Filed under: Audio, Internet, Windows, Freeware
Ziepod: Free podcast aggregator
by Brad Linder Nov 21st 2007 at 12:00PM
You can use Miro to download audio podcasts as well as video, but that's sort of like using a tank to drive to the supermarket.
Ziepod, on the other hand, is a bit more like a corvette. It's pretty, easy to use, and fast. The built-in podcast directory is also excellent if you're browsing for new podcasts. Notice we said browsing? There's no search button, which is a bit baffling.
Another odd choice is that while you an set Ziepod to automatically delete podcasts that have been sitting on your PC for a certain period of time, there's no way to customize that setting for different feeds. So if you download some podcasts on a weekly basis and others on a daily basis, there doesn't appear to be an easy way to keep the last 2 days worth of one and 3 weeks worth of the other.
That said, Ziepod does a great job of pulling in your podcasts, storing them, letting you listen on your computer or synchronize with an iPod. There's also a commercial version for $20 with a few additional features like download bandwitdh speed control, and a dockable video bar.
[thanks booblik!]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
booblik said 12:27PM on 11-21-2007
I've been using Ziepod for quite some time. It's an amazing piece of software. However you forgot to mention that it can play podcasts without even downloading them. You just select podcasts, hit PLAY button and voila! This is the feature that I use all the time. It's freakin' awesome.
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Jon said 7:59PM on 11-21-2007
What's wrong with iTunes? It's free and does the job. You can even turn off all the other features if you're an iTunes hater.
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voodoo said 7:59PM on 11-21-2007
@Jon:
Compared to iTunes it's fast, portable (meaning that you run it even from USB drive and don't have to install it) and has very responsive team of developers who are always up to solving problems you might have even though the software (basic version) is free.
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R said 2:45PM on 11-22-2007
@Jon:
How do you turn off the bloat feature in iTunes? :-) It seems that each new version becomes more and more bloated. Even Mac users are complaining.
I tried Juice before and it was a little rough. It downloads podcasts and that's pretty much it. It has a decent set of scheduling options. However, the user interface desperately needs work.
Miro is pretty good for audio and video podcasts, but it has very limited options for download scheduling and clean-up of old podcasts.
The new version of Winamp has better support for podcasts. But it also has limited scheduling abilities.
I think I'll try Ziepod next. Hopefully, this one will be a keeper.
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Brian said 2:46PM on 11-22-2007
I use iTunes to do all my podcast management, and I don't have too many complaints. But at the same time, the windows version of iTunes continues to underperform. Apple has shown time and time again that they develop far better on the mac. I think apple should start thinking about writing a new version of the software from the ground up. They've tacked so much on to the very first version that the software just isn't well optomized.
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Richard said 5:26PM on 11-22-2007
Thanks for this posting. I have been looking for something likes this for my non-Apple mp3 player (I have an iPod mini but I always use my cheap and battery friendly sandisk). I tried Juice but that ones needs a big upgrade. I am going to try this one.
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michael said 2:49PM on 11-22-2007
I hope this works for Zune too.
@Brian: iTunes on Windows is trash. Ok? And iTunes on Mac isn't that significantly better either. More postives, but it still ain't the best.
WMP 11 far outdoes many media players. It even supports many add-ons. iTunes is just outdated. Without the iTunes Store, iTunes is NOTHING.
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Bob said 9:30AM on 12-01-2007
I've tried Fireant, it's OK. iTunes is too fat for me, Juice could stand some improvement. I'm hoping this is the one. As for WMP11, I just recently discovered KMPlayer and was a quick convert. More time is needed, but I'd be surprised if it didn't still feel great in a year.
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smikwily said 2:43PM on 12-12-2007
Used Ziepod for a few months after Juice started having issues with a few feeds and I got tired of having to download them manually. Ziepod was a great replacement, but now that Zune Marketplace handles podcast, I no longer need it.
Great piece of software that is available for free or pay (extra features).
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