Formating your video file for iTunes

According the iTunes specifications for Apple TV (HD) could be any of these formats: (Apple TV is very high quality and will display on any computer with a high speed connection. Apple TV is a box that Apple sells for delivering podcasts on your TV. The product is not that popular and is becoming obsolete with many other methods of delivering podcasts becoming available.)

Input Output
640x480, 30fps 640x480, 30fps, 3mbps*
1280x720 24fps 1280x720, 24p 5mbps*
1280x720, 30fps 960x540, 30fps 4mbps*
1920x1080, 24fps 1280x720, 24fps 5mbps*
1920x1080, 30fps 960x540, 30fps 4mbps*
1080i up to 60fps 960x540, 30fps 4mbps*


iPod and iPhone can play the following video formats (These will work on your computer low resolution or on other smart phones as well):

H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 x 480, 30 frames per sec., Low-Complexity version of the Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
H.264 video, up to 768 kbps, 320 x 240, 30 frames per sec., Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 x 480, 30 frames per sec., Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

The compression format H.264 is highly recommended so use that format whenever possible.

If you are working on an Macintosh and have the "Compressor" software that comes with Final Cut Pro, there are presets for these formats.

First Paying Sponsor

I am about to release my sixth show and I have received an offer to sponsor a show. The client has been in all my podcasts so far so they definitely see an interest in what I am doing. They are also not giving me much but it is a great step forward for me. I want to frame the checkbut I can't afford to do that at this point.

My Podcast Websites

With Podbean and probably all hosting services, you get a podcast website. Mine is www.montessori.podbean.com. I also post my podcasts on the website where I sell my Montessori DVDs (www.edvid.com).

Publishing Podcast Episodes (frequency)

One of the great things about podcasting is that you can produce as many shows as you want and whenever you want. It is vastly preferable to do a regularly posted show, but all your existing shows will likely be there for many years to come for anyone to easily locate on the internet. I have enjoyed many podcasts that have ceased to create new episodes.

The Death of DVDs

In spring 2009 I was producing a DVD on the use of Web 2.0 technologies in schools when one of the presenters (Sheryl Nussbaum Beach) approached me and said DVDs were dead. I argued with her but she made me think about it. Shortly after that Blockbuster closed 1,000 stores. I purchased an "Apple TV" box and later a "Roku" box for download movies from Netflix instantly and I have experimented with hooking a Mac Mini up to my HDTV. I now believe that not only was Sheryl right but that it is happening much faster than I had anticipated. Online delivery services such as Hulo, Boxee and Vudu allow you to watch many broadcast and cable shows online so if you have a computer hooked up to your tv you have access to many shows on-demand instead of waiting for them to air or to record them on your DVR. People are watching televisions on their smartphones and this transition is happening very fast as well. Soon with 4G technology you will probably be able to watch HDTV in real time on your phone or even a portable television with a larger screen.

The other thing that is changing is that whatever you are interested in is increasingly available on a podcast. Many people are already comfortable with audio podcasting of NPR or other shows or topics. I have found many shows on topics that interest me such as geology and astronomy. For example I can see super high resolution shows on the Hubble Telescope produced by NASA. My sons watch their favorite college basketball team off the internet on their televisions because they can't afford to pay for the service on cable or satellite. The quality and availability of programs will be rapidly increasing in the next few years so a podcast produced today will have a continually increasing potential audience from the day of its release as more people become comfotable with podcast.

GeekbriefTV

One of my favorite video podcasts is Geekbrief tv. Cali Lewis is the host and she and her husband started with no video knowledge about four years ago. They just had a love of tech gadgets. They do four podcasts a week. They also have their own "podcasting tips" page at http://www.geekbrief.tv/podcasting-tips. They use MEVIO which is also referred to as Podshow. They were able to quit their day jobs in five months after starting if I remember the story correctly. If you look through their archives their episode 483 talks about how they got started. Number 482 was their third anniversary show.

Their tips include: Podcasting as a Business, Starting a Show on the Podshow Network, Approaching Podshow, Online Promotion and getting a valid RSS feed.

Their production values have grown tremendously from their early shows partly due to experience but recently much more because of their success and ability to spend money and time on graphics and effects.

They talk about their equipment which is top notch and not something that you need to get started. If you have a clean image, good sound and good content you will be fine. I was already a video producer so I had a head start on them, but my topic (Montessori for Parents Podcast) has a smaller audience so it may take me a lot longer to become profitable.

iTunes

At this point it appears to me that iTunes is the core of getting subscriptions. The great majority of my subscribers are finding me through the iTunes store. If you are into podcasts, iTunes is a spot where probably all podcasters post a link. It is free to link your podcast to iTunes but iTunes does not provide hosting services. Podbean and probably all hosting services provide a reasonably simple set of steps for linking to iTunes.

I have found Podbean to be a bit difficult to navigate. I have learned my way around after about two months, but the FAQ need to be fleshed out some more.