Stuck with a bug...(I think)

[CanonBlogger]

Hello all....kinda sorta new to podcasting. I have a blog/podcast where I make video podcasts available about once a week at www.canonblogger.com (http://www.canonblogger.com)

I am trying to do two things and running into a brick wall (I've tried Google and Wordpress support and both woefully lack in this regard)...

First, I am trying to submit my podcast feed to itunes but I keep getting a "host not responding" error...I've validated my feed and am connecting to iTunes, so what am I missing?

http://jason.scphotogs.com/webwork/itunes.jpg

Second, I am trying to get the podcast itself to display in my blog post (I am using PodPress which is a Wordpress plugin). Everything seems to be in order, but then I get an error when trying to open it, and a download error when trying to download a test copy. The play/open error is just no action or "Error loading file" depending on whether I specify FLV or SWF file format, and the download error is:

"Fatal error on line : Using $this when not in object context in /home/.angie/scphotog/www.canonblogger.com/wp-content/plugins/podpress/podpress_functions.php742"Where are my settings wrong and what do I need to do to fix this? :confused:

I should add that I am using Camtasia to create the video podcast and am going through production making an iTunes version and a flash-based version. The resulting production has html, js, xml and 3 swf files....HELP!

[WyethDigital]

Observations:

1) I didn't see a single quickly recognizable way to subscribe to your RSS feed, or even anything indicating you have one. So I couldn't actually look at your feed. Could you please supply the feed URL?

2) The "download" link on the video file (http://www.canonblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/vids/background/background.swf) I looked at linked to a .swf file. This is not typically a downloaded format. You'd be better off sticking with a flavor of mp4 video for that. If that's the file format the enclosure in your RSS feed points to, no wonder you're being rejected by iTunes (which doesn't accept Flash files).

3) You should assign your podcast postings in your blog their own category, like "podcast." I hear that makes things easier when using Wordpress. On the video entry I looked at, you had nine categories assigned to the entry. Try reducing those, and see if simplifying the entry helps.

Eric

[WyethDigital]

Oh wait! I just spotted your feed badge. It's little, grey, and almost halfway down your page. I'd make it more visible once your problems get worked out.

...And I've just looked at your feed, which does validate, (http://www.feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.canonblogger.com%2F feed%2F) but barely. You've got at least one nasty error in there.

Finally, you are trying to use swf files as enclosures. Not gonna happen, my friend. Totally wrong format. SWF isn't universally portable in the way that an .mp4, .mov, or even a .wmv file is. Can I ask where you got the idea that flv or swf files would work for podcasting? Because I think someone gave you some wrong info.

Eric

[CanonBlogger]

Oh wait! I just spotted your feed badge. It's little, grey, and almost halfway down your page. I'd make it more visible once your problems get worked out.

Good point, I'll definitely make that more visible...

...And I've just looked at your feed, which does validate, (http://www.feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.canonblogger.com%2F feed%2F) but barely. You've got at least one nasty error in there.

Yeah, I saw that error, but I have no idea wf that means...(a little shakey on this RSS feed stuff...care to assist in getting it straight?

Finally, you are trying to use swf files as enclosures. Not gonna happen, my friend. Totally wrong format. SWF isn't universally portable in the way that an .mp4, .mov, or even a .wmv file is. Can I ask where you got the idea that flv or swf files would work for podcasting? Because I think someone gave you some wrong info.

I have no idea...I thought Flash was considered more universal than mp4 or mov, just a dangerous assumption I guess on my part. The thing is, Mac users prefer m4p due to Quicktime compatibility, but Windows users prefer the .wmv versions, so I am kind of torn. Photo enthusiasts are kind of split 50/50 here so it's not the wide gap that Windows/mac ses in the general population. Since I'd been recording the video podcasts for both flash and iPod usage, I guess I could revert the posts to use Quicktime (mp4). The flash needs the browser plugins though and that would not be as embeddable (is that a word) without the html tags - or would it? I don't know much about embedding flash, I figured the best way (and the way that seemed to work best with the blog format) would be to reference the swf files as that takes you straight to the video...

Any suggestions on how to fix these? (Without re-recording everything that is...)

Also, sorry about the delay in responding...work got kinda crazy there for a few days. I am getting ready to record another video podcast today, so would appreciate any feedback you may have on how to proceed. I am using Camtasia, so my options for production are as follows (see screen grab):

http://www.jasons-photography.com/temp/record_options.jpg

When I go with the recommended (Flash) option, the result is a set of files, as shown below:

http://www.jasons-photography.com/temp/files.jpg

So....what should I do?

