How To Manage Video and Audio Podcasts with a Zune

We previously let you know that Microsoft is giving up on the Zune series of hardware. In that article we also mentioned that if you want to upgrade to a nice MP3 Player or get your first one, this is prime time to get a Zune on the cheap.

Although the Zune hardware is no longer being produced, the software lives on according to Microsoft. Let’s take a look at how easy it is to sync your favorite video or audio podcasts to your Zune device.

Here we’re using a 4 GB Zune but the process should be the same if you have a Zune HD too.

1. You’ll need to have the Zune Desktop software installed first if you don’t already. If you need help with that, check out our post on how to setup a Zune device and sync it with Zune Desktop Player.

2. To get Podcasts click on the Marketplace, then Podcasts, and search or browse through categories to find ones you’re interested in. You can review what the shows are about, then subscribe to it, or download individual episodes. It also allows you to show only Audio, Video, or both to make searching easier.

3. Once you’ve subscribed to some podcasts, they will be listed under Collection >> Podcasts.

4. Plug in your Zune and you can add a podcast by dragging it to the Zune icon in the lower left corner.

5. Then you can manage how they are downloaded, how many episodes are kept, and unsubscribe if you want.

6. Click on Series Settings and from there you have different ways to manage how many episodes are kept, playback order, and how they are synced with your Zune. Under syncing you can select to sync all unplayed, sync all downloaded episodes, sync only the first unplayed one, or not sync any at all.

7. While the podcast episodes are syncing, click on the Zune icon and it brings you to the following screen where you can monitor the progress and see how much space is on your device.

8. Another quick way to add podcast episodes to your Zune is to right-click on the podcast icon and click Sync with your Zune device name where in this example mine is Mysticgeek.

9. Or you can sync an individual episode by using the same method. Only this time you right-click on one from the list and click to sync it.

10. You can remove an entire podcast or individual episodes from your Zune. With your device plugged in, click on the Zune icon in the lower left corner.

11. That brings up the content on your Zune and you can right-click and delete entire podcasts or individual episodes.

That is really all there is to it for managing podcasts with the Zune Software, and syncing them to your device. Since Microsoft has discontinued the Zune hardware, you should start finding them online for a good price. If you want a quality MP3 player, now you can bring video or audio podcasts with you while on the go.

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