The Sword and Laser discussion
Managing Podcasts Without iTunes?
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Philip
(new)
Nov 05, 2010 04:04AM
I've been having iPod issues and am thinking of using a different mp3 player. One problem is that I use iTunes to manage my podcasts. Do any of you use a different program for subscribing to and managing podcasts? Help appreciated :o)
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I use the Podcaster app on the iphone.
I use Miro for podcasts, though I believe you have to manually move the files onto your portable device.
I use iTunes to download podcasts but since I use a Creative player I use Windows Media Player to sync them.
Have you tried doubletwist yet? It worked great when I was using my company blackberry and will work with just about any .mp3 player that I am aware of.
All good suggestions - I reached the breaking point with iTunes about a year ago. I was pleasantly surprised by the Zune software. It performs much better on the PC than iTunes and has robust support for podcasts. The part of the conversion that really surprised me was how incredibly easy the transition was. The Zune software automatically recognized and found most of my podcast subscriptions. There was just a little cleanup that I had to do. I was prepared for a nightmare. When I finished I was kicking myself for not doing it sooner.I have a Zune HD that I really like. I cut off my cable subscription a little over a year ago. The Zune has a TV dock. Just pop the Zune in the dock and watch your favorite podcasts in HD. I've not had much luck with the wireless sync though. I didn't dive deep into troubleshooting it, but it appears the Zune is only compatible with a select group of routers.
I also played around with Miro an found it serviceable.
Regards, Jim
Jim, will the Zune software convert iTunes formatted music files? I've been using iPod Nanos for years, I'm on my 3rd one. I started out with a 2 gig and am now up to a 16 gig. It seems like an iPod lasts a little less than two years. I don't like the design of the new Nano and I don't really want a touch. If my iTunes files will transfer to Zune, I might consider it.
Protected music purchased in iTunes will not play - Unprotected AAC and just about every other format is imported without any problem. The software actually reads and uses your iTunes library.
I use iTunes for podcast downloading, it just organizes better than any other program I've tried. Don't have an iPod, so use win media player to transfer to my Zen, or zune software for the video downloads, just looks better on the zune.But that's just for the podcasts I don't listen to daily, like old radio shows, or the latest books from podiobooks.com.
For the shows I listen to daily, I use BeyondPod app on my android, think they're on iPhone too. Tried several others but kept coming back. Between them, the audible app, and Pandora my mp3 players have been gathering alot of dust.
Thanks for all the posts y'all, it's good to get some food for thought. My new Nano 5th Gen won't transfer Overdrvive audiobooks for some unknown reason and I'm thinking about getting another player since I download from libraries so much.
There's an Overdrive iPhone app now.
I too have a zune HD, and when my main pc was a desktop that was on all the time, the wireless sync was great. I would set it on it's dock when I got home from work, and by morning everything was updated and ready to go. However when I changed to a laptop I started have issues with the sync. It's sync's every 15 mins. or so, and I would end up closing my laptop while it was syncing. I wouldn't find out till I went to listen to a podcast and it wouldn't play or end half way thorough. I end up having to go back to manual syncing.I also found it helpful, that if you rip in an a book on cd you can rename the genre as a podcast. Then when you add it to your library, it will place it in the podcast section and save your place in the file when you switch to listen to something else.
Also consider a completely server based podcast solution like Mediafly. Mediafly.com lets you set up your subscriptions on their site with a free account and then use their iphone or Droid apps to synch or even just stream them to your device. I've also had good luck with this sme setup and Google listen on the Droid Eris
I typically listen to podcasts on my Android phone, so I use Google Listen and manage the subscriptions from Google Reader. For the Ipod, you could look at Doubletwist.com. Last time I tried it, the PC performance was pretty bad, not sure if it will sync to the Ipod.
Giving my vote to Zune also. Great for music, podcast, videos, pictures. If you have a 360 or plan on getting a WP7 phone it's a no brainer.
Mod
We're on Zune Marketplace!
I'm wishing Google Listen got updated more. Too bad it's not open source, because I think it would quickly get revised.
I use Juice to download my many podcasts, then transfer them manually to my MP3 player - but I'm sure there's an easier way to transfer but I'm too much of a control freak to let a program do it.
I used to use iTunes/iphone now i use google reader/listen on a droid x. i'm much happier with this arrangment, i hate being tethered to my computer it always frustrated me that my iphone couldn't download podcasts directly from the web.
I too am new to this group and enjoy every bit of it. I'm an engineer and have been reading SF since the 7th grade. I was introduced to it by an inspired English class. Most of my adulthood I spent living and raising kids but now that they are grown I've been able to return to my first literary love. In any event, like you, I got tired of using my iPhone and being forever tethered to iTunes/PC syncing of podcasts. That's why I'm thrilled to be back on the Zune ecosystem with the Windows phone 7. It syncs wirelessly whenever I come home and it's ready for me when I go out. No trouble at all.
Really think you should try beyondpod. 1st used it on win mobile, now I use it on my android phone, think they also have an iPhone app. It downloads over the cell network, mine is set for 2am so I have new episodes to listen to in the morning. No syncing between phone and computer need, just download, listen, and delete. Works with most audio and video podcasts. Has great interface, very easy to setup and use. Since they started on win mobile, I don't doubt they will be on phone 7 soon, if they aren't there already. I've tried most of the options mentioned above at one time or another and beyondpod is the easiest I've found.
I'm anti-iTunes as well, thus I've been using MediaMonkey with my iPod for transferring music/podcasts. It works really well with it. I wish WinAmp handled transferring music/podcasts better, but there are always some glitches with it.
Doggcatcher on Android is pretty great if you don't mind paying premium price. It's worth it if you are me and listen to ~7 hours of podcasts a day.
The iPhone Podcaster app has push now, and background downloading for 10 minutes. You pay extra for more than 10 podcast push notifications.
I use Podcaster on the iPhone. It's one of my top iphone apps and probably the only one I use on a daily basis.
smeej wrote: "Doggcatcher on Android is pretty great if you don't mind paying premium price. It's worth it if you are me and listen to ~7 hours of podcasts a day."Couldn't agree more...after moving from iphone to android I had to rethink a bit my podcast routine, and this tool hit the spot
Recently I had to replace my hard drive on my computer. While this happened to forced myself to move away from iTunes as my main manager for podcast. I moved to podcaster for my phone and I haven't been happier. They only problem it has is with one of my podcast's rss feed, but that the podcast's fault not podcaster's.
For those few who mentioned having Android phones, I can whole heartedly recommend DoggCatcher. I've been using it since 2009 and although it costs a little it's totally worth it. Totally manages my podcasts for me direct from the phone.(For those not familiar with Android I only ever connect my phone to my PC to charge it, it doesn't depend on a PC for anything)
Podcaster has been great. No more hooking up to itunes.
