cant see any RA

[ChristinaS]

Re: cant see any RA

You either install Real Player or Real Alternative - not both.

ram is the meta file, yu don't canvert that.

When you are in WIndows Explorer in a folder where yu have som .ra files, what happens when you hoevr over one of those? Any pop-up window with information?

If you right-click -can you use dMC to convert thatfile?

[kirtley]

Re: cant see any RA

I finally realised that I hadn't installed the Direct Show codec. I was sure I had, because it came up with Direct Show in the file dialog filter. Anyway, it works now. But to be honest, I still think Magic is much better - easier to use and faster at the conversion - it also converts .ram files, by the way. So I bought a license for that too. Wish I'd never come across dBpowerAmp in the first place :-)

[ChristinaS]

Re: cant see any RA

As I said the .ram file is supposed to be a meta file - a text file only giving the address of the actual media file.

But occasionally people downloading an .ra or .rm file save it accidentally as .ram (Windows seems to use that extension by default and if you don't;' change it it will end up saved that way).

Real Player doesn't care too much what the extension is - it will play it regardless.

Perhaps that other program you mentioned is smart enough to go and check what the file is - if it's a meta file it will get the actual file and convert that if it can download it - otherwise it will pretend it's not a meta file. Or it's too dumb to check and by good fortune that .ram is really not a meta file so it can get converted just the same.

But basically there are 2 ways to convert: with Direct Show (if it applies) or in real time with the older codec (if it applies). The 2 methods are mutually exclusive and cannot be used interchangeably. If you have what's needed to use one of them then you cannot have the other one and vice versa.

Sometimes there is no way to actually convert a real media file except through audio capture (using dMC Auxiliary Input).