[WyethDigital]

First of all, Flash is more universal than QuicktTime and wmv for web browsing. But podcasting is all about delivering files to people who subscribe, and Flash is not a universal solution for that. The closest thing to a universal format for podcasting is a straight mp4 file. Windows Media, Quicktime, Real Player, and others can all play generic mp4 files. They don't look as good as the iPod formatted files (h.264), because vanilla mp4 files are an older codec, but as long as they don't exceed bitrate requirements, they should play just about anywhere, and on just about any portable device.

Now, that said, even though generic mp4 videos are near universal, they aren't really the preferred format for video podcasting. That honor goes to the Apple iPod codec, which is a flavor of mp4, but is newer, and more efficient, handling encoding up to Hi-Def. The biggest player on the blick as far as podcast directories, is iTunes, so the iPod codec is likely to be your best choice. Other players besides iPod can also play these. For instance, Zune will automatically convert them to play, and the Creative video player will play them natively.

As far as the error in your feed goes, I would think once you stop trying to embed shockwave files as enclosures most of your problems may be solved.

For web browsing, you should certainly use Flash if you like. There's no reason not to provide a browser friendly format like Flash as well as a downloadable format. But if it has to be either/or, and you are serious about your web series being a true podcast (downloadable and portable), you'll have to go with another format. My preferred is the mp4, or Apple iPod codecs.

Eric

[WyethDigital]

A good universal encoder for getting plain mp4 videos, or the iPod version, as well as some Windows formats is a program called Mpeg Streamclip. Just output a full quality file and compress using MPEG Streamclip, using whatever settings you prefer. You can even batch encode, which allows you to set-up multiple formats at one time, and leave it to encode as you do other things. Best of all it's a free program.

Eric

[CanonBlogger]

...

For web browsing, you should certainly use Flash if you like. There's no reason not to provide a browser friendly format like Flash as well as a downloadable format. But if it has to be either/or, and you are serious about your web series being a true podcast (downloadable and portable), you'll have to go with another format. My preferred is the mp4, or Apple iPod codecs.

Eric

Thanks Eric, I appreciate all the suggestions and feedback...(get it? feedback? rofl - I crack myself up!) The thing is, as I link to podcasts I've published in various outlets like Good Tutorials.com, online forums and communities and such, I always reference the html page, and that opens as a flash video in a browser, along with an iPod download link. For example, check out this link of one of my more recent podcasts:

Backgrounds Made Easy (http://www.canonblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/vids/background/background.html)

The swf references and feed issues are tied more specifically to the embedded blog presentation I think, which leads me to believe my problem is most likely a Wordpress thing. Unfortunately, I do not know the inner working of Wordpress well enough to sort it out in the short run. Given some dedicated time with a few solid resources, I can probably hack my way through it, but time lost on these kinds of details is lost visibility (and possibly advertising revenue too), so if you have any additional ideas for how to fix the blog format issues, I am all ears! (I've updated the RSS feed graphic and positioning on the blog already - thoughts on that? :) )

[WyethDigital]

I'd say the graphic is 100% better! Good placement, and with a splash of color. Very good.

I'm not a Wordpress user, so I couldn't really help you out on specific questions, except to say that however your formatting works, the first multi-media referenced by your blog post is generally considered the primary enclosure. So if your HTML/Flash embedding comes before the references to your downloadable video files, podcatchers and even some directories that are told to look for certain file types may experience some confusion as to what your enclosure actually is supposed to be. I know iTunes works in this way, as well as many other podcast aggregators.

How you correct for that in the Wordpress environment is beyond me, since I don't use Wordpress, but I'm pretty sure it can be done. I've seen blog posts with links to YouTube embedded players, and podcast file links, so there must be a way. I'm just not the guy to ask about that.

Eric

[CanonBlogger]

Okay, thanks. I'll poke around the support areas, sometimes you can get lucky and get good documentation from open sourced materials... :rolleyes:

In the meantime, since every video podcast I have made thus far also included an iTunes version (m4v) file, I have tried referencing that as the download link, but have gotten an error in every instance (and I've tried them all within Wordpress - see screenshots):

http://www.jasons-photography.com/temp/wordpress2.jpg

The other aspect is that, as you said, most well-known video podcasts or tutorials are recorded in the mp4 format. Camtasia does not afford me that option. My options are limited to SWF/FLV, WMV, AVI, RM (real media) and M4V.

I just finished re-producing one of the tutorials as a wmv file and will test that on the blog for downloadability, so more in a little bit on that. If the wmv format works, for content download and the embedded flash (swf) works within the confines of the blog, should I just leave well enough alone, or should I consider moving to software that can produce mp4's? I just came across some open sourced software that I think can do it called Wink, but I've not played with it to any degree yet.

