RealNetworks’ Helix DRM platform is meant to solve the challenge faced by content providers and device manufacturers of having to support an assortment of platforms. 

The release of the DRM is part of the company&singlequot;s new Helix strategy, announced in 2002. Helix is both a platform and a community for the standardization and expansion of digital media. Through Helix, Real offers source code for media creation, delivery and playback, which it calls Helix DNA, so that community members can build media-capable products, intellectual property and user interfaces. The new DRM offers content providers and device manufactures the ability to secure and set rules for media playback without having to support a different DRM and media player for each format.

"We feel like we&singlequot;ve broken through a log jam, offering a single format for a pipeline of content," said Dan Sheeran, RealNetworks&singlequot; vice president of Media Systems. 

Real is offering consumer device manufacturers two models through which they can employ the DRM, either with native support or with what it calls "transfer to secure memory."

Native support can be attained by integrating the Helix DRM Client and Helix DNA Client on a device, allowing the device to secure media directly from a Helix DRM license server, such as one operated by a movie or music service. Through the secure memory approach, the manufacturer can add support for the secure memory format on the device, enabling the transfer of secure content to the device from a PC or device that has native support. Additionally, manufacturers can develop their own versions of the Helix DRM Client through the Helix community.

Real is expecting the first wave of consumer electronic device products with the Helix DRM to hit the stores by Christmas 2003, Sheeran said. The DRM is currently available as a beta release for the PC and is in development for a variety of consumer electronic devices. In addition to supporting RealAudio, RealVideo, MP3 and MPEG-4 formats, it also supports H.263 video, AAC and Narrowband AMR audio.