Google has had a hand in podcasting in one way or another since the very beginning. My very first podcast had a site on Blogger, a FeedBurner feed and my own media hosting.

With the acquisition of FeedBurner Google has been able to get the second piece of the puzzle in line by integrating the ability to redirect your feed over to FeebBurner.

Now Google has announced integrated video podcast support. So you can upload a file from withing a blogger post and it will automatically become embedded in a post and linked as an enclosure.

I gave it a shot with the video you see below. My first attempt at uploading a QuickTime movie failed with an error. So I gave it a second shot with a video in the iPod format.


As you can see the second try worked. It looks like Google is using their Google Video engine to power the flash conversion and player. Since the Google Video platform leaves something to be desired on flash encoding I don't think any hardcore video bloggers or podcasters will be too excited. And you can also see the nice Blogger logo which will definitely put off this interested in maintaining complete branding control.

The upside is that this makes it easier for the average user to get started in video podcasting. And the people who are learning and experimenting won't be deterred by the things I've pointed out.

Where this can get interesting is when Blogger starts integrating those new advertising options that they have on YouTube.

Labels: blogger, google, podcasting, video

Apple sent out some new guidance on encoding video podcasts to help with Apple TV compatibility yesterday. They also had some advice about multiple RSS feeds as well.

1. Apple on video podcasts - "If you're encoding your video podcast at 320x240, please increase the resolution to either 640x480 or 640x360 (depending on the aspect ratio of your source files). Why? Because video podcasts at this resolution look great on Apple TV and still port to video iPods. Lower resolution podcasts might also work on both platforms, but they don't look nearly as good on a widescreen TV. As always, make sure to test any encoding changes you make to ensure device compatibility. QuickTime 7.1's "Export to iPod" function will ensure that a video file is encoded at a width of 640 and is iPod-compatible."
2. Apple on multiple video feeds - "It's best not to create two different podcast feeds for different resolutions. By doing so, you dilute the popularity of your podcast and reduce exposure in our charts. It's better to have one feed high in the charts than two that are lower."

Alright then. Go forth and produce some hi res video podcasts.

Labels: apple, apple tv, itunes, video

Chris Penn (no not Sean's brother) of the Financial Aid Podcast has put together a video that shows musicians, "how to get the most out of the music they’re already selling in iTunes." Check it out here.

Labels: itunes, musicians, podcasting, video