In the war between online video players, Real Player has launched a new version of its player incorporating social functions as well as the ability to transfer files to mobile devices. Called Real Player SP, the software is now available for download.
“The “SP” stands for “social” and “portable” as this is the first (and best) version of RealPlayer that lets you easily take web videos with you on your portable device and share them with a friend”, the company wrote on its blog. A beta version was already available in the US on June 24.
Videos that have no DRM protection can be copied to any device inclduing Blackberry, Nokia S60, Palm Pre, iPhone, iPod, iTunes and MS Xbox and uploaded to sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Also, the new player makes it easy to download clips from YouTube and others sites and convert any video to the H.264 format and offers DVD playback and DVD burning. In the premium version, SP Plus also gives access to live news from Al Jazeera, BBC News, CNN and Euronews. RealPlayer SP plus has a one-time cost of EUR 29.99.
The new player will better position Real Player in the war between online video formats.
The beta version has already received rave reviews in the US press. It has been downloaded by over 4 million people and more than 22 million videos have been downloaded using the product, according to a press release.
