Video in Apple Podcasts ⇥ podnews.net

Apple:

Apple today announced a transformative update coming to Apple Podcasts this spring that will bring advanced video podcast capabilities to the app. This enhanced video podcast experience uses Apple’s industry-leading HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology to set a new standard that empowers podcast creators with unprecedented control and monetization opportunities while delivering the highest-quality viewing experience for users.

The “advanced” part of this is that switching between the video and audio versions of an episode is basically seamless. When I tried it on both my fast home Wi-Fi and my tepid cell connection, it was as smooth as in Stephen Robles’ demo. That is pretty nice.

What is not so nice is that it is another proprietary take on the otherwise open standards world of podcasting. It requires a special agreement with Apple, which is why it is limited at launch to four ad-tech podcast hosting providers, and does not support a generic HLS URL. Maybe this is because it is a technical feat but, also, “Apple will charge participating ad networks an impression-based fee for the delivery of dynamic ads in HLS video”.

James Cridland, Podnews:

Up until now, transcripts, chapters, subscriptions – all these features have been available to anyone, in a truly open manner. Other launches have been enhancement: auto-submissions of new shows, for example. But now, there is no access to HLS video if you’re self-hosting, or if you are using a small podcast hosting company. Apple Podcasts can’t talk about being open when this feature is closed to all but four companies.

By keeping HLS video away from the RSS feed, this is a proprietary solution for Apple Podcasts. No other player will see these HLS video feeds (unlike creator-produced transcripts, for example, which are visible everywhere). This is a shame.

Tedious arguments about terminology aside, the infrastructure required for delivering video seems to have finally opened the door to big companies applying a lock-in strategy to a format based on open standards.