The de facto standard for streaming audio/video data over the World Wide Web. It enables Internet users equipped with conventional multimedia personal computers to browse, select, and play back audio or audio-based multimedia content on demand, in real time.

RealAudio was developed by RealNetworks and supports FM-stereo-quality sound. To hear a Web page that includes a RealAudio sound file, you need a RealAudio player or plug-in, a program that is freely available from a number of places. It's included in current versions of both Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

This is a real breakthrough compared to typical download times encountered with delivery of audio over conventional online methods, in which audio is downloaded at a rate that is five times longer than the actual program; the listener must wait 25 minutes before listening to just five minutes of audio.

A 14.4 KBps or better modem is required, and a 28.8 KBps connection is recommended for music-quality sound.