One of the dinosaurs of media playback, RealPlayer has been on the scene since 1995. Sometimes it feels like it hasn't been updated since then, no matter what the version number says. Still, RealPlayer 11 beta introduces a major new function and takes care of some frustrating bugs, making it respectable once again.
The player runs smoother than ever, which to some might not be saying much, but if you haven't used it in years, the differences are dramatic. Now the free version of the player has the ability to download videos from the Internet, including Flash-based videos like those on YouTube. Once installed, mousing over an embedded video will provide a pop-up that not only lets you download the vid, but also change its name, the save-to directory, and other options.
The update sees a major face-lift, as well, removing much of the clutter from the downloadable music store. Though not groundbreaking, the RealPlayer music store gets a thumbs up for being easy to use and offering a flexible DRM policy. The new jukebox features let you make playlists, rip CDs, burn custom mixes, and listen to hundreds of online radio stations. The program still suffers from an intrusive installation, but file-type hijacking and upgrade harassment are mostly gone.
The positive steps begun with Version 10 continue, and users of earlier versions should upgrade.
