Every time you click on a link to play an audio or video clip, your computer uses a specific program to play the clip with. Every clip you play has a certain format, which tells the computer which program to use. For example, 'Real Player' is a type of clip player, and the format that it plays the clips in is called '.ram' or '.rm'. So if you play a clip called 'video.ram', your computer would play the clip in Real Player.

Types of Clip Player

The two main types of clip player that most websites use are 'Real Player', and 'Windows Media Player'. Media Player is the most common and you may find that you already have the player installed on your computer and that you don't need to download it. This program plays clips in the '.wmv' or '.wav' formats. The other player is 'Real Player', which is a free 'add-on' player, which most people need to download. To avoid copying, some websites only publish their clips in Real Player. For example, the BBC website mainly has only Real Player clips to play. Most of our clips can be viewed through the Windows Media Player, some need RealPlayer to play and image panoramas on our website require Quicktime Player, which is a slightly less common player used for online clips, but very widely used in panoramas and online tours.

Downloading Players

Click Here to download Real Player - simply follow the downloading instructions

Click Here to download Windows Media Player - simply follow the downloading instructions

Click Here to download Quicktime Player - simply follow the downloading instructions