Helix DNA 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 and 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.[1][2] The Helix Community is an open collaborative effort to develop and extend the Helix DNA platform.[3]
Helix DNA Client is the multi-platform multi-format media playback engine. Helix Player is a media player that runs on Linux, Solaris, Symbian and FreeBSD and is built on top of Helix DNA Client. Helix DNA Producer is an application that can aid in the production of media files, and Helix DNA Server can stream media files over a network.
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The code is released in binary and source code form under various licenses, notably the proprietary RealNetworks Community Source License and the free and open source software RealNetworks Public Source License. Additionally, the Helix DNA Client and the Helix Player are licensed under the popular GNU General Public License (GPL) free and 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.
| Original author(s) | RealNetworks |
|---|---|
| Type | Media playback engine |
| License | GNU General Public License |
| Website | https://helix-client.helixcommunity.org/ |
Helix DNA Client powers many digital media applications, including RealPlayer for MS Windows, Mac OS and Linux (since version 10), RealPlayer Mobile, and Helix Player. It is used on Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson mobile phones. According to https://helixcommunity.org, 350 million mobile phones with the Helix client have been shipped since 2004. It is also being used in embedded devices like the Internet Tablet OS from Nokia, which is found on the Nokia 770, N800 and N810 Internet Tablets. 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. Helix DNA also manifests itself as the RealPlayer on Mobile Internet Devices (MID) and on Netbooks.
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.[4][5]
Helix DNA client contains support for the following media formats:[6]
| Original author(s) | RealNetworks |
|---|---|
| Initial release | January 22, 2003 |
| Type | Media streaming |
| License | RealNetworks Public Source License, RealNetworks Community Source License |
| Website | https://helix-server.helixcommunity.org/ |
The Helix DNA Server, first released on 22 January 2003,[7] supports streaming of following formats:
It supports streaming to any device or application that supports the HTTP, RTSP/RTP, TCP, UDP unicast and UDP multicast streaming protocols.[8]
There is also a commercial version called Helix Server, which has more features and supports more media formats.[9]
| Original author(s) | RealNetworks |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 11.0 |
| Operating system | Linux, Solaris, Symbian, FreeBSD |
| Type | Media player |
| License | GNU General Public License |
| Website | https://player.helixcommunity.org/ |
It is based on the Helix DNA Client. It is available for Linux, Solaris, Symbian and FreeBSD. Users of Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X can use RealPlayer, which has similar capabilities.[10][11]
| Original author(s) | RealNetworks |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 11 |
| Operating system | MS Windows, Linux, Mac OS X |
| Type | Media encoder |
| License | RealNetworks Community Source License RealNetworks Public Source License |
| Website | https://helix-producer.helixcommunity.org/ |
It is a media encoding engine for creating streaming broadcasts, on-demand streaming content, and downloadable audio video files. The Helix DNA Producer runs on MS Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.[12]
The Helix DNA Producer contains output support for the following data types:[12][13]
Developers who want MP3 encoding can license the code from RealNetworks for a fee.[12] There is also an add-on package for Helix DNA Producer SDK with AAC or aacPlus encoding support.[14]
Helix DNA Producer is also available in a commercial, closed-source version - RealProducer Plus for MS Windows and Linux.[15][16]