Realplayer SP

Realplayer was one of the first popular programs for playing music on a computer, and despite its drop in popularity recently it continues to be updated.

The latest version comes in the form of Realplayer SP, with the main pull for existing users being the integration of media download tools that make it easy to grab clips from sites such as Youtube and convert them for playback on a portable player.

This is handled very nicely, with a Download This Clip link appearing on top of the window where the video is playing, to add the content to Realplayer’s library. It then offers a choice of conversions suitable for devices such as iPods, mobile phones and game consoles.

Clips can be converted to multiple formats and a custom setting is available, though this only allows video to be converted to Real Video, Windows Media and 3GP formats, which may not be versatile enough for some users.

These features, along with standard audio and video playback, media management, music CD burning and access to online content such as music videos are provided as standard in the free version of the software.

They are collected in a well-organised interface that for the most part makes it very easy to access and manipulate media files.

Upgrading to the paid-for Realplayer Plus adds support for playing the H.264 format, the ability to burn DVDs and a handful of advanced features such as high-quality CD ripping and burning and advanced audio and video editing controls.

Of course, if you don’t need these features there is no need to upgrade, and as a free program RealPlayer SP has a lot to offer.

Realplayer is often criticised for its abundance of unnecessary features, and to a certain extent this is still true: those after a more basic free player will find that the excess of online content, services and promotions make it unnecessarily cumbersome.

With its ease of use and handy new features it is certainly an improvement on previous versions, though.