Easy podcasting plugin

[yellowled]

This is more or less a reminder post for Garvin, some stuff we already talked about concering the Easy Podcasting plugin. Apparently, the plugin doesn't work quite the way it's supposed to and/or expected. I'm collecting my thoughts as well as some input from Dirk (Lux) I got via email.

Here goes:

• * Since more and more people will want to use the new audio/video elements provided by HTML5, the plugin should parse these. That way, they could be included in the feed as enclosures.

• * I have no idea what the spec says about this, but HTML5 audio kind of requires multiple audio files in one audio element to cover the variety of audio codecs supported by different browsers (mp3/ogg), so this should be considered somehow as well.

• * Right now, the plugin does only allow one enclosure per entry in the feed. (Dirk)

• * Also, audio files need to be reference with a full, absoute URL right now. (Dirk)

I think this is it, but maybe Dirk has more stuff to add form his pratical experience with the plugin.

YL

[Lux]

• * I have no idea what the spec says about this, but HTML5 audio kind of requires multiple audio files in one audio element to cover the variety of audio codecs supported by different browsers (mp3/ogg), so this should be considered somehow as well.

You are right, I found this link and to cut a long story short, you need mp3 and ogg files if you want the html5-Audioplayer to work.

Firefox supports only ogg, Safari supports only mp3 and Chrome supports both formats, IE none of them.

See this blog post in my blog as well.

• * Right now, the plugin does only allow one enclosure per entry in the feed. (Dirk)

This would be correct as this is the podcasting standard. The plugin builds n enclosures if you link n media files. But it would be good to generate two (or even "n") feed URLs, one for ogg and one for mp3.

Part of the podcasting standard is an absolute URL to the file, by default the media database does relative URLs.

Please check http://deimhart.net/index.php?/feeds/index.rss2 with any feed validator and reduce it to the podcasting relevant errors.

• * Also, audio files need to be reference with a full, absoute URL right now. (Dirk)

Yes, correct. We currently do that manually.

I think this is it, but maybe Dirk has more stuff to add form his pratical experience with the plugin.

Only one more. iTunes uses a very special feed format, it would be good to implement that as well.

Cheers

Dirk

[yellowled]

iTunes uses a very special feed format, it would be good to implement that as well.

Is this actually a requirement to submit a podcast feed to iTunes?

YL

[Lux]

Is this actually a requirement to submit a podcast feed to iTunes?

Sure, iTunes is one of the largest podcast directories. It is just an other distribution channel.

Cheers

Dirk