Older Macs can often be upgraded with more memory and a newer system and sometimes with hardware upgrades. Check with Mac warehouse or some such large mail order house.

Real audio and video, however, has as much to do with your line speed as your modem. So, while Real Audio may say it only requires 14.4 and your modem is 28.8 you may actually be connecting at a slower speed.

For instance out here in my rural area I am transmitting at 1400 and receiving at 9600, but usually it is 7200. Now, I am downloading from the Mudcat at between 1 and 2k, sometimes I drop to as low as 3-400--even as low as 96 bytes, but at that point I usually give up and disconnect.

I have NEVER been able to connect to real audio. it comes in fits and starts and just raises my anxiety level too high for the old ticker. One day our lines will be improved and I will join the rest of the world. So check line speed if you have a problem.

Richard