Podcast

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A podcast is a collection of digital media files which is distributed over the Internet, often using syndication feeds, for playback on portable media players and personal computers. The term, like "radio", can refer either to the content itself or to the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also termed podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster.

The term "podcast" is a portmanteau of the acronym "Pod" – standing for "Portable on Demand" – and "broadcast". The iPod name was coined with Pod, prefixed with the "i" commonly used by Apple for its products and services. The first podcasting scripts were developed for the iPod (see history of podcasting). These scripts allow podcasts to be automatically transferred to a mobile device after they are downloaded.^[1]

Though podcasters' web sites may also offer direct download or streaming of their content, 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, using an aggregator or feed reader capable of reading feed formats such as RSS or Atom.

Contents

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• 1 Mechanics
• 2 Receiving and using podcasts
• 3 Other uses
• 4 Trademarks
• 5 Other
• 6 See also
  • 6.1 Syndication protocols
• 7 References
• 8 External links