Computers are good for some things, like word processing and accounting. Until fairly recently, that may have been true. But in the last few (very few) years a new use for computers has started to be seen and heard with the advent of the World Wide Web: live streaming media. What this means is audio and video, downloaded in realtime over the modem connection. Oh, but that costs too much money, right? Well if you have a sound card and Windows 3.1 or later, bless you. It doesn't have to cost you a cent.
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The pioneer and still the leader in the field of streaming media software, RealNetworks, has been offering its basic RealPlayer 5.0 and earlier creations for no charge, available for download. What you may find, though, is a little extra enhancement to your existing Windows setup is necessary. Specifically a free utility available from a number of sources called Video for Windows is required to get the video working in Windows 3.1. Who said there would be no work involved?
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Once up and running, the ability to run news clips with audio from an ever-increasing number of online channels is impressive. The one thing lacking is bandwidth, which means that the program you are watching or listening to may not be unbroken, like in the early days of radio. But on a computer? Even if this sounds more like fiction than fact, it may not be long before the internet takes over for the TV set. But you needn't let that worry you. After all, they said TV would never catch on.
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