For those who do n’t know , I ’m not really a fan of podcasting . However , over the last few month , there are a few podcasts , audio and TV , that I ’ve chosen to support to , though I rarely get the chance to listen to them — between work and family , and not having a long commute nor travelling all that much , I just do n’t get to them as often as I ’d like to .
And that ’s how I get a line a couple of surprising limitations in iTunes ’ podcast support . First , there ’s no time - based method of retaining podcasts . Through iTunes ’ Podcast preference , you’re able to choose to keep all ; all unplayed ; the most recent ; or one of the last 2 , 3 , 5 , or 10 instalment . But there ’s no way to say something like “ disregarding of the number of episodes , I know I only want to keep two hebdomad ’ worth on my Mac , as I know that ’s all I ’ll ever have time for . ”
Perhaps even worse than the lack of a time - found breathing out method is the fact that your setting employ toallof your podcasts as . There ’s no way to describe , for example , between a fact - found series that you ’d like to keep on everlastingly , and a joke - of - the - day podcast , for which you really want to keep only a few days ’ worth on hand . Whatever preferences you choose are applied to all of your podcasts .
EnterCast Away 1.2 ( ) , a $ 7 shareware app ( no limitation prior to enrollment , just some nag screens ) that fills this obvious spread in iTunes ’ options , and does so in a relatively elementary , yet powerful , manner . Using Cast Away , you’re able to assure , on a podcast by podcast ground , not only how long to retain a given podcast , but how foresighted to keep it active , and whether or not to archive it .
Before you use Cast forth , launching iTunes , which needs to be running first . You should also visit iTunes ’ Podcast preferences and set the “ When new episodes are useable ” pop - up to Download All , and do the “ Keep ” popping - up to All Episodes . You might also want to visit the iPod preferences and check the “ Only update checked songs ” corner ( to preclude still podcasts from being copied over ) .
Once you ’re in Cast Away , you ’ll see that the user interface is a individual four - tabbed windowpane , with the tabs labeled Main , Podcasts , Schedule , and Info . The Main tab is used to control which play list will be curb for podcasts ; by default option , only the Podcasts item is check . But if you store your podcasts elsewhere , you could easily enable those playlists as well . There are also some options for looking at the appointment in a podcast ’s name , whether or not to physically delete the removed playlists , a clitoris to set the archive pamphlet ’s fix , and a few other pocket-sized things .
The Podcasts tab is where all the “ heavy lifting ” happen — this is where you jell the schedule for each and every podcast in your collection . You keep in line how long to keep the podcast before removal , how long to allow it combat-ready ( checked ) , whether or not to always keep the late version irrespective of the other context , and whether or not to archive the remote podcast . When you first found Cast aside , you ’ll find all your podcasts set to never erase , and to be marked dormant after seven days . From there , you customize the configurations as you like . For instance , here ’s how I ’ve got mine set up :
Although this screen can look a bit confusing , it ’s really not that speculative . The Remove and Uncheck columns hold numbers that point how many days to keep a podcast before deleting or marking it inactive . A “ 0 ” in a column means “ forever and a day ; ” any other time value is a number of days . So as seen above , I ’ll keep all sequence ofthis WEEK in TECH , as its Remove economic value is zero . The Macworld podcasts , on the other hand , will be remove after seven days — though I also archive them , so they ’re available if I require to revisit any of them . For both the Macworld and iTunes New Music Tuesday podcasts , I have them set to be always active ( the “ 0 ” in the Uncheck column ) . For each podcast , you just necessitate to regard how long you ’d like to retain it , how long to keep it participating , whether or not to always keep the latest version , and whether or not to file away episodes when delete . After you ’ve gone through the leaning of podcasts , that ’s it — each of them will then travel along the laid docket , assuming you move on to the next tab .
The Schedule tablet is used to set up a recurring issue to mechanically execute the Cast out script — just go under the schedule clock to your desired time and click Set Schedule . At the appointed clock time each day , Cast Away will launch , update the podcasts as require based on your setting , and then take leave . ( you may also lean the plan manually ; just click the Remove Podcasts Now button on the Main tab . )
The Info tab contains the help for the applications programme , along with a self - police “ I have make up the shareware fee ” check box seat , and a release via which to really bear said fee .
I ’m not sure if Cast aside cope with the needs of “ heavy ” podcast users ( though I surmise it would ) , but it ’s perfect for me — now I do n’t have to concern about forcing prison term in my schedule to listen to a podcast , or about keeping a lot of podcasts around that I ’ll never mind to . Having the power to set these value on a per - podcast playlist is an excellent idea , and I in full wait that Apple will eventually include such a feature in iTunes ; until then , however , $ 7 seems a very reasonable price to pay to take in that capability today .
