PODCASTING A series of digital media files which are distributed through the internet with the help of syndication feeds for playback devices. An online audio content which is delivered through an RSS feed to iPods and other portable media players and can be listened at the convenience of the listener is podcasting. But podcasting gives more options than a radio does in terms of content and programming. Podcasting helps the listeners to determine the time and the place and can select what they want to receive and listen. Listeners can document the audio in order to listen at their leisure. Podcasts are usually saved in MP3 format and can be listened in mostly any computer. Podcasting has the ability to turn podcasters in to radio personalities. The media entrepreneur and former MTV VJ Adam Curry popularized the term podcasting. An Applescript application was created by Curry which automates the downloading and syndicating audio files to iPods. The application of Curry helps on the work of programmer Dave Winer who is the pioneer in both the world of web logs and XML development. Dave wrote the RSS 2.0 specification that can be used to deliver information about podcasts. RSS which is used to define channels of information contain elements which are usually web log entries or stories are an XML format. For the standardized way of publishing meta information about content RSS files are frequently used. The enclosures are supported by RSS 2.0 which is the URL references to web content which makes it possible to use RSS files. There are 4 steps for podcasting. They are: (1) Publishers will create the audio content and post it to the web server which is usually in MP3 format. (2) RSS file is also published by them which contain RSS news items that reference the audio content. Each RSS gives meta information about an audio file like the name and description of the file and contains an RSS enclosure with the URL of the audio file. (3) Users regularly check for new versions of the news feed by using an application like iPodder. The iPodder reads through the new version when it is found and identifies the audio file URLs which down loads them and syndicates them to a media player. (4) Lastly the user listens to the podcasted audio file when it is convenient. The users can save its content digitally and replay according to their convenience in podcasting. For publishing any type of audio podcasting can be used and there are some developers who are searching the notion of using the same techniques to publish video and other content. Because of the rapid increase of MP3 players and the wish of the owner for having fresh content help in spreading podcasting. |
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