- Podcast Basics
- How Do I Subscribe to a Podcast?
- Podcasting and Windows Media Player
- Join the Podcast Revolution
Podcasting and Windows Media Player
If you don't own an iPod and don't use iTunes, iPodder's built in automation stops with the download. At this point in the process, you need to launch Windows Media Player. If you haven't already done so, I recommend downloading Windows Media Player 10 before continuing. It fixes several bugs in version 9 and offers some improved auto-synchronization not found in version 9. In Windows Media Player, follow these steps:
Choose Tools, Options. Click the Monitor Folders button; then click the Add button and browse to Program Files\iPodder\downloads. Click OK to add this folder to the WMP10 watch list. Keep clicking OK until you've closed the Options dialog box.
Click the Library tab, right-click the Auto Playlists header, and choose New from the menu to launch the Auto Playlist wizard.
Name your playlist; then click the link to add criteria below Music in My Library. Create an auto playlist that includes the following by selecting More for the list of criteria:
File Name Contains :\Program Files\iPodder\downloads
This parameter automatically adds everything in the downloads folder (and subfolders) to your podcasts playlist.
Now it's time to connect your portable audio player and set up auto synchronization. If you've never connected your portable device to set up auto synchronization, WMP10 will automatically prompt you to set up a profile. If you previously connected the device, you'll need to manually launch the wizard by clicking the Display Properties and Settings button.
Click the Settings button to launch the Auto Sync Device setup. Choose Automatic and select the box next to Customize the Playlists That Will Be Synchronized. Scroll through the list of available playlists until you find the Podcasts playlist. Check the box next to Podcasts and click Finish.
Depending on the available space on your device, you may want to let WMP10 optimize the files during the transfer process. This step is particularly important if a variable bit-rate file was used for the channel programming, because many players don't support variable bit-rate files. At this point, WMP10 will automatically transfer audio to your portable media player. Each time you connect the device, WMP10 will compare the content on the device to the content on the playlist and automatically keep the files in sync.