Getting Started with Video Podcasts
Apple's new video iPods have turned out to be a huge hit. But if you're like most owners, you don't want to spend $2.00 at the iTunes store every time you want to watch something new.
Fortunately, there are lots of ways that you can get fresh video content for your iPod. One option is to rip your DVDs for your iPod. There are also several applications available that can convert your existing video to formats compatible with iPods.
One of the most exciting ways to get new videos for your iPod is with video podcasts. Video podcasts are videos that are designed to be downloaded automatically for viewing on your computer or portable media player. There are video podcasts on all sorts of topics, including news, entertainment, music and more. Best of all, they are free!
Getting Started with Video Podcasts in 3 Steps
Getting started with video podcasts is easy. All you need is a video podcast client. If you want to take it with you, you'll need a portable media player. This article outlines how to do this with iTunes and an iPod. If you don't have iTunes, you can download it for free from the Apple site.
Many other options are available. Once you're comfortable using iTunes, you may want to explore other video podcast client programs.
Finding Video Podcasts
There are many sources of video podcasts. A good place to start is the Video Podcast section of Podcasting News' podcast directory. There are some other good sources to check, including Vlogdir and VlogMap. Some news sites are beginning to add video podcasts, so look on your favorite news sources, too.
When you find a video podcast the looks interesting, look for the Podcast Feed URL. In the Podcasting News directory, each entry has a Feed URL entry. It will look something like this:
Podcast Feed URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/IMakeThings
Copy the Feed URL - it's the Internet address for the podcast you're interested in.
Subscribing to a Video Podcast
Next, open iTunes. Select Advanced - Subscribe to Podcast.
Paste the URL of the podcast that you want to subscribe to into the window:
Click OK and you've subscribed!
Enjoy Video Podcasts
You can watch video podcasts on your computer. In iTunes, video podcasts will show up in your podcast list, and individual videos will show up in the video list:
iTunes will download the most recent video by default. You can download older videos by clicking the "Get" icon next to titles that you're interested in. Titles in black type have been downloaded already; grayed-out titles have not been downloaded.
To view a video podcast, double-click on the title and the video will display in the "Now Playing" section of iTunes.
If you've got a video iPod, just sync your iPod and your videos will be available on your 'Pod!
By James Lewin
