Alternate playback methods for podcast subscriptions [was Re: Subscribing to podcasts in iTunes [was Re: Downloading MP3, thank you]]
Hi Karen, Are you using a different podcatcher for the podcasts? When you say you were subscribed via e-mail do you meant that they e-mailed the podcast as an attachment each time there was a new episode? Also, are you playing these all on a Mac, or are you sharing with a Windows machine? If you have a Mac, then iTunes is on your system, and you can certainly use it to subscribe to podcasts, and you can even subscribe to them yourself, if you know the podcast feed. In most cases, this is given as a link on the station's web page, and the feed address might look like: http://www.example.com/feed.xml (It doesn't have to have the .xml extension, but that's the type of file it is). Stations can actually provide you with a one-click link to subscribe to podcasts in iTunes by changing the "http" prefix to "itpc" (for "iTunes podcast"). Then, when you click on the link, or copy it to your browser's address bar, you'll automatically be asked whether you want to subscribe to this podcast in iTunes. The answer to your main question is yes, you can use iTunes to organize and automatically download podcasts, but then play them in another music player. They'll be stored in a folder under your user account: "Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Podcasts" under individual folders named for each podcast subscription. If your Mac is new, and came loaded with iTunes 9, then the folder might be named with "iTunes Media" instead of "iTunes Music": "Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Podcasts" You can then change the default app for opening your mp3 files (if you haven't already done so) by selecting one of your podcasts a file in Finder, then using "Get Info" (Command-I). Navigate in the Get Info window to where you hear "Open with" then VO-Right arrow to the pop up button, press it with VO-Space, and set it to the application you want. If you VO-Right arrow from there, you'll hear "Use this application to open all documents like this" followed by a "Change all" button that you can press to change the default application used to open the file. Close the Get Info window with Command-W when done. Even if you don't change the default player app from "iTunes" to another player, you can still play these podcasts without opening iTunes by using QuickLook -- just press space bar on one of the selected files and it will start playing. Press space bar again to stop. The only thing I'm not sure about is whether the subscription will eventually stop adding episodes if none of the files ever gets played in iTunes. There's a safeguard that keeps you from starting subscriptions that you forget about and coming back some months later to find that your disk has filled up! Let me know if this is for iTunes on Windows. I'm also adding a PostScript about another alternative if you want to play your music in a file-based navigation way, but don't want to get into the details of iTunes. Cheers, Esther P.S. There's another easy way you can play your podcasts in iTunes but not have to learn about navigating through iTunes if you only want to use it for podcasts. You can place the folder that contains Podcasts in the Dock. You'll have to navigate to the folder in the dock, and then use the contextual menu (VO-Shift-M or Command-Down Arrow) to change the view options to display as "Folder" instead of "Stack" and to view as "List" or "Automatic" instead of "Fan", and each change requires a separate instance of bringing up the menu to change the checked option. Once you do that, you can navigate to this location in the Dock (e.g. VO-D, then press "p o" to go to the "Podcasts" folder), VO-Space to bring up an alphabetized menu list of the podcast subscription folders in iTunes, Right arrow to the subfolders, and arrow down (or type the first letters) of the episode you want. Press enter to start the track playing in iTunes. Press space bar to stop if you're in iTunes. If you want to switch apps (to have as little to do with iTunes as possible), use Command-Tab to switch to a different application while iTunes is playing. You can always use Fn+F8 (one of the Mac's media keys on keyboards from the last 3 years) to play/pause the track, Fn+F7 to rewind, Fn+F9 to fast forward, Fn+F10 to mute sound, Fn+F11 to lower volume, and Fn+F12 to raise volume. The media keys work for third party apps, too, and your application does not have to be in the foreground for these keys to work. If you play tracks this way, you can take advantage of the fact that podcasts you subscribe to and play in iTunes will automatically "remember" the last played position and resume playback from there. This does not happen if you play the same tracks in another media player. Write back if you want more details about how to do this. Karen Lewellen wrote: Hi Esther, asking this out of curiosity? We have a station here n Toronto who h
