With the rise of podcasting, many individuals and organizations are finding that podcasting is a great way to distribute information, from music and comedy
shows to talk shows, even podcast news. CNET is one of the groups that is distributing a news podcast. CNET, being an online technology site, naturally found a niche
distributing a tech news related podcast. CNET’s recent podcasts covered such topics as viruses that attack cell phones, problems with Google’s software, China’s web
restrictions and the “Great Firewall of China”, and the FTC’s attack on spyware. These news items were distributed in a sound file called an mp3 file that is downloadable to a listener’s computer for listening whenever they wish. While these files were available
straight from CNET’s site, the majority of them are shared through the use of an RSS file. An RSS file is a small piece of XML coding that is downloadable by
programs designed to read it. These programs are called podcast clients, and the user can input the address of the RSS files that hold the information on the feed. The
feed will contain links to the media files of the podcast, and will download the new updates automatically.

More sites than CNET are finding that podcast news is an expoitable technology. The British Broadcasting Corporation podcasts some of it’s programs, as well as
the US radio network NPR. The NPR, because its work is created by a variety of different groups, treats podcasts differently from show to show. The NPR show “This American Life” distributes a podcast of the show through a site called audible.com, which allows feed listeners to subscribe to the feed for a small fee and download the show . The NPR Hourly News show, on the other hand, shares a short 5 minute broadcast that
summarizes the news for free. Since the NPR is taking a radio show and converting it into a file that is downloadable by the user, little is lost in the translation.
The sound is designed to convey the entire story, and so podcast subscribers are able to treate the podcast as nothing more than TIVO for the radio. ABC’s podcast
of the news show Nightline, on the other hand, is simply the sound track from the television show. This has been one of the criticisms of the Nightline podcast,
because by merely stripping the sound from what is designed as a television show, much information is not given to the users. Listeners have problems telling who
is who because they miss the visual cues that were supposed to be there, and there is no truly easy way to convert the shows. For this reason, some news shows
have been moving from audio podcasts to video ones. They can take the video information directly from the show that is broadcast, lower the visual resolution to
shrink the file, and distribute it online as a podcast.

Its easy to find and download a free podcast. The best way to find free podcasts is probably to check a podcast directory. A podcast directory is a listing of many,
sometimes thousands of different podcasts. The podcast directory will usually organize the podcasts by topic and genre, making it easy to find the type of podcast that is
sought. In addition, podcast directories often allow the visitors to comment on the podcasts listed, and provide a list of the favorite podcasts on the site, making it easy
for users to find the best podcasts available. These podcast directories can be used to browse through, introducing users to many different podcasts they
otherwise would not have found.

Once a podcast has been found that interests the user, it is necessary to download the free podcast. The vast majority of podcasts will be free, but there will be a few
that may cost a small amount of money. The process to subscribe to and download the podcasts is the same in either case. First, a podcast client needs to be found and
installed. There are many free podast clients available, all providing a slightly different user interface and range of options. They come with many different names, such
as Podscape, or Nimiq, and searching for ‘free podcast client’ or something like it will turn up many possibilities. When the podcast client has been installed, inputting the feed address will allow the podcast to be downloaded. The podcast client will
check the address given for a small, machine readable file called an RSS file. This file will contain information about the podcasts, perhaps some text about the individual episodes, as well as the location of the episode file. Once the podcast client has been
located the file referred to in the RSS feed, it will be downloaded and stored on the users computer until the want to view it.

Sometimes, of course, access to a personal computer is not available, but it is still necessary to check a certain podcast. Fortunately, many podcast directories offer
built in podcast readers in the site. Not only do they often show each recent episode that is available, they may also offer a way to view or listen to those podcast episodes from within the site. By using the viewer contained within the site, it is no longer necessary to
even download the podcast episodes. However, the ability to move and share the episodes after downloading is one of the wonderful things about podcasting. The files can be placed on almost and media player, ranging from iPods to the new Play
Station Portable. This flexibility is one of the reasons podcasts have succeeded, despite other technologies like streaming music and video. The desire of consumers to have control over technology cannot be over estimated.

