The easiest way to watch Hubble's Universe Unfiltered is on your computer. All you need is a Web browser (you're using one now to see this page – examples are Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox) and Adobe's free Flash Player plug-in. Almost every computer operating system (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux/UNIX) can use Adobe's Flash player. In addition to Flash, our shows can be downloaded and watched online in Windows Media and Apple QuickTime formats (you'll need special player software for those formats), as well as the open standard format Xvid.
If you'd like to have the latest Hubble's Universe show delivered automatically to your computer upon its release, or you want to watch the show on a portable video player, then you must install podcasting software. This icon RSS on the main Hubble's Universe page links to a special file, called an "RSS feed," that podcasting software understands. The page isn't meant for you to read. It's just a lot of computer programming code.
First, download an RSS or podcast viewer. Next, most podcasting applications need you to cut and paste the appropriate link into their subscription form. Our video podcast is available in four different formats, so you can choose the one that works best with your video device.
If you will be using an iPod or other portable video device, choose a file with the size 320x180 or, if you have a newer player, 640x360. If you're watching the show on a computer screen, select the 640x360 size. Television viewers should use the 1280x720 size.
If you are unsure which RSS feed is correct, review your video player's documentation to see what kind of formats it supports. Once you configure your podcasting software, it will automatically retrieve our latest shows.
Numerous podcasting applications are available, but choosing one may take some research. The Wikipedia Web site has a good overview of podcasting and can point you in the direction of available podcasting applications. Wikipedia is a collaborative Internet encyclopedia and is not affiliated with HubbleSite.org.