Whats a Podcast?

[j17sparky]

As titled. Is there anything which makes it differant from an mp3 which just happens to be streamable and/or downloadable from the net, or is it just a buzzword for the less abley minded of us?


Just always wondered but never bothered to find out.

[tech_guy]

We use Audacity to make our podcasts - mp3's.

[j17sparky]

Sorry if i wasnt clear;

What makes a podcast differant from an mp3 which is on the net?

[phreak]

From wikipedia

A podcast is a digital media file, or a bunch of such files, that is distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and personal computers. The term, like "radio", can refer either to the content itself or to the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also termed podcasting.

The term "podcast" is a portmanteau of the words "iPod" and "broadcast", the Apple iPod being the brand of portable media player for which the first podcasting scripts were developed. These scripts allow podcasts to be automatically transferred to a mobile device after they are downloaded.

Though podcasters' web sites may also offer direct download or streaming of their content, a podcast is distinguished from other digital media formats by its ability to be syndicated, subscribed to, and downloaded automatically.

Hope this helps.

[dhicks]

The "podcast" bit is the XML file that points to a list of MP3 files. The XML file (an RSS file, to be more specific) stays in the same place and is updated whenever you add a new MP3 to your podcast. Podcast clients check this XML file peridically to see if there are any updates.

Note that you don't have to use MP3 files - any file type will do. Hence there are now video podcasts ("vodcasts"), and probably stuff like SWF podcasts around someplace.

--
David Hicks