What is the best podcast aggregator?

nlatimer

I like Juice but it has been giving me problems lately, listing the wrong podcasts, seemingly random in the wrong feeds, and also randomly downloading old ones.

Anyone care to list the aggregator they use, not counting iTunes?

Alex

bashpodder, for when a GUI is too much.

Apreche

I'm sorry to report that it's still iTunes.... :-(

jwallace

Yep, for the moment, iTunes is the main one. At least when you go to the music store to search for NEW podcasts the descriptions are decent and brief (it helps when you're in a cubicle with a nosy boss [who you don't work for] poking around.

EsonLinji

Since I got an iPod, i've used iTunes exclusively. Before that I used some command line program I can't remember the name of.

Andrew

Since I got an iPod, I've used iTunes exclusively. Before that I used some command line program I can't remember the name of.

I will beat Mr. Period...I will!

Apreche

Songbird shows some promise. It may yet prove to be the Firefox of audio. It's worth trying out, but it sucks right now.

Cremlian

I personally use Juice. However I dislike when a podcaster resets his RSS feed and I end up auto-downloading the entire archive of the show....

Is there an option to stop that from happening?

thaneofcawdor

I used Juice (or iPodder Lemon as it was called back then) nearly all last year, until iTunes gained podcast support. Juice was great for people on dial-up, as I was back then, because it supported resuming downloads - an important factor when your connection is automatically cut every five hours. Now that I'm on DSL, iTunes is the better choice.

Apreche

I personally use Juice. However I dislike when a podcaster resets his RSS feed and I end up auto-downloading the entire archive of the show....

Is there an option to stop that from happening?

Don't configure it to download shows automatically. I use iTunes, but I have it set to never download a show on its own. Instead, I just look through the list of new shows and click "get" on the episodes I want to download. As of right now there really isn't any software intelligent enough to not download lots of unwanted episodes.

Cremlian

Damn, thinking about it for a second, how hard would it be to at least check the date of the file or some kind of flag that would tell you if it's newly posted or it's been posted before..

Pilitus

Actually Scott, if you tell it to just download the most recent episode, it ends up not downloading lots of unwanted shows. It might only get just one, but you can then go in and delete all of the old entries.

Cremlian

hmmm.. (looks at the settings I have juice on) there is only a "Catchup skips older episodes permanently" which doesn't help if they reset the RSS feed. I don't think at least.

Vhdblood

So, I just did a clean re-install and before I start putting my stuff in order, what is everyone using to manage podcasts right now?

I would just use iTunes, but I've switched over to using Rhapsody for my music, so iTunes is way too bulky for just podcasts.

Matt

I use the Podcaster app on my iPhone. It was 99 cents if I remember correctly, and I paid because it allows me to circumvent AT&T's 3G download limits. I can grab large-file podcasts on the go (at work where we have no wifi). Podcasts get me through my day, and running out of episodes sucks. Yeah, I could use iTunes and plan ahead, but saving myself 60 seconds in the morning routine is worth it. The app itself, I used to be down on b/c it went through quite the buggy phase, but the latest updates have cleared up almost everything. It's recommendable now.

Byron

If we're talking phones, right now I'm toying with Google Listen on Android. I feel like it is missing a lot, but I only use it for Geeknights at the moment anyway.

P_TOG

I just use the Zune software.

Neito

d. I feel like it is missing a lot,

I use and love it. What do you feel it's missing?

Byron

I feel like it is missing a lot,

I use and love it. What do you feel it's missing?

Finer controls on synchronization (e.g. there is an option to download only when charging, but not to synchronize only when charging), uhm ... other stuff. That's all that comes to mind right now. I pretty much have to force update everything or it'll be like 2 days behind.

I also found the interface clunky to add Geeknights in the first place. That was so long ago I couldn't remember well enough to describe what was clunky about it.

Fett101

Just started using Downcast on my iPhone because I was sick of having to connect to iTunes to download podcasts. It allows downloading and streaming over 3g and wifi. Very happy with it although It seems to eat a lot of battery when downloading.
I have all the podcasts feeds in Google reader as well because it's quicker to check for new shows there rather than waiting for the app to check them.

jmerm

Downcast

I tried Downcast for a bit but found its inability to play audio in the background while I do other stuff a dealbreaker.

Matt

Downcast

I tried Downcast for a bit but found its inability to play audio in the background while I do other stuff a dealbreaker.

I don't have this issue with podcaster. It also allows background pause/play control from the quucklaunch bar, or when you triple-click the home button on the lock screen (there is probably one person here who never even realized you could do that. Go try it.)

Fett101

Downcast

I tried Downcast for a bit but found its inability to play audio in the background while I do other stuff a dealbreaker.

Odd, I have had no problems using Downcast in the background whilst I do other stuff. It seems pretty integrated, with the double-tap on the lock screen and home screen bringing up the audio controls just like the iPod app. (ios 4.3.4 and Downcast 2.0.8 if you're curious.)

jmerm

Perhaps my issues was that I was running on some rather old hardware (second gen ipod touch).

Hitman Hart

The Zune software is really good for podcasts. One of my favorite features is that it lets you choose the order they play in(oldest to newest or newest to oldest) for each podcast in particular if you like, or set a universal preset. I just wish it would play downloaded podcasts in a feed like a playlist. Google Reader is what I used before I got my Zunes, and I think it's still a fine way to get podcasts if you don't want to use software.

lackofcheese

I used to use iTunes, but I never really liked it.
Personally, I just have RSS feeds for the podcasts that I keep up with in my Google Reader, and then I manually download new episodes when they're out. It's hardly difficult, and I like grouping my feeds together as much as possible.

Victor Frost

I use WINAMP.

Byron

I use WINAMP.

Hipster?

bodtchboy

Doggcatcher on Android.

Victor Frost

I use WINAMP.

Hipster?

Nah, it's just has a media library that's worth a shit. I'm not installing iTunes, Windows Media Player doesn't handle operands well, and Foobar2000, well, FUCK foobar2000.

Byron

I use WINAMP.

Hipster?

Nah, it's just has a media library that's worth a shit. I'm not installing iTunes, Windows Media Player doesn't handle operands well, and Foobar2000, well, FUCK foobar2000.

I thought you were kidding. That is old school. To be fair, I use VLC which really doesn't have all the neat features and tools. It just has playlists which have to be loaded off the HD. Oh, and it can play anything.