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Podcasts are radio programmes which are automatically sent to your computer after you subscribe to them.
Vodcasts are the same, but contain video as well as audio.
All BBC podcast and vodcast subscriptions are free.
It means you never need to miss your favourite programme and can listen to them on the move using your MP3 player.
How does it work?
When you listen to audio or watch video on the internet, there are three ways to do it.
First, you can simply listen to something right away, like when you use the BBC Radio player. This is sometimes known as 'streaming'.
It just means you don't have to wait for anything to download to your computer. This is essentially a 'live' service which means you can't keep the programme to listen to again.
Second, you can download a programme to your computer. This might take a little while, especially if you are downloading video rather than just audio.
The advantage is that you can watch or listen to the programme whenever you want and also transfer it to a portable device like an MP3 player.
Finally there is podcasting. The difference here is that you subscribe to a programme much like subscribing to a magazine which gets delivered to you every month.
Once you subscribe to a podcast or vodcast then each episode will be recorded automatically on your computer until you unsubscribe.
What do I need?
First you'll need a broadband connection. Second you'll need some podcast or vodcast software.
This software is usually free, and these three are popular with BBC users:
List of podcast software on podcastingnews.com
Once you have installed the software, you just need to subscribe to the programme you want. The easiest way is to go to the webpage of the show itself and look for a yellow button marked 'podcast.' For example Newsnight.
Your software will then automatically download subsequent episodes for you.
How do I watch vodcasts?
The BBC uses a type of video called MP4 for vodcasts. You just need to make sure your portable video player can play these files.
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