Episode rotation
Podcasts are like radio shows but on the Internet. New episodes are published regularly, usually daily or weekly, and thus podcasts constantly provide new content.
For each configured podcast Homer downalods and displays several most recent episodes. A newly published episode replaces the oldest one. The number of available episodes is configured for each podcast separately.
Podcast episodes show on the same list as audiobooks, there is no distinction. Each episode is a separate entry as if it was a book - the structure is flat for simplicity.
Try to avoid having too many items in the list, it makes it more difficult to navigate the content. For daily news it may be best to only show the single latest episode - usually it's fine to miss yesterday's news. But for crime stories or history podcasts keep a few more episodes to allow the user to listen to them at their own pace.
Adding podcasts
Podcasts can be added and removed in application settings.
When adding a new podcast you can search podcasts by keywords. The search is provided by Podcast Index, an open and free podcast catalog service.
If a podcast is missing from the search catalog you can add it by copy and pasting the podcast's RSS link in the search field:
- Open web browser on the device with Homer.
- Find the website for the podcast you want to add.
- Find the RSS
link on the page. - Long tap the link and select "Copy link" from the context menu.
- Switch back to Homer Audio Player and long tap the podcast search field to paste the URL.
Downloading and network usage
Homer downloads all podcast episodes regardless of whether they are listened to or not. Actually, an episode needs to be fully downloaded before it even shows up on the list. This differs from most podcast apps but it ensures that there are no issues nor breaks while playing, e.g. if the network connection is poor or is only available in part of the house.
A one hour episode can easily be 80-150MB depending on quality. With several podcasts, esp. if they have daily episodes, this can quickly add up to 2-3 GB per week.
Podcasts also take space, leave enough memory available for them when loading audiobooks to the device.
Enabling download on mobile networks
By default Homer only downloads podcast episodes on "unmetered" networks, i.e. ones with no per-MB cost
or data limits. This usually means a home WiFi with a cable connection but not a cellular phone network.
You can enable mobile networks for podcast download in application settings: go to Settings →
Network and downloads to change this.
Make sure your data plan can handle the traffic.
marcin@studio4plus.com