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Like most of the wonders of cyberspace, access to the new programming is limited to those computer users who have a direct connection to the Internet and have the software necessary to reach the multimedia offerings on the World Wide Web. (For now, subscribers to Prodigy, CompuServe and America Online need not bother to tune in.) But RealAudio's software can be downloaded for free from Progressive Networks' computer. And although it runs only on Windows-based machines, a Macintosh version is expected next month.
Still, demand for the player has been brisk. On the first day it was available, more than 100,000 people logged onto Progressive Networks' computer. To capitalize on the interest, and to help generate Internet radio shows, the company announced last week that it would also give away the "encoder." This is the software that enables programmers to create computer-readable audio files. Making the encoder widely available will allow anyone with an Internet connection to begin broadcasting to an international audience. Says Glaser: "We want to jump start a self-publishing movement."
Perhaps Nickell and Everson should publish an audio-only version of their TV show; downloading the entire half-hour video, even with a high-speed modem, takes nearly 24 hours. That's why they break their program into smaller segments that can be retrieved one at a time. For instance, Let's Go Giggin, a five-minute comedy bit broadcast last week that features a nose-ringed clown hunting frogs with a stick, takes half an hour to come to life on a computer screen. Still a long wait, but where else can you find entertainment like that?