A podcast is a form of digital media consisting of an episodic program downloaded or streamed over the Internet using an XML protocol called RSS. Podcast episodes can be audio radio, video files, PDFs, or ePub files. These episodes can be viewed and listened to on a number of different devices including computers, portable media players, and smartphones.
Podcasting lets listeners automatically receive the latest episodes of their chosen programmes as soon as they are released. This operation is made very simple by using the appropriate client software. The consumer can subscribe to the podcast and automatically check for and download new episodes, or download episodes of a podcast series individually.
To provide an insight into the quality of software that is available, we have compiled a list of 6 high quality open source podcast tools that offer an excellent way to manage and download podcasts. The selection includes both graphical and console based tools, software which includes built-in podcast management, as well as standalone tools, so all tastes should be catered for here.