Akregator and podcasts - where are podcasts stored? -- SOLVED

[kle]

Hi all

I feel pretty dumb, but I have been googling for a couple of hours trying to find out how to move podcasts from my Kubuntu to an external device (in this case a Linux-friendly Cowon MP3 player.) and I cannot seem to find the answer.

I have no time to listen to the programs I like on radio/TV when they are being broadcast. I assume there are many people like me, who like certain programmes and want to listen to them when they have time, usually on the bus on the way to work.

I download the radio programmes with Kontact Akregator, but I cannot find them! How can I copy something to my MP3-player if I cannot even find it? Where are the podcasts stored? That is just question one.

The next question, once I find my downloaded podcasts, how to convert them to a format my MP3-player can understand?

I would be very grateful for any help here.

[kjjjjshab]

Re: Akregator and podcasts - where are podcasts stored?

Look in ~/.kde/share/apps/akregator (I don't save podcasts with Akregator, but it's worth checking there first...)

An app such as vlc could probably do the trick for you... but what would be better is a script to run on the directory... perhaps someone will post a good trick for that.

[Fintan]

Re: Akregator and podcasts - where are podcasts stored?

I don't know about Akregator and podcasts but:

..........how to convert them to a format my MP3-player can understa

nd?

I use audacity to convert my audio files to mp3.

Easy to do.

[kle]

Re: Akregator and podcasts - where are podcasts stored?

Look in ~/.kde/share/apps/akregator

Thanks.
Yes, there were files there that have familiar names, but I can't open any of them (with Amarok, Vlc, Kontact, or for that matter Audacity.) These are not audio extentions I have heard of.

Frankly, podcatching is new for me, so I am at a loss.
The filenames I found in the above location have endings like these: feed=rss2.mk4, rss2.php.mk4, rss.xml.mk4, rss.mk4, rss20.xml,mk4, .rdf.mk4, xml.mk4. It would have been comforting to find an mp4. (Googling "convert mk4" gives me only stuff about cars.)

I am going to try podcatching
As for converting to ogg or mp3, I agree that Audacity is impressive indeed, but it's a bit heavy for day to day swift conversions of numerous little files. Yes, it would be very nice to have a neat little script to run.

[kle]

Re: Akregator and podcasts - where are podcasts stored?

I meant to say in my last post that I am going to try with Amarok, as I see that it has support for external device. I don't have the MP3 player yet (as I need to be sure I can use it for podcasts) so I was unable to test this. But the odd thing was that when I went to look in the .kde.../amarok/podcasts, I found nothing, absolutely nothing, though the file was playing away load and clear.

[kle]

Re: Akregator and podcasts - where are podcasts stored?

YES!!!!

By default Amarok merely streams the podcasts. You have to either 1) rightclick each "episode" and pick "download" (but chances are downloading will stall somewhere along the line) or 2) you can right-click the link of your source, -> configure -> "download when available".

And what-d'ya-know! What you get then is ... yes! mp3 files!

True you also get, if you use method (2), "episodes" that are of no interest to you and have to be thrown out (and if you are short of GB, this may be troublesome). On the plus side, everything is automatically handled for you as you sip your tea far away from your computer.

Right; I am going for podcast technology. And I am going to spend those extra Euros on a Cowan, because it has far better sound than other Mp3s and because it is Linux-friendly.

Since I started writing this last post, 5 MP3 files, approx 50 MB each, have ticked into my Amarok Podcast folder which, by the way, is no longer the hidden default folder, ~.kde/share/apps/amarok/podcasts/
I have, at the advice of the writer of a god-fearing contributor to the Internet, redefined my default folder for podcasts in the above-mentioned "right-click -> configure".

Though I am not godfearing, I wish all podcatchers a good night and lots of illuminating podcasts.

[kle]

Re: Akregator and podcasts - where are podcasts stored?

I would like to add: Honours to Amarok!!