I decided I no longer have time to listen to news (etc.) on my PC or radio, and that I have to go for podcasts on an MP3 player instead. So I carefully compared MP3/"multimedia" options, and settled for a Cowon D2+.
I had to experiment a bit, as this particular technology is new to me, so I am writing this for other podcatching novices. At least it should serve as a starting point. (I would like to add, though, that since I first wrote the Amarok description below, I have discovered that the solution provided by Seamonkey 2 is more to my liking. I shall describe it briefly at the end of this entry..)
Setting the Cowon, chose menu -> settings -> system -> USB connection: Choose MSC.
[Beware: Under the Cowon menu -> settings -> system, you also have the option to "clear memory" This actually removes everything you have loaded to your Cowon!]
Connecting: Turn off Cowon and plug it to your USB port. If your computer gives you a pop-up asking what to do, "do nothing". Wait until you get the device icon on your desktop (in this case "D2").
Now start Amarok (not before!).
Settings-> Configure Amarok-> Devices -> Plugin: Generic Audio Player
To the far left of the Amarok window, you have several "tabs". Choose "devices".
In the top menu-cum-toolbar, you will find the button "Connect". If it is uncooperative and gives you a message like "Device unmounted" or "This plugin must be mounted first. Please...",
unmount the device (D2) (by right-clicking the icon on your desktop and choosing "safely remove"); unplug and quit Amarok completely.
Then replug, wait for the device icon on your desktop; launch Amarok; chose devices tab and see the folder structure of your Cowon, click "connect". Setting Amarok will only be needed the first time. However, you will always have to mount the D2 before you start Amarok to be able to connect.
To download podcasts: Having chosen the tab "Playlists", you right-click the word "Podcasts" in the left column of Amarok, and from the drop-down list choose "add podcast". Paste (ctrl+v) the URL (web address) of the podcast you want. (You will normally have found the URL by right-clicking and selecting "copy" over the orange RSS for the programme you want on a website.)
The moment you paste the URL, Amarok will retrieve a list of available episodes of the radio programme you have requested. It will perhaps take a few seconds. The name of the programme series will be seen as a sub-folder of "Podcasts", and below each, see the names of each feed.
Configure podcasts: (You can configure each of the programme series individually, or "Podcasts" in general)
Right-click the item (in the left column) -> configure.
1) chose where you want the feeds to be downloaded (the default is hidden –
~/.kde/share/apps/amarok/podcasts/
– so I made a new folder "podcasts" in my home directory.
2) choose whether to download feeds automatically or on request
3) chose whether to "add to media device transfer queue".
Transfer
If you have chosen to download automatically and if you have chosen to add to transfer queu, the files can all be transferred with one click to your device, as soon as you connect properly, (i.e. mounting the device before you start Amarok and clicking "connect") Under the tab "Devices", you will see, below the device folder structure, the "transfer queu". On top you will see the button "Transfer". Click it, and your files will have been copied to the D2 in a few seconds. (A copy of them is still stored in your podcasts folder on your computer, and they can be removed under the "Files" tab.)
I should add that all your downloaded podcasts can be copied/moved far more simply to your Cowon with a simple drag/drop in Dolphin (file manager)! BUT you will not know what files you are playing, as so-called metadata will not be included (for instance, no information to tell you what the files are about, just numeric file names.)
VIDEO podcasts. The D2 only seems to accept AVI-containers. I know very little about this, but none of the video podcasts I downloaded were AVI. So I had to convert them, and Amarok will not do that for me.
There is a program that has been much praised, called "handbrake", but it seems to require KDE 4, and I am sticking to KDE 3.5 for a while longer. Besides, it is not in the repos, (not even in the KDE 4 repos), so installing it is not straightforward. So far, I am resorting to JetAudio (can be downloaded from Cowon.com), but it has to be run in Windows, and it is not free. That said, the files play beautifully, once converted. A real treat to watch the news on screen waiting for the bus.
Enjoy!
Since the above was written:
As far as I can see, Amarok 2 does not transfer podcasted files to "device". And since files are stored in Dolphin with meaningless numerical filenames, the task of renaming them manually and transferring them is tedious and time-consuming.
Seamonkey 2 has good podcast functionality. It goes approx. like this:
Klick the RSS link on your website.
A Seamonkey dialog will appear and ask you if you want to subscribe to the RSS. (You can also elect to do so automatically.)
You are now automatically redirected to the "mail and newsgroups" module of Seamonkey.. Your feed (the programme series) is listed to the left, in the "Folder List". The episodes are listed where you would normally find your email messages listed. The abstract of each programme appears in the "Mail Preview" pane together with an attachment, the downloadable programme. Right-click the attachment to save it. You can decide where to save it, and give it a meaningful name.
