It would be neat if podcasts could be divided into chapters and have visible content like clickable links, images and transcripts. Podcast apps could show supporting content as the episode plays (diagrams, photos, etc.) Apps and websites could display the material as a table of contents to give prospective listeners — and search engines — a window into the episode.

If there is a transcript available, it would be great to be able click on a word and have the playback start from there.

With chapters and other bookmarks/annotations, listeners could share or discuss individual bits of the podcasts.

I’m proposing a standard file format for podcasters to easily attach this kind of meta-content to their episodes.

How podcasts work currently

Podcasters use RSS feeds to “send” episodes to your podcast app. An RSS feed is nothing more than a single file written in XML. For all you computer science majors out there, it’s a text document that lists all the podcast’s episodes, written in a computer language called XML. Your podcast app reads the RSS file, which includes links to the MP3s. It’s like this picture:

“Visible” podcasts

I’m proposing a file format for in-episode display content. In addition to an audio file, each episode can have an XML file that describes or supplements what’s going on in the audio. Podcast apps can read the file and display its contents.

I nickname this system Synesthesia because that makes it sound very important and impressive, and also because it will help sound become visible.

Example of a Synesthesia file

(If the code looks boring just scroll down for pictures of what the code produces.)

<synesthesia>

<version>0.0</version> <episode>

<feed> guy-smiley-show-ep-1-2017-07-04 http://soundpage.fm/guysmiley/rss

<file>

</image> http://soundpage.fm/guysmiley/media/oscar-and-guy-smiley.jpg <chapter>

<title>Introduction</title>

<image>

<file>

</image>

<summary>The beginning of another great episode. Guy Smiley introduces our guest: Oscar the Grouch.</summary> 0 Introduction http://soundpage.fm/guysmiley/media/guy-smiley-in-spotlight.jpg The beginning of another great episode. Guy Smiley introduces our guest: Oscar the Grouch.

<type>music</type>

<start>319</start>

<artist>Pete Seeger ft. Oscar the Grouch</artist>

<song>Garbage</song>

<album>Pete Seeger & Brother Kirk Visit Sesame Street</album>

<image>

<file>

</image>

<site>

</item> music 319 Pete Seeger ft. Oscar the Grouch Garbage Pete Seeger & Brother Kirk Visit Sesame Street http://soundpage.fm/guysmiley/media/pete.jpg https://www.sesamestreet.org </chapter> <chapter> <start>489</start>

<image>

<file>

<caption>Looking grouchy but at least he is in a garbage can</caption>

</image> Interview with Oscar http://soundpage.fm/guysmiley/media/oscar-frowning-in-studio.jpg Looking grouchy but at least he is in a garbage can <summary>Oscar joins Guy Smiley in the studio</summary> <item>

<type>quote</type>

<start>678</start>

<attribution>Oscar the Grouch</attribution>

<text>It started out as method acting, but now I really like garbage for real.</text>

</item>

<start>897</start>

<image>

<file>

</image>

<text>Guy Smiley asks Oscar if he wears pants in the garbage can.</text>

</item> 897 http://soundpage.fm/guy-smiley/media/oscar-in-trash.jpg Guy Smiley asks Oscar if he wears pants in the garbage can.

<start>915</start>

<image>

<file>

</image>

<text>Oscar recommends reading about <a href="

</item> 915 http://soundpage.fm/guysmiley/

media/compost.jpg Oscar recommends reading about https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compost ">composting. </chapter> <chapter>

<start>1204</start>

<title>Final thoughts</title>

<summary>Guy Smiley recaps all the things we've learned today</summary>

<type>music</type>

<start>1309</start>

<artist>Korn ft. Oscar the Grouch</artist>

<song>Trash</song>

<album>Korn Duets</album>

<image>

<file>

</image>

</item> music 1309 Korn ft. Oscar the Grouch Trash Korn Duets http://soundpage.fm/guysmiley/media/korn-duets.jpg </chapter> </episode>

</synesthesia>

Just like with HTML or RSS code, app makers have the freedom to make the content display anyway they like. As an example, I made a web app that supports Synesthesia: a podcast player and automatic website builder.

Here’s the above code running in my “proof-of-concept” program

I grab the familiar podcast info from the RSS file and the rest of the content is Synesthesia.

Here it is running as a mobile player (just a web app for now):

It’s just like a normal podcast player, but with pictures and stuff. In my program, the timestamps highlight as the episode plays. It auto-scrolls too. You can click on the timestamps to jump around, rather than just a progress bar.

Don’t worry, podcasters! No need to type code to create Synesthesia

A visual editor for creating Synesthesia without coding.

For fun and profit, I also made a visual editor tool so that podcasters don’t have to type code. I don’t know if podcasters will like it and it’s free so I’m not sure about the profit part. It would be sweet to be rich though!

How do you like this system?