Real Networks today revealed RealPlayer 11, the next major version of its media player software. The jukebox is the first to focus attention on capturing web-based video instead of simply offering tools to play it back. A unique extension to the player's web plugin can automatically detect videos that are recordable from the web and saves multiple clips at one time; this works for both live video events as well as prerecorded shows, Real says. The software is intelligent enough to also recognize copy protection on certain streams and will refuse downloads when DRM appears. Any video can be linked to a friend through a sharing feature to save the trouble of recreating the link.

Equally new in version 11 is Video CD recording. Any saved video recognized by RealPlayer can be burned as a standard VCD, which works both in a large number of DVD players as well as some playback tools on computers without any version of RealPlayer installed. The paid Plus version will also burn directly to DVD.

Overall performance has been given a boost, Real claims, in terms of load times as well as an improved visual interface and a less intrusive install routine. Support for multiple player-specific formats such as QuickTime and Windows Media will carry over from earlier versions.

A public beta of RealPlayer 11 will be available for free beginning in June, the company says, but at first will require Windows as well as either Firefox or Internet Explorer for viewing and saving web-based streams. A Mac version is promised but will be posted later in the year.

RealNetworks推出了新的RealPlayer 11測試版本。支持播放在各種在線媒體視頻，包括Flash, FLV格式或者MOV格式等等，并且在播放過程中能夠錄制視頻。同時還加入了在線視頻的一鍵下載功能到瀏覽器中，支持IE和Firefox，這樣便能夠下載YouTube, MSN，Google Video等等在線視頻到本地硬盤來離線觀看。而且還加入了DVD/VCD視頻刻錄的功能。另外官方聲明中便指出RealPlayer 11將對Windows vista支持不佳，會影響Aero效果等等。

新版本的RealPlayer 11結合了在線視頻的錄制和下載功能！