlayer and play the RealMedia file.

Recording from Media Devices

With RealEncoder, you can create RealMedia files from many types of media devices: live microphone input, live video camera input, audio tape, video tape, Digital Video Disks (DVD), or satellite feeds.

Before you begin, make sure that your media device is properly connected and is working correctly.

To create a RealMedia file from a media device using the recording wizard:

1. Select New Session from the File menu. (If the wizards are disabled you can select File>Recording Wizards>Record From Media Device.)

   The New Session - Choose Recording Wizard dialog opens.

2. Select Record from Media Device and click OK.

   The recording wizard opens to the Introduction page.

   

3. Click Next.

   The Prepare Media Device page opens.

   

4. Select the Input Source(s): audio or video.
5. If you select a video source, specify whether you are using a video capture card or a video camera connected directly to your computer's external port.
6. Click Next.

   The Media Clip Information page opens.

7. Enter the Title, Author, and Copyright information in the provided spaces.

   This information will appear in the viewer's RealPlayer when your clip is played. This step is optional.

8. Click Next.

   The File Type page opens.

9. Select the type of RealMedia file you want to create: Stream Smart or Single Rate. For more information on Stream Smart files, see "Using Stream Smart".
10. Click Next.

    The Target Audience page opens.

11. Select the connection speed for your audience. You may make more than one selection if you are creating a Stream Smart file.
12. Click Next.

    The Audio Format page opens if you selected an audio device. If not, skip the next step.

13. Select the type of audio that your content consists of (if applicable).
14. Click Next.

    The Video Quality page opens if you selected a video device. If not, skip the next step.

15. Select the video quality for your output file (if applicable), and click Next.

    The Output File page opens.

16. Enter the name and directory of your final output file.

    Your file must have a .rm extension (myfile.rm).

17. Click Next.

    The Prepare to Record Page opens.

18. Review all information regarding your file. If it is correct, click Finish.

    You are returned to the main RealEncoder window.

19. Click Start to begin recording.
20. Monitor your audio and/or video input, and click Stop to quit recording before the input source ends.

    A dialog box opens asking you to confirm ending the recording, but the session continues to record.

21. Click Yes to close the dialog box and stop the recording.

    	Tip
    	You can press the Shift key and click Stop together to stop recording instantly and bypass the confirmation dialog box.

    The Recording Complete dialog box opens. This dialog shows you final statistics about your RealMedia file.

22. Click OK to return to the main window.
23. Click the Play button to open your RealPlayer and play the RealMedia file.

Broadcasting Live Content

In addition to creating RealMedia files from your media sources, you can use RealEncoder to broadcast your live content directly over the Internet or a corporate LAN. You must have access to a RealServer in order to use this feature.

To broadcast live content using the recording wizard:

1. Select New Session from the File menu. (If the wizards are disabled you can select File>Recording Wizards>Live Broadcast.)

   The New Session - Choose Recording Wizard dialog opens.

2. Select Live Broadcast and click OK.

   The recording wizard opens to the Introduction page.

   

3. Click Next.

   The Prepare Media Device page opens.

4. Select the Input Source(s): audio or video.
5. If you select a video source, specify whether you are using a video capture card or a video camera connected directly to your computer's external port.
6. Click Next.

   The Media Clip Information page opens.

7. Enter the Title, Author, and Copyright information in the provided spaces.

   This information will appear in the viewer's RealPlayer when your clip is played. This step is optional.

8. Click Next.

   The File Type page opens.

9. Select the type of RealMedia you want to create: Stream Smart or Single Rate. For more information on Stream Smart files, see "Using Stream Smart".
10. Click Next.

    The Target Audience page opens.

11. Select the connection speed for your audience. You may make more than one selection if you are using Stream Smart.
12. Click Next.

    The Audio Format page opens if you selected an audio device. If not, skip the next step.

13. Select the type of audio that your content consists of (if applicable).
14. Click Next.

    The Video Quality page opens if you selected a video device. If not, skip the next step.

15. Select the video quality for your output file (if applicable), and click Next.

    The RealServer Information page opens.

    

16. Enter the name, port, and password of the RealServer that you will use for your broadcast. Plus, you must enter a filename that users will use to access the broadcast.

    You may also specify a filename and location for an archive of your broadcast. Select Archive Broadcast to File and enter a file name, or click the Save As button to browse for the archive file. The file must have a .rm extension (myfile.rm).

17. Click Next.

    The Prepare to Record Page opens.

18. Review all information regarding the broadcast. If it is correct, click Finish.

    You are returned to the main RealEncoder window.

19. Click Start to begin broadcasting.
20. Monitor your audio and/or video input, and click Stop to finish the broadcast.

    A dialog box opens asking you to confirm ending the broadcast, but the session continues to record.

