What are podCasts?

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Roedy Green - 13 Dec 2005 05:26 GMT

1. what protocol is used to download these things? ordinary HTTP,
podcast:?

2. what is the extension, mp3?

3. what is the MIME type
application/xml
application/podcast+xml
application/podcast+rss+xml
application/rss+xml

4. what is the relationship between RSS and podcast

5. I take you first download with a computer the trasfer files with
some sort of utility over a USB to the ipod itself.

6. what is the name of the player to hear them on a computer?

7. are they audio only?

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Thomas Weidenfeller - 13 Dec 2005 08:26 GMT

Podcasts have nothing to do with Java. Podcasts are "the next big thing"
aka yet another hype.

> 1. what protocol is used to download these things? ordinary HTTP,
> podcast:?

Whatever you want. They are just mp3 audio files produced by amateurs.
Typically you get the mp3s via http.

The RSS stuff is just there to announce to "the world" that there is
some new "masterpiece" available. You have to separate between the two.
The mp3 becomes a "podcast" just because it is announced via RSS (or
Atom or whatever). But the mp3 of course couldn't care less.

> 2. what is the extension, mp3?

For the mp3 typically yes. Unless someone decides to do his or her audio
ramblings in something else, e.g. wav.

> 3. what is the MIME type
> application/xml
> application/podcast+xml
> application/podcast+rss+xml
> application/rss+xml

The official one for mp3 files is audio/mpeg - but people use all sorts
of other mime types, like audio/x-mp3, application/octet-stream, etc.

Regarding RSS: AFAIK no official mime type is registered with IANA, but
application/rss+xml is common.

> 4. what is the relationship between RSS and podcast

RSS to "announce" an mp3 file, and to provide it as attachments. Since
the mp3 has been announced via RSS it magically becomes a podcast.
Sounds much cooler, but that's about it.

> 5. I take you first download with a computer the trasfer files with
> some sort of utility over a USB to the ipod itself.

If you want to get them via RSS you need to have some RSS feed reader
which can deal with mp3 attachments and download them for you. You could
also just download the mp3 directly with a web browser if you have the URL.

You will also find readers which can move the mp3 file to some hardware
player, but there is no need for such a hardware player or even an iPod.
Any mp3 player should do for playing ...

> 6. what is the name of the player to hear them on a computer?

... just for playing even Windows Media Player will do. As will WinAmp.

> 7. are they audio only?

Yep. Ok, well, what the "producers" consider to be audio ... Of course,
some people already experiment with video casts. Time to dig out the
sunglasses.

/Thomas

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David Segall - 13 Dec 2005 12:49 GMT

>Podcasts have nothing to do with Java. Podcasts are "the next big thing"
>aka yet another hype.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
>Whatever you want. They are just mp3 audio files produced by amateurs.

I have heard IBM called many names but this is a first for "amateurs"
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/podcast/websphere/

For the OP the link contains an explanation of their podcasts and
links to some podcast "receivers". I think they reason that no geek
would go anywhere without their iPod so they should be listening to
IBM titles like "Applying business integration patterns in WebSphere
Process Server" instead of Madonna.

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IchBin - 13 Dec 2005 08:33 GMT

> 1. what protocol is used to download these things? ordinary HTTP,
> podcast:?
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>
> 7. are they audio only?

This may get you going..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting

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Daniel Dyer - 13 Dec 2005 19:17 GMT

> 1. what protocol is used to download these things? ordinary HTTP,
> podcast:?

HTTP as far as I am aware, though I guess you could use any valid URL
(e.g. ftp://xxxx, file://yyyy, etc.).

> 2. what is the extension, mp3?

Assuming the file is MP3. I guess there are also WMA, Ogg and AAC
podcasts too.

> 4. what is the relationship between RSS and podcast

A podcast without RSS is just an audio recording. The RSS bit deals with
the delivery so that the audience automatically gets new episodes when
they are released.

> 5. I take you first download with a computer the trasfer files with
> some sort of utility over a USB to the ipod itself.
>
> 6. what is the name of the player to hear them on a computer?

I think you can use any combination of RSS reader and media player. The
more recent versions of iTunes have built-in Podcast support, which should
make it pretty easy to transfer them to an iPod.

> 7. are they audio only?

With the advent of the video iPod and similar devices it seems that there
are now video ones as well.

Dan.

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Daniel Dyer
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What are podCasts?

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