The Triangle

Issue date: 5/20/05 Section: Sci-Tech

Media Credit: The Triangle Corkery

One of the biggest gripes you hear about digital audio players like the Apple iPod, the Dell DJ, the Creative Nomad Zen and others is their lackluster support of FM radio.

Some of the most popular models like the iPod don't even include an FM tuner in the exorbitant unit cost. Other models I have tested have dismal reception, which renders the feature almost useless.

While I will be the first to admit that the glory days of FM radio are long gone, and that the modern reality is top 40 station after top 40 station, there is still a need to remain plugged into live or, at least, consistently original broadcasts - even if you have 10,000 MP3s at your disposal.

Although device manufacturers may have failed to account for this functionality, the creative minds of audiophiles around the world have created a solution known as podcasting.

Podcasting is a means of distributing files (typically audio files in MP3 format) over the Internet, using the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) protocol most commonly associated with blogs and online news feeds.

It functions very much like a news or blog aggregator except that the material being aggregated is not text, but audio. Subscribers can listen to the audio on their PC or transfer the files to a portable audio device for in-transit listening.

A relatively new term, Podcasting was coined only months ago when journalists used it to describe an idea for a new audio aggregation and synchronization technology developed by Adam Curry.

Podcasts are self-produced radio programs available from anyone with enough time, energy, and resources to record them.

While some contain music, a large number are topical talk shows that cover a variety of interests from computers to politics to sports.

Like blogs, there seems to be no limit to the number of topics or creative avenues explored with this new medium. It's essentially taking Internet radio to the next level.

Podcasting pioneers have described podcasting as being to Internet radio what TiVo is to television.

Modern lifestyles demand forward-thinking solutions where content consumers cannot be expected to have access to a specific media device at a certain date and time.

With podcasting, time shifting ability is built-in, making it possible to reach a wider audience - media on-demand.

Some might argue that there is nothing special about podcasting. Downloading freely available audio files to one's portable devices is no new concept.

The beauty of podcasting, however, is its simplification and organization of media traffic. Listeners subscribe to podcasts of their choosing. The audio files for the selected podcasts are downloaded as they are made available by the producers.

The podcast downloading software then stores the audio files in such a way that the audio is copied down to the listener's portable audio device (iPod, Dell DJ, etc.) the next time he or she synchronizes it with the computer.

The original program developed for podcast downloading and management is iPodder (http://ipodder.sourceforge.net/). This is what many are choosing to call content management software (CMS).

With iPodder installed, the listener can subscribe to any podcast they like, whether it is found on the Internet or listed in iPodder's podcast directory.

Podcasts to which the listener is subscribed are scanned, and the latest audio is downloaded to a directory specified by the user. iPodder currently interfaces with the two prevailing media applications - Apple's iTunes and Windows Media player.

The only remaining step is to specify within the media player, where the new podcast files can be found, and sync your portable device.

Industry observers see great potential in the podcast distribution methodology. Consider that National Public Radio (NPR) makes all of its radio broadcasts available on the web at nearly the same time they're sent through the airwaves.

Podcasting could allow individuals without access to a local NPR radio outlet to listen to NPR's programming through an equaly if not more convenient means.

Podcasting is expected to become a commercial venture in the not so distant future as industry becomes familiar with its potential to support traditional radio advertising models.

Media Credit: Paul Corkery The transmission of an audio file from a Podcaster to a media device; this allows the user disposable of thousands more media files than could otherwise fit on a hard drive.

Podcasting represents opportunities on both sides of the fence. Novice and wannabe radio personalities and producers without a great deal of capital now have an inexpensive platform on which to distribute their particular flavor of entertainment - do you have a computer, an Internet connection, a microphone, and a little ambition?

Listeners are also benefiting, having a whole new world of audible entertainment at their disposal. With the number and variety of podcasts available, there is bound to be a program discussing even the most obscure listener's interest.

Podcasting is the interesting new twist on Internet radio that has recognized the demand of consumers for more radio variety and more engaging and interest-specific programming which is accessible 24/7.

In the past few months, the number of podcasts offered and the exposure of the technology has grown exponentially.

It will be interesting to observe the continued growth of this broadcast method and what kind of unique applications are discovered.

Peter Meng at the University of Missouri has already studied the potential of podcasting in education - recorded lectures transmitted to students.

Applied to video, a similar method of distribution has already been dubbed VOBcasting.

Being both portable and on-demand, the potential of podcasting and its derivatives is nearly limitless, and an appropriate way of addressing the massive amounts of media being generated every day.



Paul Corkery is a BS/MS student in information systems.

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