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RealPix

RealNetworks RealPix

image/vnd.rn-realpix Released 1998 · by RealNetworks

The image/vnd.rn-realpix MIME type represents RealPix, a legacy streaming multimedia format created by RealNetworks in 1998 as part of the RealSystem G2 architecture. Rather than being a traditional raster image, a RealPix file is actually a text-based XML markup document using IMFL (Image Markup File Language). It orchestrates a synchronized slideshow of standard JPEGs or GIFs, applying dynamic panning, zooming, fading, and crossfade transitions. This allowed content creators to simulate rich video experiences over extremely low-bandwidth dial-up connections by perfectly synchronizing the image effects with a companion RealAudio stream.

Legacy & Streaming Transparency Animation Progressive Production Ready

Technical Specifications

MIME Type
image/vnd.rn-realpix
Extensions
.rp
Container
IMFL (XML Markup)
Compression
Uncompressed (Plain Text Markup)
Algorithms
None (Plain Text)
Color Depth
Dependent on referenced images
Metadata
None
Capabilities
Transparency
Animation
Progressive Loading
Alpha Channel
HDR Support

Magic Bytes & HTTP Headers

File Signature (Magic Bytes)
3C 69 6D 66 6C
ASCII: <imfl
HTTP Headers
Content-Type: image/vnd.rn-realpix
HTML Accept Attribute
accept="None"

Browser Support Matrix

Browser Status Min Version
Chrome Chrome
Not Supported
Firefox Firefox
Not Supported
Safari Safari
Not Supported
Edge Edge
Not Supported
Internet Explorer Internet Explorer
Not Supported Legacy

Advantages & Limitations

Advantages
  • Allowed for 'Ken Burns'-style animated slideshows at a fraction of the bandwidth required for actual video, crucial for 1990s dial-up connections
  • Plain text XML architecture made it easy for developers and hobbyists to hand-code complex multimedia presentations
  • Perfectly synchronized with RealAudio streams using SMIL-like timing parameters
Limitations
  • Completely obsolete and heavily reliant on the proprietary, defunct RealPlayer browser plugin
  • Not a true image format, causing confusion when handled by standard image processing libraries which expect binary pixel data
  • Lacks modern CSS or HTML5 canvas equivalents without completely rewriting the presentation logic

Developer Code Snippets

import magic
# Libmagic will identify this as an XML or plain text document, not an image.
print(magic.from_file('slideshow.rp', mime=True)) # Outputs 'text/xml' or 'text/plain'
const fs = require('fs');
// Manually detecting the RealPix IMFL root tag
const buffer = Buffer.alloc(5);
const fd = fs.openSync('slideshow.rp', 'r');
fs.readSync(fd, buffer, 0, 5, 0);
fs.closeSync(fd);
const isRealPix = buffer.toString('ascii').toLowerCase() === '<imfl';
console.log('Is RealPix:', isRealPix);
import (
    "bytes"
    "net/http"
)
// http.DetectContentType will detect it as "text/xml; charset=utf-8" if valid XML.
// To explicitly identify RealPix, check the prefix:
// isRealPix := bytes.HasPrefix(bytes.ToLower(buf), []byte("<imfl"))
$mime = mime_content_type('slideshow.rp');
echo $mime; // Standard setups will resolve this to 'text/plain' or 'text/xml'

File Detection Steps

How to programmatically detect a image/vnd.rn-realpix file by reading its raw bytes:

  1. 1 Open the file as plain text and check if it begins with the XML root node <imfl> (Image Markup File Language).
  2. 2 Look for standard RealPix sub-tags such as <head>, <imagehandle>, <fadein>, <crossfade>, or <viewchange>.

Software Support

R
RealPlayer (Legacy)
A
Any Text Editor (for source viewing)

Conversion Tools

Share & Embed

Markdown Badge
RealPix Format Badge
[![RealPix Format](https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/realpix/badge.svg)](https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/realpix)
Interactive iframe Widget
<iframe src="https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/realpix/embed" width="100%" height="280" style="border:1px solid #cbd5e1;border-radius:8px;" title="RealPix Specs"></iframe>

JSON API

All data on this page is available as a free, open JSON API. Use it in your project, documentation, or tooling.

GET https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/realpix.json Open JSON
Free to use
No auth required
CORS enabled
Use from any domain
Cached 24h
Cache-Control headers set

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a RealPix (.rp) file?

A RealPix (.rp) file is an XML-based markup document used by legacy RealNetworks software. It does not contain image pixels itself; instead, it contains instructions (like fade, wipe, pan, and zoom) and URLs pointing to standard JPEG or GIF images, directing the RealPlayer on how to animate them over time.

Is RealPix an actual image format?

No. It is categorized under the 'image/' MIME tree by IANA, but functionally it is a presentation markup language known as IMFL (Image Markup File Language). It relies entirely on external or embedded standard image formats to display visual content.

How do I open a RealPix file today?

Because RealPix files are just text, you can open them in any standard text editor (like Notepad or VS Code) to read the markup and extract the URLs of the actual images being used. To play the animated slideshow as originally intended, you must use a legacy version of RealPlayer.

Related Formats

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