I have also found that increasing your time-out on the RealPlayer significantly cuts down on time-outs. Part of the issue is that if Realplayer does not receive information from the server within a certain amount of seconds (Default is usually only around 30 secs), it gives a time-out. In periods of high traffic, a lower time-out number causes more errors.
Tools->Preferences->Connection->Network Time-Out
I currently have it set 300/300 and it seems to help significantly.
Also ensure that underneath the Network Time-Out section, you have the box checked that says Assume I am Online.
I still occasionally am having problems, but they are rarely time-outs.
