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I was writing this sentence:

I just came across this website with interesting podcasts.

And I felt that using a word tied to a specific brand wouldn't be optimal. So now I am wondering if a vendor-neutral synonym exists for the word podcast.

So far my search have lead me to an older question asking for a word with a broader definition covering all recordings of spoken words. But that is broader than what I am looking for, and none of the proposed answers to that question could be used in place of podcast in my sentence without mangling the meaning.

Is there a word with essentially the same meaning as podcast which isn't rooted in a specific brand?

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5

MW defines audiocast as:

an audio file (such as a recording or broadcast) that is available in digital format for automatic download over the Internet.

Example: Their self-paced program has twelve units, so you can move forward when you’re ready. It includes audiocasts that you can download from the Internet to guide you step-by-step. — Christiane Northrup, Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom, 2010>

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5

Webcast

It means broadcast but in the context of the world wide web.

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  • 2
    The page you link differentiates between webcast and podcast as having different meanings. – Martin Smith Dec 6 '15 at 20:05
  • They have different meanings. But only one is completely vender neutral. I'd dispute a podcast is any "media file on the internet" myself. Is a gif a podcast? – candied_orange Dec 6 '15 at 20:12
  • @MartinSmith found a different page to link. How do like it now? – candied_orange Dec 6 '15 at 20:14
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    The word "podcast" is specifically used to distinguish downloaded shows from other types of media distribution, streamed internet radio for example. I think the word "webcast" fails to make this distinction. – AndreKR Dec 7 '15 at 3:11
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The use and definition of the term Podcasting predates any official use by Apple and is a "portmanteau of iPod and broadcast" - with iPods being the most ubiquitous MP3 players on the market when the term was designed.

To support its wide use, this letter from Apple states that podcast is a "generic term".

The origin of the term is from the article "Audible revolution":

With the benefit of hindsight, it all seems quite obvious. MP3 players, like Apple's iPod, in many pockets, audio production software cheap or free, and weblogging an established part of the internet; all the ingredients are there for a new boom in amateur radio.

But what to call it? Audioblogging? Podcasting? GuerillaMedia? emphasis added

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  • I don't think it is particular relevant whether the term podcast was first used by Apple or somebody else. Either way it is still based on the name iPod. Unless there is evidence suggesting that the term podcast was in use before the iPod name was introduced, I could never see the term podcast as vendor-neutral. – kasperd Dec 7 '15 at 9:23

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