An oggcast is a
podcast
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
recorded and distributed exclusively in the
Ogg vorbis
Vorbis is a free and open-source software project headed by the Xiph.Org Foundation. The project produces an audio coding format and software reference encoder/decoder (codec) for lossy audio compression. Vorbis is most commonly used in conjun ...
audio codec and/or other similarly free codecs.
For example, a podcast distributed both in the non-free mp3 format and the free Ogg Vorbis format would not technically meet the definition of an oggcast. In contrast, a podcast distributed in both the Ogg Vorbis and
Speex
Speex is an audio compression codec specifically tuned for the reproduction of human speech and also a free software speech codec that may be used on VoIP applications and podcasts. It is based on the CELP speech coding algorithm.Xiph.OrIntrodu ...
codecs would meet the strict definition of an oggcast. The term oggcast is a combination of the word "ogg" from the term Ogg Vorbis, and the syllable "cast", from "broadcast".
History
The exact timeline of the term oggcast is uncertain, however,
The Linux Link Tech Show, one of the longer running Linux podcasts still in production, has a program in the Ogg Vorbis format in its archives from January 7, 2004. Given that a stable release of Ogg Vorbis did not appear until July 19, 2002, it is very likely that the term oggcast was coined sometime between 2002 and 2004.
Rationale
Oggcasters tend to be broadcasters who prefer not to use audio and video codecs that have patent and/or licensing restrictions, such as the
mp3
MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...
codec.
Advantages and disadvantages
Recording and distributing podcasts in the Ogg Vorbis audio format has both advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages:
*
Mozilla
Mozilla (stylized as moz://a) is a free software community founded in 1998 by members of Netscape. The Mozilla community uses, develops, spreads and supports Mozilla products, thereby promoting exclusively free software and open standards, wi ...
Firefox
Mozilla Firefox, or simply Firefox, is a free and open-source web browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation. It uses the Gecko rendering engine to display web pages, which implements current and ...
and Google Chrome web browsers both support playing Ogg Vorbis files directly in the browser without requiring plugins.
* Ogg Vorbis may produce better audio quality with a smaller file size than alternative codecs such as Advanced Audio Coding, aac or mp3. However, this has not been proven conclusively.
* Ogg Vorbis is not bound by patents and is considered "free software" in the sense that no corporate entity owns the rights to the format. Some people feel that this is a safer container for their multimedia content for this reason.
Disadvantages:
* Oggcasters can generally not reach as wide of an audience as more traditional podcasters. This is mainly due to the lack of native Ogg Vorbis support in Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Apple's Safari web browser, and the lack of Ogg Vorbis support in many mobile audio devices.
Oggcasts
Oggcast planet maintains a central list of oggcasts.
Some notable (but not all inclusive) oggcasts are as follows:
* Cerebral knights
* Crivins
* GNU World Order (hosted by Klaatu (podcaster))
* Information underground
Juiced Penguin* Kernel Panic Oggcast
* LibreCAST
* Libre.fm
* Lotta linux links
* MythTV cast
* Palaver (oggcast)
* TuxJam
References
{{Reflist
Podcasting
Media formats
Digital audio
Technology in society