Podcasts Vs. Webcasts
Podcasts and webcasts are two frequently used multimedia options on websites that provide ways to produce content other than simple text and photos. Both podcasts and webcasts allow people and groups to use the Internet to produce and distribute content widely without access to television or radio airwaves.
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Access
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Podcasts are files of broadcasts formatted for portable audio players, such as MP3 players. The name derives from the popular iPod MP3 player, according to "PC Magazine." Podcasts are downloaded from computers and can be heard directly from a computer, but they are most often enjoyed on portable players. Webcasts, meanwhile, are broadcasts that are accessed directly from the computer and viewed or heard over the Internet.
Content
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Podcasts often are similar to radio broadcasts, and webcasts typically share similarities with television broadcasts. Podcasts can include visual content, such as slide shows or video, but they are most popularly used to share extended audio content such as interviews, lectures and feature-length audio pieces. Webcasts cover similar events, but they largely are presented with both video and audio components, so viewers can experience them as though they were watching them on television.
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Live Capability
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Webcasts can be both live broadcasts and recorded ones. Live webcasts can be particularly useful to provide the opportunity to view such events as athletic events, concerts, church services and press conferences when people want to experience them as they are happening even when they cannot attend them, such as in the case of sold-out events that are not televised. Podcasts, meanwhile, are always recorded.
Miscellaneous
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Webcasts allow for interaction between onscreen participants and online viewers when the webcast is live. Podcasts do not have this capability. Meanwhile, podcasts are particularly amenable to serving as the outlet for a series, because you can subscribe to them through services such as iTunes and automatically receive new files when you sign into your service.
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References
- Photo Credit Creatas Images/Creatas/Getty Images
