A podcast is a series of audio or video digital-media files which is distributed over the Internet by syndicated download, through Web feeds, to portable media players and personal computers. Though the same content may also be made available by direct download or streaming, a podcast is distinguished from other digital-media formats by its ability to be syndicated, subscribed to, and downloaded automatically when new content is added.

Like the term broadcast, podcast can refer either to the series of content itself or to the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also called podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster.

The term is a portmanteau of the words "iPod" and "broadcast", the Apple iPod being the brand of portable media player for which the first podcasting scripts were developed (see history of podcasting). Such scripts allow podcasts to be automatically transferred from a personal computer to a mobile device after they are downloaded. As more devices other than iPods became able to synchronize with podcast feeds, the term was redefined by some parties as a backronym for "Personal On Demand broadCASTING".

History

Expand: date=September 2008 main: History of podcasting

Receiving and using podcasts

Making use of podcasts' syndication features requires appropriate feed aggregator software, often referred to as a podcatching client or a podcatcher. The feeds are usually distributed using RSS or Atom protocols to the podcatching client. As of 2008, the dominant podcatching client is Apple's iTunes playerfact: date=September 2008; alternatives include Microsoft's Zune Marketplace, Mediafly SyncClient, Juice, Doppler, Podget and Podracer, ZenCast, and many other clients. Some established audio players, such as Amarok, Winamp and Mediamonkey also offer (sometimes limited) podcatching functionality. Podcasts are also available directly on emerging Internet-enabled devices, such as the Chumby.

Podcasts are most often listened to on an MP3 player,Fact: date=May 2008 but they can also be heard on a computer using media player software. Links for direct download are often also included on the podcast's website, so that the podcast can be accessed without the necessity of a subscription. VoIP technology can also be used for podcasts.

Other uses

main: Uses of podcasting Podcasting's initial appeal was to allow individuals to distribute their own radio-style shows, but the system quickly became used in a wide variety of other ways, including rebroadcast of traditional radio and television content, distribution of school lessons, official and unofficial audio tours of museums, conference meeting alerts and updates, and by police departments to distribute public safety messages.