ETA: The WMV version seems to work well enough both in the browser and in the download (for the feed)...now I have a tough decision to make. Stick with a media player I personally do not like, but is likely very common given the predilection toward Windows, or try to find software that can produce an mp4 (possibly via Wink or other open sourced alternatives)...and all for the sake of RSS and iTunes compliance...*sigh*

Oh yeah, and here's the link to the wmv version:

http://www.canonblogger.com/2007/10/09/

[WyethDigital]

Look at your screen shot again. :)

MP4 is the first iPod video compliant codec on your list. But the fact is, any one of those "iPod compliant" codecs will work with iTunes and will work as a podcast. So will wmv and avi files, even if they don't work in iTunes. The RM files are a little sketchier. Trying to pick between those is a really just left to a podcaster's personal preference or bias.

My method is to export a full resolution reference file, take it into MPEG Streamclip and export an mp4 video using their iPod settings. Once that's done, I open it in Quicktime Pro, add metadata, such as artist, copyright, title, etc. Then I "Save As" a .mov file, which passes through the encoding settings, saves the metadata, and attaches a .mov extension to the file name. I do that because some browsers don't always play non-embedded m4a or m4v files, but they do recognize the .mov file type.

I already gave you my preferred software. I personally don't care if it's Open Source or not, just so long as it works as it says, doesn't cost too much, and is easy enough to use that it doesn't get in the way of my creative processes.

Eric

In the meantime, since every video podcast I have made thus far also included an iTunes version (m4v) file, I have tried referencing that as the download link, but have gotten an error in every instance (and I've tried them all within Wordpress - see screenshots):

http://www.jasons-photography.com/temp/wordpress2.jpg

The other aspect is that, as you said, most well-known video podcasts or tutorials are recorded in the mp4 format. Camtasia does not afford me that option. My options are limited to SWF/FLV, WMV, AVI, RM (real media) and M4V.

I just finished re-producing one of the tutorials as a wmv file and will test that on the blog for downloadability, so more in a little bit on that. If the wmv format works, for content download and the embedded flash (swf) works within the confines of the blog, should I just leave well enough alone, or should I consider moving to software that can produce mp4's? I just came across some open sourced software that I think can do it called Wink, but I've not played with it to any degree yet.

[CanonBlogger]

I'd say the graphic is 100% better! Good placement, and with a splash of color. Very good.

Thanks - I kind of liked the look of it too...helps that my podcast is about Photoshop, as my skills lean toward creating stuff just like that graphic! LOL

I'm not a Wordpress user, so I couldn't really help you out on specific questions, except to say that however your formatting works, the first multi-media referenced by your blog post is generally considered the primary enclosure. So if your HTML/Flash embedding comes before the references to your downloadable video files, podcatchers and even some directories that are told to look for certain file types may experience some confusion as to what your enclosure actually is supposed to be. I know iTunes works in this way, as well as many other podcast aggregators.

Here's the thing...I am using podpress, which is a plugin for Wordpress, that does all that for me...it makes the download link and the embedded video off the same reference file, so for the browser aspect, that's why I was opting for the flash-based version. But...if that will prevent my podcast from getting picked up in feeds and/or on iTunes and other aggregators, then I would probably opt for the wmv version versus the flash version if the mp4 is not available in podpress. I guess I am confused by the close similarity in format of mp4 and m4p...on first glance I thought they were the same, but apparently, they are different flavors of the quicktime codec? My Mac laptop couldn't even play the m4p version when I tried referencing that one on teh blog, let alone my windows box. (Is it sad I have 4 computers, 2 on windows, one on linux, and one on Mac?) I'll give Wink a try shortly here and see how it does...

Look at your screen shot again. :)

MP4 is the first iPod video compliant codec on your list. But the fact is, any one of those "iPod compliant" codecs will work with iTunes and will work as a podcast. So will wmv and avi files, even if they don't work in iTunes. The RM files are a little sketchier. Trying to pick between those is a really just left to a podcaster's personal preference or bias.

Well I'll be schnookered....what threw me was the reference to "enhanced audio"...I was looking for the term "video"...go figure.

[WyethDigital]

I guess I am confused by the close similarity in format of mp4 and m4p...on first glance I thought they were the same, but apparently, they are different flavors of the quicktime codec?
Hmmm.... If I said m4p, then that was a typo on my part. M4P is the DRM protected codec that Apple uses for songs which are sold through the store. That should not be confused with MP4 video codecs, such as the iPod codec.

Eric

[CanonBlogger]

Hmmm.... If I said m4p, then that was a typo on my part. M4P is the DRM protected codec that Apple uses for songs which are sold through the store. That should not be confused with MP4 video codecs, such as the iPod codec.

Eric

Heh...that was me actually that was in there confusing my own dang self. Thanks for the clarification and assistance today. My PC to Mac conversion hassles continue as my production thus far is on the PC, so the mac support is kinda lacking...but I think I have a handle on it now...thanks to your help!

[WyethDigital]

Ah! Gotcha! Glad you're on the right track! Good luck!

Eric