ProfCast
ProfCast was designed to be a one-stop solution for lecturers to create podcasts of their lectures. Unlike Podcast Maker, ProfCast includes the capability to record audio for a podcast. It also includes basic audio-editing tools, which makes it a great alternative to both GarageBand and iWeb. Its simple audio interface is appealing to users who don’t need or want to deal with the array of options included in GarageBand (which can be somewhat intimidating to new users without audio editing experience). ProfCast’s interface and capabilities are more like that of a consumer tape recorder instead of GarageBand, which is like a recording studio.
Because ProfCast was originally designed to create podcasts of lectures, it includes support for adding images, slideshows, and even PowerPoint presentations. Its interface is designed to enable you to view the associated presentation while recording the podcast’s audio content. The value of this is obvious for presentations because you can record the complete podcast and give the lecture at the same time. However, if you are looking to create video podcasts that include slideshows or video other than video of yourself while recording the podcast, it can be an interesting and fun feature.
ProfCast includes the ability to create enhanced podcasts, including chapters and links to external websites. Like Podcast Maker, it enables you to edit description and tag information for inclusion in the iTunes podcast directory. ProfCast also includes the ability to integrate screen captures into your podcast, which is a useful feature for instructional purposes. ProfCast can easily publish your podcast to your .Mac account, an FTP/SFTP server, a WebDAV server, or a folder. All in all, ProfCast is a great one-stop solution for podcast creation, albeit without some of the advanced editing features that are found in GarageBand and some other audio tools.