Re: Subscribing to podcasts in iTunes [was Re: Downloading MP3, thank you]
Hi Esther, asking this out of curiosity? We have a station here n Toronto who has just switched to providing their podcasts only via itunes, as in the link looks for itnues on your computer before even letting you consider getting the show, smiles. It is frustrating as I was previously subscribed via e-mail, and I am not an itunes user. is there any way to break the cycle? to for example get someone to subscribe me for the podcast at itunes, but not require itunes after that is done, allowing me to use my own programs for playing podcasts? The hint given is that itunes is for organizing only, even though I know you can play things there too. Hope my question makes sense, Karen On Tue, 30 Mar 2010, Esther wrote: Hi Sarah, I've always been able to use either method for subscribing to podcasts in iTunes: (1) finding the podcast in the iTunes Store and subscribing or (2) add the podcast feed in the Advanced menu of iTunes. Admittedly, I don't use the second method as often now, since if I use the iTunes Store podcasts pages I have a lot more options for inspecting episodes and content, and even for providing a direct link to a specific episode. I generally only use the Advanced menu to subscribe when the podcast has no entry in the iTunes Store podcast pages. For example, Serotek's podcast series is not at the iTunes Store, so I use the feed to subscribe: http://serotalk.com/feed The usual problem people have with the "Subscribe to podcast" menu option under the Advanced menu is that they may be using an address that is not a feed. Entering: http://www.blindcooltech.com/bct.xml works for Blind Cool Tech subscriptions, but entering the main BCT web page address does not. Some podcast distributors change their feed addresses. In that case, your entries for the podcast series will be grouped under a second subscription with the same name. This happened with the BBC Radio 4 "In Our Times" podcast a couple of years ago -- I had the original podcast feed added from their web page, and it stopped updating correctly and could not be fixed even by refreshing the feed. So I had to switch my subscription as though I were starting as a new subscriber at the iTunes Store. HTH Cheers, Esther Sarah Alawami wrote: To use a feed for the adv anced subscribing to podcasts fails almost every time initunes. only when I had an actuall itunes feed di I get that to work. I wonder why.. On Mar 30, 2010, at 4:14 AM, Esther wrote: > Hello Martin, > > There are actually two issues you are experiencing in downloading MP3 > files, and one is specific to the design of the Blind Cool Tech web > pages: you first have to interact (VO+Shift+Down Arrow) with the link > entry before you can use either of the suggestions that were made (e.g. > bring up the context menu with VO+Shift+M and find the option to download > the linked item or to save it as a file, or use the keyboard shortcut of > Option+Enter to force downloading of the file). > > I usually access the Blind Cool Tech RSS feed at: > http://www.blindcooltech.com/bct.xml > instead of using the main web page for this reason, and also because the > feed page is much faster to load as well as not having the links embedded > in elements so that you first have to interact to access them. However, > only the 40 latest episodes are listed on the feed site, so you may need > to go to the main BCT site for earlier episodes. You can also subscribe > to the Blind Cool Tech podcasts in iTunes by navigating to the "Advanced" > menu on the iTunes menu bar (VO+Shift+M then press "A"), arrowing down to > "Subscribe to Podcast…", pressing Enter, and then typing or pasting in > the feed address into the dialogue window that comes up, and press > (VO-Space) the "OK" button. > > The podcasts will show up in iTunes under the "Podcasts" playlists. > You'll need to select this in the sources table of iTunes (after > interacting), then navigate to the Songs table, interact, and expand the > list of podcasts with VO-Shift-Backslash. Then you can start any episode > playing by pressing enter on the highlighted episode and pressing the > space bar to pause/resume play. > > HTH. Subscribing to a podcast is not usually so involved; they still > haven't fixed the bug in the Blind Cool Tech episodes listed at the > iTunes feed that cropped up a couple of years ago. You might just be able > to use the "Subscribe" button at the iTunes Store, but the way I've > outlined will work for sure. > > Cheers, > > Esther > > On 30 Mar 2010, at 00:46, Scott Howell wrote: > > > One final suggestion. You can always use VO-command-f5 to bring the > > mouse focus to that link, hold control and then click the physical > > mouse. That will bring up the context menu. > > On Mar 30, 2010, at 6:33 AM, M BROWN wrote: > > > > > Thank all those who responded to my query about downloading MP3 > > > files. However, none of the suggestions have worked.
