You Can Make Podcasts Using Content from Multiple Video Sources Including iPad

Podcasting offers multiple advantages over usual broadcasting and distribution methods.  Podcast allows you to create materials on any topic you are interested in and reach a numerous audience of viewers and listeners not defined by geographic boundaries. It is an efficient means for distributing an advertisement, a message, or information. You need to shoot some footage (an interview, a documentary, etc.), capture it from multiple sources and edit with video software. The content is delivered to subscribers via syndicated feeds and is available for users on their PCs or Macs. Podcasting is very popular among businesses and individuals because of its cost-effectiveness. Customized interactive communications entertain, innovate, and inform audiences.

The first thing that video podcasting requires from you is efficient creation of various content. Standard equipment that you will use includes computer with video editing software and Internet access, and camcorder. Here we describe a real-life example of making a podcast from multiple video sources, namely video camera, iPad and source computer with PowerPoint slides. The Epiphan’s VGA2USB LR frame grabber has been used for capturing video from iPad and source computer. The installed software should provide a possibility to edit your footage and broadcast it over the network. On a PC you can try Vlog It application specially designed for creating video blogs. It is suitable for the news blog creation when you sit in front of the camera. More expensive and advanced software is Visual Communicator tied up to streaming services. There are many other alternatives, e.g. Ulead Video Studio, Pinnacle Studio Plus, etc. If you are on a Mac, you can choose from Apple Life ‘06 with built-in support for video podcasting, or iStage that creates the podcast feeds. Pros will appreciate Final Cut Studio – advanced editing software for Mac. In our example we have used Webcast application on a decent Mac computer. It creates podcasts and allows for broadcasting events over a streaming server.

Camcorder records video which is then saved on a target computer in the ordinary way. To capture video from other sources the frame grabber application was installed on a target computer. This free software enables adjusting image settings in order to capture data in the best possible way. As an alternative for iPad one can download a tweak named “Display Out” from Cydia. It can be found then in Settings app and is also used to adjust the output image. To connect iPad to VGA2USB LR we used the iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter. The frame grabber is transmitting images to the target computer’s VGA port. Note that iPad should be jailbroken.

 The frame grabber" captures also PP slideshows from the source computer through its VGA output. In both cases it allows capturing and saving content in an original quality with its high capture characteristics up to 1280x1024. Since data from all three video sources is now available on the target Mac here you go with video editing. Wirecast features intuitive streaming capabilities and amateur videographers will make great use of this application – adding titles, narrations, transitions, etc. The podcast is made from the edited and mixed video from various sources. All you have to do now is broadcast it through a streaming server.