I had to experiment a bit, as this particular technology is new to me, so I am writing this for other podcatching novices. At least it should serve as a starting point. (I would like to add, though, that since I first wrote the Amarok description below, I have discovered that the solution provided by Seamonkey 2 is more to my liking. I shall describe it briefly at the end of this entry..)
Setting the Cowon, chose menu -> settings -> system -> USB connection: Choose MSC.
[Beware: Under the Cowon menu -> settings -> system, you also have the option to "clear memory" This actually removes everything you have loaded to your Cowon!]
Connecting: Turn off Cowon and plug it to your USB port. If your computer gives you a pop-up asking what to do, "do nothing". Wait until you get the device icon on your desktop (in this case "D2").
Now start Amarok (not before!).
Settings-> Configure Amarok-> Devices -> Plugin: Generic Audio Player
To the far left of the Amarok window, you have several "tabs". Choose "devices".
In the top menu-cum-toolbar, you will find the button "Connect". If it is uncooperative and gives you a message like "Device unmounted" or "This plugin must be mounted first. Please...",
unmount the device (D2) (by right-clicking the icon on your desktop and choosing "safely remove"); unplug and quit Amarok completely.
Then replug, wait for the device icon on your desktop; launch Amarok; chose devices tab and see the folder structure of your Cowon, click "connect". Setting Amarok will only be needed the first time. However, you will always have to mount the D2 before you start Amarok to be able to connect.
To download podcasts: Having chosen the tab "Playlists", you right-click the word "Podcasts" in the left column of Amarok, and from the drop-down list choose "add podcast". Paste (ctrl+v) the URL (web address) of the podcast you want. (You will normally have found the URL by right-clicking and selecting "copy" over the orange RSS for the programme you want on a website.)
The moment you paste the URL, Amarok will retrieve a list of available episodes of the radio programme you have requested. It will perhaps take a few seconds. The name of the programme series will be seen as a sub-folder of "Podcasts", and below each, see the names of each feed.
Configure podcasts: (You can configure each of the programme series individually, or "Podcasts" in general)
Right-click the item (in the left column) -> configure.
1) chose where you want the feeds to be downloaded (the default is hidden –
~/.kde/share/apps/amarok/podcasts/
– so I made a new folder "podcasts" in my home directory.
2) choose whether to download feeds automatically or on request
3) chose whether to "add to media device transfer queue".
Transfer
If you have chosen to download automatically and if you have chosen to add to transfer queu, the files can all be transferred with one click to your device, as soon as you connect properly, (i.e. mounting the device before you start Amarok and clicking "connect") Under the tab "Devices", you will see, below the device folder structure, the "transfer queu". On top you will see the button "Transfer". Click it, and your files will have been copied to the D2 in a few seconds. (A copy of them is still stored in your podcasts folder on your computer, and they can be removed under the "Files" tab.)
I should add that all your downloaded podcasts can be copied/moved far more simply to your Cowon with a simple drag/drop in Dolphin (file manager)! BUT you will not know what files you are playing, as so-called metadata will not be included (for instance, no information to tell you what the files are about, just numeric file names.)
VIDEO podcasts. The D2 only seems to accept AVI-containers. I know very little about this, but none of the video podcasts I downloaded were AVI. So I had to convert them, and Amarok will not do that for me.
There is a program that has been much praised, called "handbrake", but it seems to require KDE 4, and I am sticking to KDE 3.5 for a while longer. Besides, it is not in the repos, (not even in the KDE 4 repos), so installing it is not straightforward. So far, I am resorting to JetAudio (can be downloaded from Cowon.com), but it has to be run in Windows, and it is not free. That said, the files play beautifully, once converted. A real treat to watch the news on screen waiting for the bus.
Enjoy!
Since the above was written:
As far as I can see, Amarok 2 does not transfer podcasted files to "device". And since files are stored in Dolphin with meaningless numerical filenames, the task of renaming them manually and transferring them is tedious and time-consuming.
Seamonkey 2 has good podcast functionality. It goes approx. like this:
Klick the RSS link on your website.
A Seamonkey dialog will appear and ask you if you want to subscribe to the RSS. (You can also elect to do so automatically.)
You are now automatically redirected to the "mail and newsgroups" module of Seamonkey.. Your feed (the programme series) is listed to the left, in the "Folder List". The episodes are listed where you would normally find your email messages listed. The abstract of each programme appears in the "Mail Preview" pane together with an attachment, the downloadable programme. Right-click the attachment to save it. You can decide where to save it, and give it a meaningful name.
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