Subscribing to podcasts in iTunes [was Re: Downloading MP3, thank you]
Hi Sarah, I've always been able to use either method for subscribing to podcasts in iTunes: (1) finding the podcast in the iTunes Store and subscribing or (2) add the podcast feed in the Advanced menu of iTunes. Admittedly, I don't use the second method as often now, since if I use the iTunes Store podcasts pages I have a lot more options for inspecting episodes and content, and even for providing a direct link to a specific episode. I generally only use the Advanced menu to subscribe when the podcast has no entry in the iTunes Store podcast pages. For example, Serotek's podcast series is not at the iTunes Store, so I use the feed to subscribe: http://serotalk.com/feed The usual problem people have with the "Subscribe to podcast" menu option under the Advanced menu is that they may be using an address that is not a feed. Entering: http://www.blindcooltech.com/bct.xml works for Blind Cool Tech subscriptions, but entering the main BCT web page address does not. Some podcast distributors change their feed addresses. In that case, your entries for the podcast series will be grouped under a second subscription with the same name. This happened with the BBC Radio 4 "In Our Times" podcast a couple of years ago -- I had the original podcast feed added from their web page, and it stopped updating correctly and could not be fixed even by refreshing the feed. So I had to switch my subscription as though I were starting as a new subscriber at the iTunes Store. HTH Cheers, Esther Sarah Alawami wrote: To use a feed for the adv anced subscribing to podcasts fails almost every time initunes. only when I had an actuall itunes feed di I get that to work. I wonder why.. On Mar 30, 2010, at 4:14 AM, Esther wrote: Hello Martin, There are actually two issues you are experiencing in downloading MP3 files, and one is specific to the design of the Blind Cool Tech web pages: you first have to interact (VO+Shift+Down Arrow) with the link entry before you can use either of the suggestions that were made (e.g. bring up the context menu with VO+Shift+M and find the option to download the linked item or to save it as a file, or use the keyboard shortcut of Option+Enter to force downloading of the file). I usually access the Blind Cool Tech RSS feed at: http://www.blindcooltech.com/bct.xml instead of using the main web page for this reason, and also because the feed page is much faster to load as well as not having the links embedded in elements so that you first have to interact to access them. However, only the 40 latest episodes are listed on the feed site, so you may need to go to the main BCT site for earlier episodes. You can also subscribe to the Blind Cool Tech podcasts in iTunes by navigating to the "Advanced" menu on the iTunes menu bar (VO+Shift+M then press "A"), arrowing down to "Subscribe to Podcast…", pressing Enter, and then typing or pasting in the feed address into the dialogue window that comes up, and press (VO-Space) the "OK" button. The podcasts will show up in iTunes under the "Podcasts" playlists. You'll need to select this in the sources table of iTunes (after interacting), then navigate to the Songs table, interact, and expand the list of podcasts with VO-Shift-Backslash. Then you can start any episode playing by pressing enter on the highlighted episode and pressing the space bar to pause/resume play. HTH. Subscribing to a podcast is not usually so involved; they still haven't fixed the bug in the Blind Cool Tech episodes listed at the iTunes feed that cropped up a couple of years ago. You might just be able to use the "Subscribe" button at the iTunes Store, but the way I've outlined will work for sure. Cheers, Esther On 30 Mar 2010, at 00:46, Scott Howell wrote: One final suggestion. You can always use VO-command-f5 to bring the mouse focus to that link, hold control and then click the physical mouse. That will bring up the context menu. On Mar 30, 2010, at 6:33 AM, M BROWN wrote: Thank all those who responded to my query about downloading MP3 files. However, none of the suggestions have worked. I have tried holding down the shift/control/option keys while pressing the letter M. This does bring up a menu, but within that menu there is nothing about saving target or anything similar. I have also held down the option key and pressed enter while on the link for the file I want to download. This merely downloads a html document relating to the archive page of the Blind Cool Tec site. Any further suggestions would be very much appreciated. Kind regards, Martin -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to macvisionar...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this grou
