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Author Topic: Are podcast downloads supposed to work like this?  (Read 1488 times)

dlone

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Are podcast downloads supposed to work like this?
« on: October 30, 2006, 03:22:09 pm »

Hi, I've just added a few podcasts
I set MC to download the latest 30 episodes as I haven't heard them yet

The logic seems to be backwards though - MC is downloading the files in 'newest files first'
I don't understand why the downloads do not starts from the oldest one first
Have I done something wrong, or do I really have to wait for 30 episodes to download before I can start listening to them?

I'd have assumed that the files would be download by 'oldest file first' so i could listen to them in order and not have to leave the pc downloading overnight
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benvisser

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Re: Are podcast downloads supposed to work like this?
« Reply #1 on: October 30, 2006, 03:58:08 pm »

in settings from your podcast set the download to "Only episodes I select"

in options (in your podcast screen) set sort by date.

Click the right button on your mouse on the files you want to download and select download file.

Then you can download the oldest and let the MC automaticly download later while you listen to the first few downloaded storys.
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dlone

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Re: Are podcast downloads supposed to work like this?
« Reply #2 on: October 30, 2006, 04:38:32 pm »

Well, I just added the feed and selected '30 newest episodes'
I didn't do any sorting (probably this is where I've gone wrong, I just expected things to work as i'd like withought thinking like the developers)

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll go with that in future
Shame that more thought hasn't gone into the podcast side though - the amount of 'casts available is getting larger every day and from a programming point of view, it could be improved easily to give the users a better experience
We shouldn't have to mess about with sorting, all podcasts should be downloaded in order - what kind of logic dictates that a series downloads in reverse order by default? No, you want to listen to things in order - so download the oldest first

I do this kind of stuff every day and can't see any reason for this neglect
Ordering the downloads is so easy that not getting the oldest first just has to be an oversight
My guess is that a generic sorting routine has been used and they forgot to think about downloads and the order you listen to them
What troubles me most is that as I explore the edges of MC there's a lot of design choices that just seem to be badly designed - the core is solid, but quite a lot feels like badly tacked on afterthoughts with no real thought of how it will be actually used

Case in point - I want the last 30 episodes, but unless i mess about, I have to wait for the other 29 to finish before I can listen to the first one
Just sorting by date, and download from oldest to newest and there is no problem
I would have thought it would be the obvious way to do it - who watches tv series from the last episode backwards?

Got to be an oversight, it's just to silly to be there by design
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BartMan01

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Re: Are podcast downloads supposed to work like this?
« Reply #3 on: October 30, 2006, 06:22:32 pm »

Podcasts are supposed to be one of those download in the background items, so the order does not normally matter (but it would be nice if it pulled oldest first).

What I usually do (with ANY podcatching software) is initially add the feed as 'manually' download.  Then I can clean out any files I don't want, and start the ones I want to hear first downloading.  Once they have started, change it to to your preferred options and the others will jump in the queue.  By the time you have finished listening to the ones you manually started the rest are done.
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