This was the original attempt to give Linux users the ability to watch Toonami Reactor videos. This was before the Click-thru method was made, and which was so simple, I can't believe I didn't do it first.
The script version does hold some advantages over the Click-thru method. If you ever use the Click-thru method, you may occasionally get an interrupted stream, at which point RealPlayer will probably skip to the next chapter of the episode you are watching, making it difficult to get back to where you were. The script version won't skip ahead, due to the way it accesses the chapters of an episode, so if you get an interrupted stream, it is much easier to get back to your old position.
Another benefit is that you can choose the quality of the video you want to watch. So, even if you have broadband, you can choose a lower-quality video to watch if you want to save bandwith or start watching the video sooner.
There have been changes in the way the script operates since when it was available in a binary program form. The script now creates a temporary playlist, in a RealMedia file, which means that as soon as one chapter ends, the next one starts. You no longer have to close a RealPlayer window to go to the next chapter. After RealPlayer is done running, the script then deletes the temporary file so that there isn't any clutter in the user's directory.
There are two versions of the script available: a BASH version and a Perl version. They both operate in a similar way.
The Perl script was the first script to be developed. It's code is a lot cleaner and better than the shell script's code. Keep that in mind if you ever view the source.
reactor.plComing whenever Toonami Reactor restarts. reactor.shDitto.
After you download one of the above scripts, you should change the variable called realplayer_location (it will be near the beginning of the script) to match wherever you have RealPlayer installed. There is also a variable called connection (again, near the start of the script) that should be changed to reflect your connection speed or personal preference. Use the term "hi" (default) for broadband and the term "lo" for low-speed connections.
Now you can actually run the program, at the command prompt type (case sensitive):
> ./reactor.extension [series name] [episode number] [chapter letter]
Where [series name] is the name of ther series (patlabor, harlock, starblazers, lodoss), [episode number] is whichever episode you want to watch, and [chapter letter] is the letter of the chapter (a, b, c, d) to watch.
Example:
> ./reactor.extension patlabor 3 b
Which will start playing episode 3, chapter 'b', of Patlabor.
The program is setup to play through all the chapters from the starting chapter. So in the above example, the program will play chapter 'b', then 'c', then 'd. Also, a temporary file called 'temp.rm' is created when the script is run [successfully] that contains the playlist of files; it is removed after the RealPlayer is terminated.
In the course of playing a file from Toonami Reactor, RealPlayer may make calls to your browser to go to certain webpages that show stuff about the series you are watching. If you don't have a browser open, it will open Netscape by default. In order to avoid being interrupted at the beginning of an episode, I recommend keeping a browser open (I know Netscape 4.78 and Mozilla 1.0 work, not sure about others) and minimized or resized (as seen in the screenshots) so that you can view the information while you watch the episode. Depending on what browser versions you are using, your brower(s) may not be redirected at all. I know this case is true for Mozilla 1.0 Release Candidates 1 & 2.