Play Back Media Your Way

There's a battle going on for your desktop--and this time, it's all about the multimedia explosion that's taking the world by storm. With the release of Windows Media Player 7, Real Entertainment Center, is poised to take on current market leader RealNetworks, which has just launched Real Entertainment Center, a suite of applications that includes the latest versions of RealPlayer and RealJukebox. Beta versions of both players are available to the public as free downloads; both companies expect final versions, also free, to be available sometime this summer.

Microsoft's trump card in this impending battle is that Windows Media Player 7 will be incorporated into the forthcoming upgrade to Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Millennium Edition (also known as Windows ME). So if you upgrade to Windows ME or buy a new PC with the operating system preinstalled, will you really need another media player? Based on what we saw of the beta versions, the answer is maybe--depending on your media playback and recording needs.

Our evaluation revealed subtle dissimilarities that make each product better suited for different audiences. Microsoft's player will suffice for baseline audio and video playback, while RealNetworks' suite will appeal to those looking for greater functionality and greater control over their digital music. Also note that Windows Media Player 7 can't play RealMedia files (although RealPlayer can play most Windows Media audio and video formats, including .wav, AVI, and MPEG, and RealJukebox can play Windows Media Audio).

We installed and ran each beta on a Dell PIII-700 system. We encountered a few minor glitches (features that didn't quite work, the occasional freeze) with both betas. However, both products will have feature-set and interface tweaks before going final.

Two Peas of a Similar Pod

With this release of Windows Media Player, Microsoft integrates a music and video jukebox under one roof. Meanwhile, Real takes a more component-based approach by packaging its newest stand-alone audio and video player together with RealJukebox (for music management) and RealDownload 4 (a useful file download utility). Therein lies one of the key differences between the two: Microsoft's Windows Media Player 7 offers a single, unified interface for audio and video, while RealNetworks' suite requires that you use multiple application windows to accomplish similar tasks.

There are obvious similarities, as well: Both offer fully functional media players and music jukeboxes replete with the usual accoutrements--shuffle, repeat, playlists, and easy-to-use basic controls, to name a few. And each features 3D sound capabilities (Microsoft integrates SRS Labs' WOW 3D effects, while RealNetworks uses IQfx, which you must download and install as a plug-in).

Both RealJukebox and Windows Media Player 7 organize your collection of music using a Windows Explorer-style hierarchy, and each supplements CD information with artist/album information from All Music Guide. Both make editing track information simple: Just type straight into the jukebox screen, without going into a separate track tag screen (as MusicMatch JukeBox requires you to do). Windows Media Player 7 has the added advantage of incorporating video files into the Media Library and jukebox playlist, and it does so with aplomb; transitions between MP3, MPEG, and AVI media were seamless.