Helix (project)

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This article is about the free software/open-source media project. See helix (disambiguation) for other meanings.

Helix is a project to produce software that can play audio and video media in various formats, aid in producing such media, and serve them over a network. It is intended as a largely free software/open source digital media framework that runs on numerous operating systems and processors (including mobile phones) and was started by RealNetworks which has contributed much of the code.

Helix DNA Client is the multi-platform multi-format media playback engine. Helix Player is a media player that runs on Linux, Solaris and Symbian and is built on top of Helix DNA Client. Helix Producer is an application that can aid in the production of media files, and Helix DNA Server can stream media files over a network.

1 Licenses
2 Helix DNA Client
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Licenses

The code is released in binary and source code form under various licenses, notably the proprietary RealNetworks Community Source License and the free software/open source RealNetworks Public Source License. Additionally, the Helix DNA Client and the Helix Player are licensed under the popular GNU General Public License (GPL) free software/open source license.

Use of the RDT, the default proprietary Real data transport, and of the RealVideo and RealAudio codecs requires binary components distributed under the Helix DNA Technology Binary Research Use License.

[edit] Helix DNA Client

Helix DNA Client powers many digital media applications, including RealPlayer for Windows, MacOS and Linux (since version 10), RealPlayer Mobile, and Helix Player. It is used on Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson mobile phones. It is also being used in embedded devices like the Maemo environment from Nokia, which is found on the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. Cingular Video is also based on the framework. Other projects that use the Helix framework include RealNetwork's Rhapsody online music service, the Banshee and Amarok music players, and MediaReady 4000.

Another project that is taking advantage of the Helix DNA Client is the One Laptop Per Child project. A group of developers from the Open Source Lab are currently working on a media player API for the project, and will continue on using other Helix technologies to create applications for content creation and content collaboration.

Helix DNA client contains support for the following media formats: