I've just installed RealPlayer 10 so I can hear rtsp streams on my FC6 box, running Gnome. When I specify a known rtsp URL in RealPlayer's Open Location option, I hear the stream. If I click on a provider's web site to hear a stream, I get message "Totem could not play 'rtsp://...'" How do I set the default player for rtsp streams to be RealPlayer, instead of my current default of Totem?

The bigger question is, how is a file extension or TCP/IP protocol translated into a default installed application to process the file of URL? I know that if I already have a file of a particular extension, I can click it's property page and select the default app for files of that type. Usefull, but not the solution unless I already have a file of that extension on my box. And that approach is of no use as far TCP/IP protocols are concerned, unless I've missed something, here.

On FC6, an entry under System -> Preferences that was specifically devoted to defining default apps for file extensions, TCP/IP protocols and ports would be handy...

Can anyone assist? Apparently, KDE has this functionality, at least as far as file extensions are concerned...

Type "about:config" in Firefox's address bar. Type rtsp in the search bar and on the "network.protocol-handler.app.rtsp" row, change the value field to "/usr/bin/realplay".

Thanks. When I specify an address of "about:config", I see a list of preferences and values. There is no row for preference "network.protocol-handler.app.rtsp", or any preference including "rtsp".

It may be buried down a bit. Enter rtsp in the filter. I'm using Firefox 2.0.0.4.

I don't have any rtsp in Firefox 2.0.0.4, either.

Try creating your own entry.
Right click on an empty area and select: New -> String
Then enter "network.protocol-handler.app.rtsp" in the dialog box.
Click OK. Another dialog will pop up asking for the "Value". Enter the location of the RealPlayer program, probably "/usr/bin/realplay".

You might need to restart firefox for your new config to be read in.

Thanks, jschiwal, for your suggestion. I have added preference name network.protocol-handler.app.rtsp with value /usr/bin/realplay. On the command line, /usr/bin/realplay starts RealPlayer. But when I click on a provider's link to an audio feed, my FC6 box still fires up Totem, which complains it can't handle rtsp streams. Totem is still the default, not RealPlayer.

Do you have any further suggestions on this? Are the .desktop files for totem and realplay that I can see in /usr/share/applications somehow relavent here?

Regards,
Jon

Do you have this file:
I don't use gnome, but there should be a place to change the applications used for handling particular mime types.

Mozplugger might help -- it's a plugin for calling external programs controlled by mime types.

I have file /usr/share/application-registry/realplay.application, which contains:
realplay
command=realplay
name=RealPlayer
can_open_multiple_files=true
expects_uris=no
requires_terminal=false
all_gnome_vfs_schemes_supported=no
supported_uri_schemes=rtsp,http,file,pnm
mime_types=application/ogg,application...

It looks the same as yours, but I suspect all it says is that RealPlayer can play rtsp streams - not that RealPlayer is the default player of these streams.

Somewhere on the box, there must be a file which identifies default applications...