Treat me as a noob in new IT tech.
2007-03-08 15:45:54 · 4 answers · asked by alex_q16 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Other - Computers
It is taken from I"pod" + Broad"cast". Originally intended as a mechanism to deliver a subscription type service to users so it could be downloaded to ipods for listening at a later time. It has now become any mp3 or audio delivered online.
2007-03-08 15:51:07 · answer #1 · answered by Gene M 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Firstly, Podcasts have nothing to do with iTunes, iPods or any other one kind of mp3 player except the name. PodCast is derived from iPod Brodcast, and some people are pushing for a name change, a popular alternative name is NetCast, proposed by the host of one of the more popular podcasts today, This Week in Tech. If you get nothing else from this answer, get this: "You do not need an iPod to listen to a PodCast!"
A podcast is an audio or video recording, released in a periodical fashion, meaning a podcast maker produces episodes of they're show, rather then just one recording. Basically, think of it like a radio or TV show that you don't have to listen to live. You download the audio or video file, and watch/listen to it whenever you want.
Podcasts are spread using something called an RSS feed (or XML feed) with is a special kind of code similar to HTML, except while HTML is for humans to view, RSS/xml feeds are set up in a way that computers can read them and interpret the data in a way for you to see.
Normally, you "subscribe" to a podcast's rss feed with something called an rss aggregator which is a fancy word for a program or website that automatically checks the podcast's RSS feed for updates, and when there is new content, it tells you. This is useful because you don't have to manually goto the website every day to check yourself, the aggregator does that on it's own and tells you when there is something new.
Probably the most popular rss aggregator is iTunes (though it has many other functions). iTunes has a directory of categorized podcasts and lets you search them. It also acts as an aggregator, as whenever there is a new podcast episode, it will download it for you.
Podcasts can be listened to directly on your computer, or any kind of MP3 player. You don't need a Mac computer, an iPod, or iTunes to listen to podcasts, though if you do have an iPod, iTunes has a few cool special features that dont work with other brands of MP3 player (though all the basic functions will work).
Hope that helps.
Heres some more info:
http://podcastalley.com/ (a great listing of many podcasts)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast
2007-03-10 02:33:27 · answer #2 · answered by John M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pretty much it's a radio show you can carry around in your ipod. If you subscribe to the show, the following episodes will automatically be updated on your itunes, so you can easily import it to your ipod. I'm thinking these shows are compressed because they can last for like 2-3 hours. If you ever seen the extension to the podcast file, it's very different from a MP3, which is .mp3.
If you're interested in making your own podcast, check these articles out:
http://wehow.ehow.com/how_2029076_record-podcast-using-garageband.html
http://wehow.ehow.com/how_2029089_publish-podcast-bloggercom.html
http://wehow.ehow.com/how_2029090_rss-file-podcast-using-feedburner.html
http://wehow.ehow.com/how_2029091_host-podcast-mp-files.html
http://wehow.ehow.com/how_2029092_free-legal-music-podcast.html
http://wehow.ehow.com/how_2029093_podcast-meets-itunes-rss-specifications.html
http://wehow.ehow.com/how_2029094_publish-podcast-wordpresscom.html
http://wehow.ehow.com/how_2029123_add-artwork-podcasts-using-garageband.html
http://wehow.ehow.com/how_2029125_publish-podcast-iweb-using-garageband.html
http://wehow.ehow.com/how_2029127_dvd-commentary-podcast.html
2007-03-09 04:55:45 · answer #3 · answered by Kid Velveteen 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
most podcasts are like a radio talk show. the show is recorded and put on the internet for people to download for free. some are video some are entertainment or news. http://www.itunes.com
http://www.zencast.com
these site have lost of different podcasts.
2007-03-08 15:50:29 · answer #4 · answered by josiah k 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