The icons above represent all the tech components you will need to set yourself up as a DIY webcaster and FM broadcaster for as little cost as possible.

The guide currently concentrates on audio rather then video (although the process is fairly similar using the RealNetworks services), and on RealMedia rather than MP3 formats, or Quicktime or Shockwave or WindowsMedia

To use the guide, click on the icons to find a summary about each component. Find links to download the appropriate www.real.com software for free.

Quickie intro to 'streaming':

The difference between downloading Real Audio files as opposed to other audio formats such as .wav or .aiff is the concept of streaming. Real Audio converts files to a special format which "streams" sound i.e instead of waiting for a file to download completely before playback the real audio file plays AS it downloads. Effectively what happens is that as soon as you request a Real Audio file - usually by following a link - the first 2 or 3 seconds of the file is downloaded to your computer. This immediately starts to play and as it does, Real Audio continues to download the rest of the file. By the time the first few seconds of sound have been played, the next few seconds are ready, hence creating a continuous "stream". Another advantage is that Real Audio is highly compressed and therefore takes up less space on your web-server.