In response to RealNetworks Inc CEO Rob Glaser’s charges – see separate story – Microsoft Corp says its does not disable Real Player. In a statement it said that Glaser is creating controversy where none exists. The situation he describes is actually quite simple: if a user wants to view a video file in Windows, the default software is the Windows Media Player, assuming the Windows Media Player is capable of playing that content. Windows Media Player is designed to detect RealPlayer 5.0, which when installed remains the default player for RealNetworks content. It said Glaser today used G2 beta software publicly released just one week ago and after the release of the Windows Media Player. If a consumer wants to use RealPlayer instead of Windows Media Player they can launch RealPlayer and view streaming media content through RealPlayer. Again, Microsoft’s Windows Media Player does not disable or delete RealNetworks’ software which is already or subsequently installed on a user’s machine. So why hasn’t Microsoft licensed and already incorporated RealNetworks’ latest technology which is, by all parties’ admissions, used by millions of people, in Media Player? Moreover does this mean a user must manually open RealPlayer to view RealNetworks content? Something clearly did not work in Glaser’s demonstration. Microsoft did not respond by press time.
