Thread

I’m just starting to fiddle with creation of podcasts and would love to have the “right” piece of software to manage my files, feeds, etc.

I’m a mac guy - so I’m looking hard at Podcast Maker (Lemonz), which is highly rated by some.

But then I found a free web (php) based generator which seems to have a lot of neat features - including one that I really wanted….a small built-in flash audio player for those who want to listen online. I really like that feature!

This project is:
http://podcastgen.sourceforge.net/

and a demo is at:
http://www.podcastgenerator.net/demo_v09/

Does anyone see any major downside to an online feed generator like this? I own my own server, so space and access are not a problem.

Opinions? Experiences? It appears that there is no perfect solution in the world of podcast management.

if you ar looking for something to encode mp4’s automatically i recommend sorenson.
but if you just want to generate the xml for the podcast why not just make a template

http://wkrg.com/feeds/map/
i have several different types of feeds setup all from one weblog

I would suggest you go with PodcastMaker for it’s ability to easily manage your podcasts, files and feeds. You can get a flash player elsewhere easily. PodcastMaker is a very well-designed mac app. I can’t say the same for the Podcast Generator software. 😊

I use PodcastMaker for my podcast (and recommend it to clients). Great app.

if you ar looking for something to encode mp4’s automatically i recommend sorenson.
but if you just want to generate the xml for the podcast why not just make a template

http://wkrg.com/feeds/map/
i have several different types of feeds setup all from one weblog

Actually, that page is exactly what I am trying to avoid.

Having been around the mac since 1984 and the net since 1995, I see simplicity and usability as the key ingredients in success. I’ve been putting video on the web (along with many others) for 8 years, but until youtube (flash player), it did not really take off. The same thing seems to be happening with podcasts….relatively few users, but dozens of confusing options on how to find them, play them, catalog them, etc.

I don’t have any problems creating the sound files - lots of SW to do that. It’s the presentation of the “catalog” via the web that often seems confusing….I think in 5 years we will look back and (hopefully) see a much simpler interface. I cannot imagine most normal web users…perhaps outside of young folks who are used to sound (music) files, who can understand the whole podcast thing.

It will be interesting to watch the percentages of internet users who listen to podcasts….it will surely grow, but I predict only so far until things get even simpler.

I would suggest you go with PodcastMaker for it’s ability to easily manage your podcasts, files and feeds. You can get a flash player elsewhere easily. PodcastMaker is a very well-designed mac app. I can’t say the same for the Podcast Generator software. 😊

I use PodcastMaker for my podcast (and recommend it to clients). Great app.

Ryan, I am trying that software based on your web site recommendation.

I do really like that mini-flash player that is built in with the php generator - short podcasts are not worth downloading, transferring, etc - why not just click and listen without even downloading?

My initial shot using it is:
http://www.hearth.com/podcast/podcast.xml

Ideally, I’d embed this xml feed code or link to it from a more user-friendly page which explains things better. Another problem with .xml is that many browsers act differently when coming upon these pages - everything from just code showing, to the properly rendered page, and in-between.

“that page” is just a list of feeds if you are trying to create a podcast feed i would suggest you look at the Pod Casts tech specs.
http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcaststechspecs.html
Standardly speaking a podcast is just a xml document with a specific set of nodes pointing to other elements or defining the other elements.

if you want to create a page that is not really a “podcast” but just a list of available video with a embedded play control well really you are simply looking for a good web based media player that you can place in a template. flash or other media based play controls are plentiful and very depending on taste.