File format

[brudus]

Which file format do you download your shows. I always download the XVID version.

[darknessgp]

For Rev3, Large Quicktime, then I can use Quicktime Pro to rewrap (Yay, no re-encoding) them into .mp4 which the PS3 uses. Looks great on my 1080p TV.

[surtur]

The PSP has an RSS feature whereby feeds are automagically downloaded (you set a time for it to check the RSS feeds!) The small quicktime works perfectly with my PSP.

[ste116]

Originally Posted by Surtur

The PSP has an RSS feature whereby feeds are automagically downloaded (you set a time for it to check the RSS feeds!) The small quicktime works perfectly with my PSP.

I do the same

[bman]

Originally Posted by brudus

Which file format do you download your shows. I always download the XVID version.

xvid for sure

[scienceking]

Quicktime high definition if available, and quicktime large otherwise. Although now that QT large seems to be less competitive than the other large formats due to the move from H.264 to m4v, I might move to xvid on those.

[mic]

Originally Posted by scienceking

Quicktime high definition if available, and quicktime large otherwise. Although now that QT large seems to be less competitive than the other large formats due to the move from H.264 to m4v, I might move to xvid on those.

I went to XviD since there is no longer such a thing as Quicktime Large on any of the current shows. Rev3's refusal to correct their problem or at the least address the problem, demonstrates that I'm not dealing with the old friendly, responsive company that once was called Rev3.

[scienceking]

I don't know, Rev3's decision might make some sense if they plan on offering an HD H.264 feed for all their shows in the future. Because then most people who were interested in the old Quicktime Large feed would probably want to move to the HD(like I have with all my QT large feeds where possible), and then the large would be for iPod users. We could just be stuck in the middle of a slow transition toward this model, and slow transitions are what Web 2.0 does best!

[mic]

Originally Posted by scienceking

I don't know, Rev3's decision might make some sense if they plan on offering an HD H.264 feed for all their shows in the future. Because then most people who were interested in the old Quicktime Large feed would probably want to move to the HD(like I have with all my QT large feeds where possible), and then the large would be for iPod users. We could just be stuck in the middle of a slow transition toward this model, and slow transitions are what Web 2.0 does best!

Web 2.0, wasn't that the one with Dr. Otto Octavius?

Slow transitions are no excuse for neglect in the interim and by their very nature, slow transitions continue to expose people to the wrong terminology.

As to the HD versions, downloading a 600MB file can be time consuming for many people whose ISP uses packet shaping, quotas or severely limited their available bandwidth. HD is definitely not for everyone, even if it was desired.

Considering the popularity of the site, I noticed that the transfer rates from Rev3 are not consistent and don't saturate the connection. Which I guess means everyone has a longer transfer time than normal.

[scienceking]

Originally Posted by mic

Considering the popularity of the site, I noticed that the transfer rates from Rev3 are not consistent and don't saturate the connection. Which I guess means everyone has a longer transfer time than normal.

Really, thats strange. Using wget and iTunes to fetch stuff, I've consistently gotten 400KB/s downloads which are well above industry standard, and while not at my ISP's nominal promises(about half), probably limited by my ISP. I have also never really noticed many issues with consistency. Maybe there is something up with your ISP/network?

I think its more a question of "Is the group of people who can download and store a 300MB download several times a week every week significantly different from those you can do 600MB?". I'm guessing the answer is in practice no. And mind you, the only show that really gets up there is diggnation. The other shows are about half as long, and if people can manage Diggnation in standard def fine, they should be able to handle Infected in HD just as well. Especially considering that on a low end 128kbps connection, its going to take 5 hours to get diggnation large anyway, so the practical dynamics for low end users is its going to suck either way. Plus, monitors at high resolution are becoming cheaper and cheaper every day, and soon average joes will be at 1920x1280. I don't know if you ever tried to watch the QT large on that kind of a computer monitor, but at Computer chair distance it looks pretty horrific(not too bad from a couch distance, though). HD is important for podcasts because it makes them watchable up close where computer users sit.

And really, at some point, if podcasting is going to be an important part of your entertainment life anyway, you might as well upgrade your connection. I for example have a pretty fast pipe for a college student living in a single apartment, but I don't have cable or other services I don't care about as much as Internet.