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RM
Converters
When I started this software page, I advised listening to a broadcast
via RealMedia and capturing it with Audacity, then turning it into mp3.
However, I've started listening to longer programmes, and there is an
alternative you may wish to consider.
A download manager like Net
Transport 2 downloads a 45 minute
program in 15 minutes.
You can then peacefully convert the file to mp3, using (for instance)
Boilsoft's
RM to MP3 Converter to run it on
your mp3 player.
In addition, I use an MP3
splitter, to carve the file up into
ten minute chunks, because my attention flags.
The bad news is that none of the RM converters are free, (some arm-twisting
by RealMedia, no doubt.) It will cost you US25, UK15. But it works
well.
Here is a page that will give you some general information. The Juice software is here.
What you will be using is a combination of a download manager - which gets files faster than saving from a browser - a filing system, and a scheduler. As soon as you run the software each day, it will download the latest chosen programmes and delete time-expired ones. The disadvantage is that not all programmes are podded as yet.
A big, big advantage is that the files come down in mp3 format.
One notes with sad resignation that the French are trying to avoid using the English word Podcast - which is original and funny, by inventing abortions like baladodiffusion, proposed by l'Office québécois de la langue française. That sound you hear is Molière turning in his grave...
There are three popular types of sound file on the Internet. As far as French sound files are concerned, the one you will find most often, is also the most awkward to handle - RealMedia. As far as RadioFrance and other broadcasters are concerned, it has the advantage of being rather difficult to download illegally. However, you are entitled to make a recording of a broadcast on the Internet, just as you can make a tape recording off your radio - as long as it is only for your own use.
Playing the sounds
So you will need RealPlayer. If you find you can't play the sound files from any of the RadioFrance stations, download it here. There is a basic free version, which is all you need. (All the software described here is free.)
Now you can hear the broadcasts. If you use the Radio France Internationale or Arte Radio sites, you will find that you have Microsoft's .WMA format, or the common (and excellent) MP3 format. Window Media Player will play those, you don't need Realplayer. Another format is .WAV, which is also compatible with Windows Media Player.
However:-
1. You want to download the files to your computer (or MP3 player) to play and replay, and study to improve your comprehension.
2. You want to be able to go to a particular place in a long file, and, even more important, you need to replay the last few seconds to work on a few words you find difficult to make out.
Recording the sounds
The easiest way to handle the awkward RealMedia format is to play it on your computer (through RealPlayer), and record it at the same time. There is a sound recorder called Audacity, which is excellent and free. Download it here.
Do things in this order.
1. Start Audacity, and select Wave Out Mix as the source. (That means we' re not recording from a microphone, but from the sound produced by the RealPlayer software.)
2. Click on the programme you want. If it' s RealMedia then RealPlayer will start. Or Windows Media Player may decide to play it.
3. Click on the red record in Audacity, and off you go! As with a tape recorder you have to adjust the volume, but there is nothing else to do. At the end, stop the recording, and save (export the project) as a .WAV file, or an MP3 file if you have the mp3 decoder.
Screen shot here.
Playing the sounds cleverly
Neither RealPlayer nor Windows Media Player are good at repeating a few seconds of an audio file, which is very much what we need to do. I use Nullsoft Winamp, simply the best, and free, sound player around. Get it here. (The Lite version is all you need.)
The left arrow will replay the last five seconds
Playing Video from the Web
Windows Media Player and Real Player play the video files they recognise. There are lots more complexities to do with different versions. Always try to get the latest version of player software. The limitation is band-width - you need a fast connection even to bother with this.
Recording Video off the web.
Obviously Audacity will record only the soundtrack of a RealMedia file. You have to be able to get at the original file, and that is possible with Media Player files.
But is it worth it - if the objective is to learn French. I wouldn't bother, frankly.
Going further
You don't have to play RealMedia files in real time, recording them with Audacity, although I find it convenient to record while I'm listening for the first time to the article.
Net Transport 2 is a download manager. You tell it what you want to download, and it does the job for you, and faster than you can download from your browser. It is particularly good at dealing with RealMedia audio files. The links on the France Inter site don't point directly to the file you want - that is hidden to stop you downloading it. Net Transport 2 follows the path back to the file - and downloads it.
FlashMedia
This software is used by a lot of sites to make their pages more sexy. If you need it, it's here.
Hacker fun.
Normally I use Audacity to record off the sound card rather than downloading directly - simply because I like to listen as Audacity records. However, with long pieces that may not be convenient. Here is an example of how to download from the RTL site using Net Transport 2. We' ll use the programme Les grosses têtes as an example.
RTL uses RealPlayer or Windows Media Player embedded in a web page to play the sound. Choose Media Player and make sure Internet Explorer knows to play sounds within pages (Tools->Internet Options). Start Net Transport 2.
Start the programme off, once it' s playing right-click on the player page and choose View Source. Search in th epage for the .asx file, and use Net Transport to download it.
Now, use Notepad to open the .asx. (An .asx file is not a sound file. It is just a little text file that contains the - horrendously complicated - address of the real sound file.)
Copy and paste for Net Transport to download. (Note: you may find that you can dispense with some of the stages described here, depending on how Net trasport is configured.
The beauty of this is that the Grosses têtes programme, which lasts one and a half hours, will download in twenty minutes. It's a rather complicated procedure, but worth it for long programmes....
Splitting big files
You may well want to divide a one hour file into ten minute segments. There are plenty of free MP3 splitters around, but splitting .WMA files is more difficult. Movie Maker will do it - but slowly.Try for ASFTools. It's a general purpose utilities for Windows Media files.
Ogg Vorbis. As well as being open and free, .ogg files are about a third the size of MP3. Great for downloading. Tough that so few sites use it. Only the La-bas si j'y suis site has offered these so far. Fear not. Audacity will play them and convert them into MP3 for you.
I found the Subrip software here. It's freeware, unsupported, and while it's perfectly legal to extract the subtitles from your DVD's, the software and the site are part of the shady world of DVD hacking. So no more about that. The page gives you instructions.
Some subtitles extract easily and without error: others are very difficult.
However, the idea of having the text of a French film available, so you can concentrate on listening and understanding, appeals greatly. You may want to play with the idea.