Using podcast software to subscribe to a podcast

Follow these instructions to download audio, video and PDF documents with podcast software. The audio and video can be transferred to a portable player (e.g., iPod) or played on your computer. Keep in mind that your portable player may not support all media types available in a podcast. JCU podcasts support all media types compatible with iTunes (files with the following extensions: mp3, mp4, m4a, m4v, mov and pdf). Therefore, iTunes may be your best choice for podcast software. If you don't want to use iTunes, there are other choices. One example is Doppler .

Using iTunes to connect to a podcast: if you have iTunes already, check your version by selecting About iTunes in the Help menu. You need version 6 or higher, which is available for free at http://www.apple.com - download is about 32 MB so you need a fast Internet connection.

Follow the directions below for iTunes.

1. Open iTunes and select Podcasts in the Source column (if you don't see Podcasts, then you don't have version 6 or higher).

2. Select Subscribe to Podcast... in the Advanced menu.

3. Enter the URL to the desired podcast in the dialog box that appears and click the OK button.

4. iTunes will now download information about the media available in the podcast and will also download the first media file in the list.

5. Click the arrow at the left of the podcast title to open the list of available media. In the illustration below you will note that the first file is available. The remaining media have GET buttons. You can download additional media by clicking the appropriate GET button.

6. You can use iTunes to transfer copies of the media to your iPod (if you have an iPod, we assume you already know how to do this). For other portable players, the method of transfer will vary. For Windows computers, you can find the media files in the following directory: C:\Documents and Settings\your user name here\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Music\Podcasts

If the media files include lyrics you can view the text while the audio plays (lyrics can be any text that enhances the audio content, such as the text of a poem recitation). If you plan to play back the media on your computer, use Windows Media Player if you want to see the lyrics (you can view the lyrics in iTunes but it is not very user-friendly).

Viewing lyrics in Windows Media Player

1. Open Windows Media Player and make sure it is set for Full Mode (View menu).

2. Select Captions & Subtitles in the Play menu and then select On if available.

3. Open the audio file ( location is C:\Documents and Settings\your user name here\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Music\Podcasts)

Viewing lyrics with your portable player

If your player is capable of displaying lyrics, then you should be able to display the text. If you have an iPod nano or iPod video (i.e. 5th generation iPods) here are the directions for viewing the lyrics:

1. On iPod, start playing any song with lyrics.

2. Press the Center button repeatedly. The number of times depends on if you have artwork or not. Here's the order of things when you press the Center button:

Play status > Scrubber > Album Art > Lyrics/Description > Rating

If you don't have Album Art or Lyrics, then you'll just see the Rating

Play status > Scrubber > Rating

 

You can email Dr. La Favre if you need technical help - jlafavre@jcu.edu