We’re excited to announce that as of today, AppStories, MacStories Unwind, and NPC: Next Portable Console all support HLS video streaming. We’re also beginning a special AppStories miniseries on iPhone Duo apps beginning today.
For Apple Podcasts listeners, that means you’ll be able to switch between the video and audio-only versions of the shows on demand with the tap of a button that appears just above the app’s playback controls. The update also means you can watch the video versions of our shows in Apple Podcasts on the Apple TV. HLS also means you can lock your iPhone or iPad while watching an episode and continue listening uninterrupted, which is great when you’re on the go.
Pocket Casts, which is a favorite of many MacStories podcast listeners, supports HLS video, too. And, for podcast apps that don’t support video, you’ll still get the audio-only version as you always have. The YouTube channel isn’t going away either.
From the beginning of our shows, we’ve been committed to offering high-quality audio to our audience. HLS and a lot of work behind the scenes allow us to bring that same high-quality audio edit to video for the first time.
Because our podcasts started as audio-only, getting here required a rethinking of every part of the production process from start to finish. One result of that effort is a suite of custom internal tools that has simplified our podcast workflow, giving our audience more ways to enjoy the shows than ever before.
It’s worth noting that one limitation of Apple’s HLS implementation is that it does not currently support paid shows, which means AppStories+, MacStories Unwind+, and NPC XL don’t support HLS streaming. That’s something that we’d like to add in the future, but currently, it’s not possible.
Plus, we’re kicking off the transition to HLS with a special AppStories miniseries on iPhone Duo apps. There’s a lot of ground to cover, so we’re not sure yet how many episodes we’ll be doing. However, today’s episode features 17 Duo apps we love, which is a good start.
Oh, and one more thing… we’ve added transcripts to the show notes for each episode. After the show notes links, you’ll find a “Show Transcript” disclosure triangle. Click it to reveal a neatly formatted transcript with timestamps for each chapter and turn in the conversation. The timestamps for the free versions of the shows are also linked to Apple Podcasts, so you can jump from an episode’s page on MacStories straight to that spot in the audio or video.
Finally, thanks to everyone who has listened, watched, and subscribed to MacStories podcasts. We’re coming up on the 10th anniversary of AppStories early next year, and we never imagined then that we’d still be doing it today, let alone with two other shows.