21. Click Yes to close the dialog box and stop the recording.

    	Tip
    	You can press the Shift key and click Stop together to stop recording instantly and bypass the confirmation dialog box.

    The Recording Complete dialog opens. This dialog recaps all information regarding your broadcast.

22. Click OK to return to the main window.

Recording Without Wizards

Although using RealEncoder's recording wizards allow you to easily create RealMedia content, after time you might be able to do without them. RealEncoder allows you to disable the RealMedia recording wizards and create a new recording session without using a wizard.

This section describe how to disable the wizards and shows you how to use the New Session dialog to create RealMedia files.

To disable the recording wizards

1. Choose New Session from the File menu.

   The New Session - Choose Recording Wizard dialog opens.

2. Select the Don't use Wizards on Start option.
3. Click OK.

   The New Session dialog opens. You can still run the recording wizards by choosing File>Recording Wizards from the main RealEncoder window.

Using the New Session Dialog

The New Session dialog allows you to create a new recording session without using the recording wizards. You can still create RealMedia content in three different ways:

• from a media file to a RealMedia file
• from a media device to a RealMedia file
• from a media device to a live RealMedia broadcast

  

There are two main sections of this dialog: the Input Source area and the Output area. You specify the type of source you will record in the Input Source area. You specify the type of RealMedia recording (file or live broadcast) in the Output area.

The following procedures show you how to use the New Session dialog and create RealMedia content.

To create a RealMedia file from an existing file using the New Session dialog:

1. Click New Session from the File menu.

   The New Session dialog opens:

2. In the Input Source section, select File.
3. Enter the directory and filename for the source file, or click the Browse button to locate the file.
4. In the Output section, select RealMedia File.
5. Enter the directory and filename for the recorded file, or click the Save As button to choose a directory and filename.
6. Click Save.
7. Click OK.

   The New Session dialog closes, returning to the RealEncoder main window.

8. Enter the Title, Author, and Copyright information for your output file. These fields are optional.
9. Select the File Type, either Single Rate or Stream Smart. For more information, see "Using Stream Smart".
10. In the Target Audience section, select the connection speed for your audience.

    You may select more than one target audience if you are recording a Stream Smart file.

11. In the Audio Format section, select the type of audio contained in your source file (if your source file contains audio).
12. In the Video Quality section, select the type of video contained in your source file (if your source file contains video).
13. Click Start to begin the recording process.
14. Click Stop to end the recording.

To create a RealMedia file from a media device using the New Session dialog:

1. Click New Session from the File menu.

   The New Session dialog opens:

2. In the Input Source section, select Media Device.
3. Select the media devices that you will record from: audio and/or video.
4. If you select a video source, specify whether you are using a video capture card or a video camera connected directly to your computer's external port.
5. In the Output section, select RealMedia File.
6. Enter the directory and filename for the recorded file, or click the Save As button to choose a directory and filename.
7. Click Save.
8. Click OK.

   The New Session dialog closes, returning to the RealEncoder main window.

9. Enter the Title, Author, and Copyright information for your output file. This step is optional.
10. Select the File Type, either Single Rate or Stream Smart. For more information, see "Using Stream Smart".
11. In the Target Audience section, select the connection speed for your audience.

    You may select more than one target audience if you are recording a Stream Smart file.

12. In the Audio Format section, select the type of audio included in your source (if your source contains audio).
13. In the Video Quality section, select the type of video included in your source (if your source contains video).
14. Click Start to begin the recording process.
15. Click Stop to end recording.

To broadcast live RealMedia content using the New Session dialog:

1. Click New Session from the File menu.

   The New Session dialog opens.

2. In the Input Source section, select Media Device.
3. Select the media device(s) that you will broadcast from: audio and/or video.
4. If you select a video source, specify whether you are using a video capture card or a video camera connected directly to your computer's external port.
5. In the Output section, select Live Broadcast.
6. Enter the name, port, and password of the RealServer that you will use for your broadcast. Plus, you must enter a filename that users will use to access the broadcast.

   You may also specify a filename and location for an archive of your broadcast. Select Archive Broadcast to File, then enter a filename.

7. Click OK.

   The New Session dialog closes, returning to the RealEncoder main window.

8. Enter the Title, Author, and Copyright information. This step is optional.
9. Select the File Type, either Single Rate or Stream Smart. For more information, see "Using Stream Smart".
10. In the Target Audience section, select the connection speed for your audience.

    You may select more than one target audience if you are broadcasting with Stream Smart.

11. In the Audio Format section, select the type of audio included in your source (if your source contains audio).
12. In the Video Quality section, select the type of video included in your source (if your source contains video).
13. Click Start to begin the broadcast.
14. Click Stop to end the broadcast.