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A podcast is a form of digital media that consists of an episodic series of audio, video, digital radio, PDF, or ePub files subscribed to and downloaded through web syndication or streamed online to a computer or mobile device. The word is a portmanteau of "(i)Pod" and "broadcast." The Merriam Webster Tenth International Collegiate defines "podcast" as: a program (as of music or talk) made available in digital format for automatic download over the Internet. A podcast's distributor maintains a list of audio or video files in a series on a server server as a web feed, and the listener or viewer uses special client application software, known as a podcatcher, to access this web feed, check it for updates, and download any new files in the series. This process can be automated so that new files are downloaded automatically, which may seem to the user as if the content is being broadcast or "pushed" to them. Files are stored locally on the user's computer or other device, ready for offline use. Podcasting contrasts with webcasting (Internet streaming), which generally isn't designed for offline listening to user-selected content. As discussed by Richard Berry, podcasting is both a converged medium bringing together audio, the web, and portable media player, and a disruptive technology that has caused some in the radio business to reconsider some of the established practices and preconceptions about audiences, consumption, production, and distribution. This idea of disruptiveness is largely because no one person owns the technology; it is free to listen and create content, which departs from the traditional model of "gate-kept" media and production tools.〔 It is very much a horizontal media form: producers are consumers and consumers become producers and engage in conversations with each other.〔 == Name == The term "podcasting" was first mentioned by Ben Hammersley in ''The Guardian'' newspaper in a February 2004 article, along with other proposed names for the new medium.〔〔Ben Hammersley: ("Audible revolution" ), ''The Guardian'', 12 February 2004.〕 It is a portmanteau of the words "pod" —from iPod— and "broadcast". Despite the etymology, the content can be accessed using any computer that can play media files and not just portable music players. Use of the term "podcast" predates the addition of native support for podcasting to the iPod, or to Apple's iTunes software. Other names for podcasting exists, such as "net cast", intended as a vendor-neutral term without the loose reference to the Apple iPod. The name is used by shows from the TWiT.tv network. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「podcast」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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