Apple Launches Video Podcasting For iTunes 159
phaedo00 writes "Apple has launched support for video podcasting in the Podcast section of the iTMS. Ars Technica has a decent write up of the news along with speculation on what this means in the way of a video iPod and Apple's recent application for a patent on the phrase 'iPodcast.'" From the article: "The quiet, fanfare-less launch (in fact, it's not even clear when it was launched) is a bit surprising for the company, but there may be a reason: there's not too many video podcasts out there in the wild. Furthermore, video podcasts are currently only playable on your computer, although it seems clear enough that a video iPod is on the way. If you didn't believe it before, you should definitely believe it now. For now, it looks like video podcasting support is limited."
Video iPod (Score:5, Interesting)
I'd be really interested to see what Apple can do for video on a portable jukebox. iRiver's implementation, while nice, seems a bit 'after the fact' so I know there is potential.
Re:Article text (Score:3, Interesting)
why read or write when you can listen or speak?
TV was made for losers like this.
News to Rocketboom... (Score:3, Interesting)
I bet they're surpirised to hear of this "new" functionality....
Tech Review Graph (Score:5, Interesting)
there's not too many video podcasts out there in the wild.
Actually, there is a very interesting graph in this month's Technology Review concerning podcasts. The graph shows the percentage of podcasts available by subject, versus the percentage of podcasts viewed by subject. Music is, of course, the genre that most podcasts are in, and the genre that most people view. However, erotica is one of the smallest genres by availablilty, and one of the largest by viewership. Porn driving technology again, it seems. :)
Why so quiet, Apple? (Score:3, Interesting)
I have to wonder if Apple isn't promoting this feature because they're not sure how to bill it. Without a video iPod, it doesn't fit well within their "package deal" of the iTMS, iPod, and iTunes.
If Apple was Smart (Score:5, Interesting)
Then, Apple could simultaniously release a new "accessory" for the Ipod. It would be a line of larger portable screens. The screens could have some sort of dock(maybe on the side) that the Ipod could snap into and feed video out to the portable screen while letting you use the clickwheel for control.
Doing something like this would give ipod owners a new "item" to purchase if they so chose. And, I imagine it would sell very well because now, in addition to entire music collections, you could have entire movie collections with an optional screen to get good viewing off of.
Of course, later apple could release a "video ipod" model as well with improved video out quality and perhaps a larger built in screen for ipod owners to "upgrade" to when their old ipods finally wear out.
It would be a win win situation for everyone and boost apple's hardware sales across the board.
DTV / Broadcast Machine (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Video iPod (Score:3, Interesting)
All the modern *color* iPods (starting with the iPod Photo models) can do video based upon the abilities built into the chipset. Apple just hasn't enabled it.
For video podcasts, I can't see why Apple won't enable it. For watching movies, well, that's a different ballgame. I think that will be limited to future iPod Video models with a screen equal in size to what we currently see with the Sony PSP. Otherwise, it would be rather ridiculous watching a widescreen format motion picture on a screen the size of my current iPod Photo model.
What I would like to see... (Score:3, Interesting)
This is all easily possible today, Steve Mann has shown the way, but I haven't heard of anybody in the video blogging community doing this. Even more spectacular would be if instead of recording directly to the wearable, if it was all recorded, mixed, and streamed via (illegally auto-tapped and legal, depending on the area) 802.11 across the net to a cam server of some sort - you could have a cheap and instant roving IP cameraman/reporter set up, able to go anywhere and report on anything, provided an 802.11 link was found. At the same time, it could record to the hard drive when the link is dropped or such, but the implications for indymedia coverage would be huge. We could actually have a good source for demonstration and other coverage that couldn't be destroyed by police action - indymedia reporters would have nearly the same freedom as regular remote camera news-crews do today, without the expense (albeit, without the quality either).
Imagine wearing such a thing, broadcasting live the latest happenning in your local area, as it happens - for anyone on the internet to see. Imagine if your server capturing all of this auto-inserted paid-for advertisements, to offset you bandwidth bill and maybe also provide a little (or a lot!) of coin on the side. Basically - everyone could become an independent news (or other) broadcaster - provided they could set up the advertising deals and such.
It would be an interesting thing to do, to say the least...
ViPods matter, on a plane, train or backseat. (Score:3, Interesting)
And its a democratic idea. The production values are shit (now) but the content doesn't have to be music.
Educational videos (like one I had to watch on IDMS DB) can be downloaded to a ViPod and delivered that way, instead of a bunch of us having to sit and squirm through it, missing parts of it when we had to go to the bathroom or on a smoke or a snack break (or just to leave the room and scream.)
And I like the idea that Woodie Allen wouldn't have had to spend all that money making some of his movies, wasting his time and mine with such banalities. Its not that they weren't worth watching but they weren't worth watching on a big screen.
The 'pitch' wouldn't have to the money men in the same way. There are a lot of stories that are interesting but they aren't interesting enough to warrant the budgets, and so they don't get made.
The ViPod is a GOOD idea. (And it would really fuck with the MPAA, like PodCasts are screwing with the RIAA by making anyone a member...)