Make podcast playable in browser?

When I listened to the Gravity Group's podcast today, I thought it would be nice if the Coasterbuzz podcast could be played in the browser similarly rather than being a download. Any chance of this happening?

Probably not. There's no compelling evidence that people sit there and listen with a browser window open. Is it that hard to download it or use iTunes?

I do not own an iPod or use a Mac therefore I do not use iTunes. However, you are right that it is not hard to click that download link. There are benefits to streaming though.

Um, you don't need an iPod or Mac to use iTunes. And this is is coming from me, the most computer illiterate idiot on the planet . . .

As a general use podcast subscription device or music library organizer, iTunes is very simple and adequate. As Mike said, it's available on Windows.

I don't listen to the CoasterBuzz podcast as much as I used to because it can't be played in a browser. When I want to listen to a podcast I normally play it through the iPhone browser straight from the site.

I know that I have the ability to use it. I just choose to use a different means of organizing my music that works for me and would like to be able to listen to the podcast without having it take up space on my computer and get automatically organized with the rest of my music. As it stands I have to delete it after I listen to it, which is an extra step.

It sounds as if your mind has already been made up on this issue though and any further discussion would be an exercise in futility. I respect your decision and will continue doing what I currently am.

I actually found it aggravating that it was in a browser window (great podcast though). I was surfing while listening at work (break-time honest) and a number of times when I would click on a link it would take over the podcast window forcing me to restart the podcast and find the spot I was in. The CB podcast works great as it is. Just my 2 cents

That is why options are good, because everyone is different and uses (or doesn't use) technology to fit the way he or she lives.

Zakkster said:
a number of times when I would click on a link it would take over the podcast window forcing me to restart the podcast and find the spot I was in.

One of the many relatively insignificant little annoyances about computers...that unfortunately launches me into a blinding rage when it happens. I can't stand that. I generally don't prefer any type of media streaming in a browser.

You can play it in a browser today if you want. I can't imagine you don't have something installed that would play it back, whether it be Windows Media, QuickTime or whatever.

Keep in mind that even if there's a player in the browser window, it still has to be downloaded entirely unless you create a lot of plumbing on the back end to stream it and skip around. That's certainly not going to happen unless I buy a second server. And that's not going to happen because the podcast doesn't make any money to pay for it.

The podcast format is intended to be subscribed to and listened to in some kind of player. And if you really want to do it in the browser, things like Digg and Odeo do that today (that's why there are links on the podcast page to these services).