Tech Netcasts!
What are your favourites?
Netcasts (also known as webcasts) are the new age talkback radio. They're an audio file - sometimes pre-recorded, other times live - which is broadcasted via the Internet. The popular 'podcasts' are a derivative of netcasts, but are typically restricted to the iTunes distribution channel. The term 'podcast' is often abused and used in place of netcasts, much like how the term 'iPod' is used in place of 'MP3 player', despite the brand. From a technical perspective, a netcast is just an ordinary audio file, typically MP3.
I've collated some of my favourite tech netcasts for you all to enjoy!
Mediocre music and the mainstream market
The music you've come to love has been sabotaged.
Not many people realise the degree of degradation music quality has experienced over the years. It has got to the point where the old vinyl records of yesteryear, the same ones that were popular some 100 years ago, provide higher quality dynamic range and clarity than today's CD audio. Remasters of old classics are sounding worse than the originals, and new music is sub-standard from the get go. It begs the question; surely technology has improved since vinyl?
YouTube Disco – music for all!
Music discovery, with added awesome.
Ever used YouTube to listen to or discover music? Well now you can do it in a much more intuitive way! YouTube Disco (short for YouTube Discovery) is a new service which consolidates music clips from your favourite artists into a functional playlist-esque UI. In addition to watching artists of your choosing, you're able to select 'mix tapes' to list tracks from artists with similar styles. Expanding from this is the 'Related Artists' tab which displays similar artists bar tracks.
Zune HD launched in America
Straight from the mouth of Microsoft!
The snazzy Zune HD (Zune 4.0) is due for release today, along with the popular Zune software (which, according to rumour, may eventually replace Windows Media Player).