What the heck is a podcast? I still haven't found any place that explains what it is? The best I could gather is its an online radio show, but I downloaded the ESPN one and it was only five minutes long, what gives? Is there a faq someplace?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPod i'm out of the loop
- Thread starter matthews1492
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Some are short, some are long. The idea is to subscribe to a whole bunch of them. A better way to think of them might be as audio blogs.
Podcasts vary in length. They can basicly cover any subject they want and most of the time I will just listen to one a day depending on what topic I want to listen to. I suggest subscribing to alot and just experiment on listening to diff. topics.
Most podcasts are audio, some are video, but really they can contain any sort of file. A podcast is really just a plain old RSS feed that points to things that aren't Web pages. You can load them with a regular RSS reader if you want.
The only part that's really new is that there are RSS readers that can move those files into your media player automatically. With iTunes, Apple have added an additional layer on top to make it a little easier to find and manage feeds.
The only part that's really new is that there are RSS readers that can move those files into your media player automatically. With iTunes, Apple have added an additional layer on top to make it a little easier to find and manage feeds.
A Podcast is basically verbal audio on a specific subject that can have a series of broadcasts on the same topic. Yes, it is similar to a radio show but it can very in length.
The great thing about Podcasts is that you can choose what to listen to where as if you turn on the radio what is the chance that your favorite show will be on at a random time of the day. It is like going to the internet for news instead of the television. This way your favorite show is always on (unlike the news) and you can pause, rewind and fast forward it.
Its like TIVO or Replay TV for audio broadcasts but a little different. For example if you accidentally forgot to record a show with TIVO you missed it and you will never be able to record it again. As for Podcasts if you forget to subscribe to a podcast (to record it so you can listen to it later) you will still be able to download it off of iTunes at a later time. This is because iTunes has past episodes of Podcasts (up to a point) available for download.
The great thing about Podcasts is that you can choose what to listen to where as if you turn on the radio what is the chance that your favorite show will be on at a random time of the day. It is like going to the internet for news instead of the television. This way your favorite show is always on (unlike the news) and you can pause, rewind and fast forward it.
Its like TIVO or Replay TV for audio broadcasts but a little different. For example if you accidentally forgot to record a show with TIVO you missed it and you will never be able to record it again. As for Podcasts if you forget to subscribe to a podcast (to record it so you can listen to it later) you will still be able to download it off of iTunes at a later time. This is because iTunes has past episodes of Podcasts (up to a point) available for download.