It’s very rare that a new technology appears at exactly the time that you need it to, with exactly the right functionality for a perfectly acceptable price. But that is what happened to us recently when we discovered the iTouchMidi.
Almost.
As you may well know, we’ve included chapter selection within our enhanced weekly audio shows since day one, to allow for easy navigation of lengthy episodes. At times this has caused a bit of confusion because it means we’re putting out two versions of every show, one in MP3 format for the majority of listeners and an enhanced version in AAC format for anyone with an iPod or iTunes.
Although this approach does create a bit of extra work, we’ve always figured it to be worth it, in order to benefit from the additional interactivity the enhanced format provides (along with chapters, we also add images and website links). The feeds page details the various options for downloading both versions, as well as how to subscribe to our video podcasts, and it’s these that I’m keen to talk more about today.
It’s possible to add chapter markers to video episodes too, although we couldn’t really see the point when shows rarely stretch beyond the 6 minute mark, especially given that chapter navigation wasn’t particularly user friendly either. That all changed though, with the release of an update in February to Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch (or iTouch as I prefer it) firmware.
We’ve talked about how good the iTouch is for viewing widescreen video podcasts before, but this software update added something unique - a chapter guide:
Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced that they’ve updated their Flash Player to handle H.264 video, as well as HE-AAC audio.
This is big news for us, as we currently have to release Sidepodcast TV in two formats (H.264 for the iPod and Flash for the web), whereas in the future we’ll be able to upload a single file that should work everywhere. Not only will this save us bags of time, it’ll save on hosting costs too. Our audio shows will also benefit, as we currently release enhanced episodes for the iPod but they don’t work so well in a browser.
Despite the geeky acronyms, the update allows for better quality video with smaller files sizes and greater support for industry standard formats, so users will gain from this release too. The update is free to download. So what are you waiting for?
We have a test page available if you’d like to see how Sidepodcast TV will look using the new software and more information about the announcement is available from Adobe.
Earlier this week a brand new podcast client arrived on the scene. Created by Microsoft in response to Apple’s iTunes software, the Zune Marketplace means that owners of Zune devices now have an easy way to manage their favourite podcasts.
By all accounts this latest generation of software is a major step forward from the aborted first release. This time around users not only get a podcast solution, but the devices now support m4a and m4v file formats (essentially the two formats we use at Sidepodcast).
The first thing to note is that just like the original device, the Zune is limited to retail outlets within North America. I’ve no idea if there’s a plan to expand the sales reach any time soon, so for the moment we are zune-less. Luckily there’s no such restrictions on the software, so it was duly downloaded.
According to Microsoft, the initial directory listing would contain just 1,000 podcasts. So I was initially surprised to find both our audio and video shows listed. F1 Minute was missing, but looking at the details it would appear that the list was created some time before the show existed. All is not lost though, it’s easy to add missing podcasts, which we did.
The next thing we tried to do was subscribe to something from the directory, and this is where the system fell to pieces. For reasons unspecified, users must have a Zune account to subscribe to anything in the directory and nobody outside of the United States is eligible for one. Which leaves us a bit stuck.
Presumably the theory behind this is, users would have no use for the software without the device, but as a stand alone client it seems like a pretty decent piece of software. Shame.
However, not to be beaten, it is still possible to add your own feeds manually. A simple process but one that is ultimately an unnecessary distraction.
All said, if you live within the US, and fancy an alternate podcasting eco-system, this one’s worth checking out.
It’s been 12 months since Jenson Button won his first Grand Prix. This season’s not been as kind on the Englishman, but with a bit of luck the weather might be changeable and Christine’s favourite bloke might, just might, stand a chance of bagging some points at the Hungaroring.
Qualifying well here is almost as important as it is in Monaco, so Saturday afternoon is when all the action will happen. On a dry day, there’s not much to recommend about this dusty circuit - overtaking opportunities are few and far between, meaning strategy is everything.
Music played: Brother Love, Summertime
Music comes from music.podshow.com, with special thanks going to Red Bull Racing, Honda Racing F1 and RTV GmbH for the use of their video footage and images.
Daily F1 News Soundbytes Reading
