Managing Podcasts Using iTunes
Downloading the Episodes
You will see a list of the podcasts you have subscribed to and you can close or expand each list by clicking on the arrow next to the podcast name to view the list of available episodes.
If an episode is grayed out, it means it has not been downloaded. To download it, click on the button next to the episode name.
TIP: You can have iTunes automatically download all episodes for your podcasts by going to and selecting for the option.
Viewing the Different Kinds of Podcasts
Standard Podcasts
The most basic form of podcasts, these include only the audio. Simply click on the episode you want to listen to. Any album artwork available will display in the video viewer.
Enhanced Podcasts
Enhanced podcasts are audio podcasts that often include chapter markers and static artwork that accompanies each chapter. The chapter selection menu appears to the right of the information window. You can use this to jump to different sections of the podcast.
Video Podcasts (vodcasts)
Vodcasts are podcasts that make use of full video, as opposed to the still images used in enhanced podcasts. These episodes will often take longer to download because of the larger file sizes associated with video. Vodcasts are differentiated from other podcasts by the little screen icon next to the episode name in the directory.
While the recent buzz has been focused on the ability to watch TV shows on the iPod, you don't need to have a video iPod in order to view vodcasts. While iPods will allow you to be mobile, you are perfectly able to view your episodes directly on your computer. Click on the episode you want to watch from the episode list and the video will play in the lower left section of the iTunes window. You can double click on the video to launch it full size in a separate window.
Troubleshooting
The Gray Exclamation Point
This appears next to the podcast's name when there was a problem with trying to connect to the podcast's feed. You can try to manually reconnect to the podcast by right-clicking (CTRL + click on Macs) on the podcast and selecting from the menu that appears. If you are successful, the problem icon will disappear. If not, the site hosting the podcast may be temporarily down. If you find that you cannot connect to a podcast for a prolonged period of time, you should visit the podcast's website to verify that the URL has not changed.
