A podcast is like a radio show that you can take with you and listen to whenever you want. And a podcast is also like a magazine because you can subscribe and you will get new episodes as they become available.
No. You can listen to and subscribe to podcasts on your computer even if you don't have a portable MP3 player. You can download most podcasts to any portable MP3 player and take them with you.
No. You can listen to or download individual episodes one-by-one from our website. You just need a media player on your computer such as iTunes, Windows Media Player, WinAmp or Quicktime. But, just like a magazine, it's more convenient to subscribe because new episodes come to you.
iTunes is the most widely used program for subscribing to podcasts. It's free and available for Mac and PC. Juice (formerly iPodder) is another free program available for PC, Mac and Linux.
6. Can I subscribe without installing a special program on my computer?
Podcasts are delivered using a special type of file called a "feed" (a.k.a. "RSS feed"). So you can also subscribe to podcasts using an online "feed reader":
Other providers of web-based feed readers include Bloglines and NetVibes.
If you use My Yahoo!,My AOL or a Google Homepage, they allow you to set up a feed reader right within your account home page.
Also, more recent versions of most browsers and some email programs will allow you to subscribe to feeds. Check the help for your browser or email program to see if you have this option.
When using an online feed reader, browser or email program to subscribe you may not be able to listen to all the audio or view the video directly within the program you are using to subscribe. You may need to follow a link to access the media on this website or in a separate media player on your computer.
If you use subscription software installed on your computer, such as iTunes, when you first subscribe the most recent episode is downloaded to your computer automatically along with a list of all the previous episodes.
If you use online feed reader, browser or email program to subscribe, no media will ever be downloaded to your computer unless you actually choose to listen to or view it.
No matter how you subscribe, the program you use will check for and alert you to new episodes every time you open it.
9. Can I control what gets downloaded and/or how long it is saved?
Different types of subscription software have different options for controlling what gets downloaded and how long you want to keep it.
Generally, subscription software installed on your computer, such as iTunes, will automatically download the most recent episode it finds when it checks for updates. Check the Help for the program you use to see the options for downloading and saving media.
Online feed readers, browsers and email programs only download the media if you choose to listen to or view it. It depends on the program you are using where the file will be saved. It may go to your temporary internet files in which case your settings for managing those files will control how long it is stored. In other cases, it may go to a folder you have designated for downloads in which case it will be saved until you manually delete it.
10. How do I get podcasts onto my portable player?
If you have an iPod, iTunes will do this automatically for podcasts you have subscribed to. With other portable MP3 players you should follow the instructions for transferring files that come with the player. For many players you can use Windows Media Player or WinAmp to transfer files.
Yes. Regular podcasts are just audio. Enhanced podcasts include still images and audio. Video podcasts have—I'm sure this will not surprise you—audio and video. Not all portable players will play enhanced and video podcasts.
12. What if I don't have a portable player that supports enhanced or video podcasts?
You can still view them on your computer. For enhanced podcasts, you must save them to your computer and then they can be played with iTunes or Quicktime. We also provide an audio-only version of our enhanced podcasts that you can use instead.
You can view video podcasts on our web pages using the Flash plugin. If you do not have the Flash plugin or your version is too old a message will appear when you open the page asking if you would like to download and install it.
