RealAudio is a good choice for longer audio clips because it lets you listen to them in "real-time" from your Web browser--often referred to as "streaming." The disadvantage is its sound quality, which--although much improved over first-generation RealAudio--is inferior to "CD-quality." The technology is scalable, so files that are encoded at low-resolution can be used for voice playback and slower modems, and higher resolutions can be used for music over T1, ISDN and DSL connections.
RealAudio
RealAudio uses an adaptive compression technology that creates extremely compact files compared to most other audio formats. The resulting bit rate can be optimized for delivery for various connection speeds. The most reliable RealAudio playback is accomplished via a separate RealNetworks server. However regular HTTP servers can stream RealAudio files as well. RealAudio offers several versions of its plug-in which, in conjunction with the most popular Web browsers, enable "in page" audio controls.

If you have the RealAudio Plug-in you can use the control panel that appears below to play a 30-second mono music example using the "Real Audio" format.

<a href="http://www.site4sound.com/real/medley.ram"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">Otherwise click here</font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"> to play using the standalone Player.</font>