Many music podcasts are available online for downloading; if one wanted to find, for instance, a hip hop mix podcast, there are a few sites available to help.
The first possibility would be to go directly to a site which creates one and subscribe to it using a podcast client which automatically checks the feed for new episodes and downloads them for the user. If, however, one did not know of any hip hop mix podcast sites, or simply wanted to find new podcast sites, the best possibility would be to check a podcast directory, a list of podcasts that can be browsed.

Hip hop mix podcasts could easily be found at one of these podcast directories. A podcast directory stores lists of podcasts which have been submitted to the site,
and categorizes them by genre, type of podcast, region, and other meta data. To find a hip hop mix podcast, visiting a podcast directory and checking under music
podcasts, and then under hip hop music would find many podcasts which play that type of music.
The hip hop mix podcast could then be subscribed to by inputting the feed address listed into one of the many podcast clients. The music will come in episodes, the
name for each downloadable portion of a podcast. Some of these podcasts may feature independent artists, musicians trying to break into the music industry who
have chosen podcasting as a way of sharing their music and gaining a following. Others may be remixes of popular songs that have been changed in some way to
give a different feel to the music. Often, the artists may already be established, though, and they still see podcasting as a way to introduce themselves to a larger
audience. They may grant rights to pay certain hip hip songs to a podcaster, letting them play the music as part of their mix distribution while requesting a link to a site
where more information can be learned about the artists and music can be purchased. Artists that have done this include alias, edan, outerspace, RA the rugged man,
roots manuva, and outer space.
A large number of podcasts featuring hip hop mix podcasts are actually radio stations, however. These broadcasters have found that podcasting their shows and selections is an easy way to reach more listeners and gain a greater audience. These podcasters can reach more people easier and cheaper than they can by  playing hip hop mix music over the airwaves in their local areas. Playing hip hop music over the internet is probably the way many future artists will do their work, and there are many ways available even now that they can do so and make a profit. For instance, some podcasts are designed to work on a payment basis. A hip hop artist who wished to share his music could charge for addition to the feed list, then issue a unique feed address to the user, allowing them to hear new pieces of hip hop music released. The hip hop music file could even be designed so it could not be copied and used by another user at a different computer, to ensure that the artist could maintain control over his work.

The new iPod video has stirred a lot of reactions, a lot of reviews, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of its utility, quality and features. These reviews are important especially because of the fact that the new iPod video was launched without a serious study of the market, of the customer’s tastes and wishes. From this point of view this is a daring initiative and a great step in the video development.
The reviews usually point out the amazement and the great success concerning the new iPod video, but also highlight some aspects that may contribute to its improvement. For example, the great advantage of connecting the iPod video to the TV set and playing the videos on it is well-received. But on the other hand, the fact that the iPod video cannot be connected to the computer is seen as a disadvantage. The transfer from iPod to computer is not possible and this fact may be a suggestion for the designers and creators of the iPod video. 
     
Some customers are in love with this device because of the possibility of watching the favorite TV shows and ABC hits like “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives” even in the road. The stress of loosing the relaxing TV show or film may be very unpleasant especially in the case of difficult days at work. Therefore, the possibility of watching them on an iPod video is an excellent idea. Besides, the iPod video matches the crazy contemporary lifestyle, giving the opportunity of checking the e-mail, of finding out the time in other cities very useful especially in the case of people that travel a lot. 
     Satisfaction and pleasant remarks are the main notes for the new iPod video, as it is really a great product. The fact that it has more features, more quality, longer battery life and smaller dimensions, thinner display is enjoyed a lot. A small disadvantage, compared to the great new benefits, is the fact that the images, photos from the iPod video transferred to the TV set are too bright, although very clear and nice. 
     
Another great advantage is the fact that the customers may listen to the music over 14 hours (it depends on the model). But the reviews point out a disadvantage – the fact that the video playback time is only 2 hours. Another disadvantage is the fact that the iTunes from the iTunes Music Store are too expensive, but taking into account the great quality of the sound this may not be such a great disadvantage. Besides, the equalizer may be set for a better quality sound.
     
Some other reviews highlight the fact that the screen quality is clear and maybe clearer than of the most TV sets. This aspect may be put together with the fact that the screen is better and bigger although the display is smaller and thinner.