A podcast is a special audio or video recording that is released in installments as part of a series. Podcasts are typically downloaded directly to your computer for listening on a computer or external media device like an MP3 player. Some files can be copied to a CD or DVD for play in a CD player or DVD player respectively.
To obtain podcasts, you can either:
To make podcasts, you have a couple of choices:
The podcast name comes from combining the words “iPod” and “broadcast.” It just so happened that many media creators formatted the podcasts for iPods because of their popularity, so the name stuck. The truth is you can use any MP3 player to listen to podcasts.
To stream media is to listen or view multimedia directly from the Internet. You don’t actually download the audio file to your machine; instead, the file is downloaded from a host server in real time. All you need is a web browser, a high speed Internet connection and any of the latest plug-ins needed to play the file. Some plug-ins may include Flash and Shockwave for movies and Windows Media Player or another third-party application for music.
Streaming requires wider bandwidth because data is being pushed through quickly to your computer. Think of a grain of sand traveling through a straw. Video and audio files take up more and more space the larger and longer the files are. Eventually, you may hit a limit and you’ll notice lag or choppiness. That is one downside to streaming: if your connection isn’t fast enough, you won’t stream efficiently.
The difference between podcasting and streaming mainly involves how you enjoy the video or audio experience. Podcasting needs an Internet connection only to upload or download. After that, you can listen to it on your computer or MP3 player away from the Internet. Streaming requires a high-speed connection and may be susceptible to lag.
Knowing which option to use is determined by your target audience and the reason for distributing your multimedia. Podcasting is a great way to get your voice heard, whether it’s political, opinion or for pure entertainment. Many who use streaming as a method of distributing are often filmmakers, animators or budding writers.
The big difference between podcasting and streaming is that while streaming may get you a quick set of viewings, the true testament to your own quality is by how many loyal followers you get, which is more easily maintained through a subscriptions service, like RSS. This will keep your listeners coming back for more.
source – http://bit.ly/2dvCgiP