Plugins are software extensions adding extra features to an existing application. A variety of plugins have been built for Winamp, and one of them is Tara's Real Audio Input Plugin.

The plugin only works is you have Real Player or Real Alternative installed on your computer.

The main feature of Tara's Real Audio Input Plugin is providing support for Real audio and video formats. Thus you can play these types of streams using the well-known audio player.

Furthermore, once you have installed this plugin, Winamp will be able to save Real Audio files to the WAV or RMX format and the EQ and Visualisation/DSP/Output plugins will be enabled. When processing audio through Winamp fails, you need to configure the audio to not process using Winamp. File playback will be enabled, but plugins will not work.

Error handling is another possibility that the Tara's Real Audio Input Plugin offers to its users. For instance, if your connection is broken while playing a Real audio or video file, Tara reconnects automatically and starts from where it left off. After three unsuccessful reconnecting attempts, an error message is displayed.

A very helpful feature is the automatic codec download, where the plugin automatically downloads the necessary codec when a particular file type registered to Tara's Real Audio Input Plugin is played for the first time.

Easy video resizing and configurable file types are two other benefits of using Tara's Real Audio Input Plugin.

This plugin may be obsolete for users preferring other advanced and up-to-date players, but if you are a fan of good old Winamp, Tara's Real Audio Input Plugin is definitely a good choice for you.