TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: Still Waiting for an Answer

Re: Still Waiting for an Answer

David B. Horvath, CCP (dhorvath@withheld_on_request)
Mon, 02 May 2005 22:24:08 -0400

On Mon, 2 May 2005 17:12:51 EDT, ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM
Digest Editor) wrote:

> A week or so ago here, I asked a question about the distinction -- if
> any -- between 'podcasting' and audio/video 'streaming' which is a
> technique which has been on the net for a long time.

> No one has yet replied! Is 'podcasting' just a new name for an old
> technique? Is it thus named because the (rather specialized) computers
> which are used for receiving 'podcasts' do not typically do any other
> functions like 'normal' computers? Is it because 'podcasters' often
> times do not have any 'regular, over-the-air' type broadcasts to
> accompany their computerized streaming presentations?

> Can anyone answer these questions, or is 'podcasting' just much ado
> about nothing new?

PLEASE remove my email address, too much SPAM as it is.

Podcasting is the process of creating audio files that will be downloaded
into iPods and listened to at the convenience of the downloader. It isn't
much different from downloading a WAV to a Windows PC and listening to it
on a laptop during a long flight.

Actually, the big difference is the iPod is a lot smaller than a
laptop and the batteries should last longer.

For streaming, you have to have connectivity for the entire length of
the artifact (1 hour for an hour long show). With the WAV/podcast, you
only need to be connected long enough to download the file.

- David

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But, if I download the entire file to
whatever system I intended to use to listen, then iPod='streaming' in
that case, doesn't it? And if I were so inclined, I could use a
search engine to go around all over the net looking for .wav files,
download them all as found to my jillion GB hard drive and play them
off as desired. Apparently, if I understand your message, podcast is
a way of doing that same thing, but 'more effeciently' and 'quicker'?
PAT]

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