Is there a way to convert Realvideo to something else (like, say,
MPEG-4)?

I've done a number of websearches, and have found dozens of sites with
very complicated instructions, some of which actually have you do
things like take a screenshot of each frame and record the audio
output of your computer and then piece it all back together.

I'm looking for something that would let me essentially drag a .rm
file onto a program and have it write out a .mpg file or similar.

Hi there,

Believe it or not, I had the same question as you not so long ago. It
took a while, but I finally found a program that does just what you're
looking for! It's called Tinra and can be found at
http://www.geocities.com/tinra04/index2.html. Basically what it does
is it converts Real media files to Windows .avi files. The only
requirement is that you have to have a version of RealPlayer installed
(I recommend version 8 which can be downloaded using the form at
http://proforma.real.com/real/player/blackjack.html. Stay far, far
away from RealOne!)

Tinra can be downloaded using the link above, but since it's a command
line program, if you'd rather use a GUI you can download one at my GUI
guy (http://guiguy.wminds.com/downloads/tinragui/down.html)

A guide to converting the files using Tinra can be found at
http://www.divx-digest.com/articles/rm2avi.html. This guide explains
the relatively simple process much better then I could ;) However,
since the guide uses an old software version, it's a bit outdated and
misses a step. After you press the convert button in step 4 you should
be prompted for a codec to use. The one you choose will affect file
size and video quality, so you might want to play around with it a bit
to find one that suits you.

If you want to convert the resulting .avi file to something else
(MPEG-4, etc...) you might want to check out the answer to a previous
question of mine: https://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=37400.

Hope that solves your problem! If not, please feel free to ask for
clarification.
Deadlychiapet-ga

Google search terms used:
rm conversion
tinra
real player 8 download