Comments? 888-563-3228 Today we talk about file formats. We also talk about getting good skype recordings. Becuase Of My Podcast: Jim Harold 1:15  Jim Harold has been on one of the top syndicated radio shows (Coast to Coast AM) in America 8 times. This show is syndicated to over 600 radio stations. Check out Jim's shows at www.jimarold.com he's THE GUY for paranormal podcasting (listen with the lights on) check out his podcasts and books at www.jimharlold.com Understanding Audio Formats What is stereo? What is Mono. What is kbps mean? What bitrate should I use? Here are some things to know To figure out how much space you need, you need to know: 1. How often you will publish 2. How long your shows will be 3. What format The formats have some general numbers you can use. For example: If you publish at 128 kbps stereo, your file will take up (roughly) 1M minute If you publish at 64 kbps mono, your file will take up (roughly) .5 M a minute (and sound the "same" but won't have stereo separation). So if you do a weekly show that is 30 minutes long that is 30 minutes multiplied by four weeks. So monthly you create 120 minutes of content. At 128 kbps Stereo, you would need 120 Megabytes per month. If you went 64 kbps mono you would need 64 megabytes per month (roughly on all of these estimates). In today's show, we listen to files encoded both ways as well as mp3 files encoded using the LAME encoder and the Fraunhofer and see if there truly is a difference? Need a Media Host? Check out Libsyn.com and get a free month using the coupon code sopfree Don't Buy a Bette Skype Recorder - Upgrade Your Internet Thanks to Tory from www.theblacklistexposed.com and www.packersfanpodcast.com Skype Requirements Your processor (on a PC) needs to be at least 1 Ghz with 512 MB (so double both of those at least) See More Your process on a Mac needs to be at least 1 Ghz (core 2 duo) and at least 1 GB of Ram How much Bandwidth does Skype need?   I currently use Spectrum and I have 162 Mbps down, and 23.78 Mbps Up. I rarely have a serious skype issue. It' is typically myself and one other person, but I have been on chats with five people and no issues. What About Squadcast.fm, Zencastr.com, and all the other options? While it's true these devices record local, so if there is a weird audio glitch, in theory, they don't record the glitch. Something Zencastr states you need at least 1.5 Down, but recommend 5 mbps see more For the record, I've use Zencasr and Squadcast and never had an issue with either. I've also used Ringr which is a cool app for your phone Free Tips For Making Your Guests Sound Good On Skype This comes from Kim from www.toastmasters101.net who explains if someone is going to use their built-in microphone on a laptop, she will have them download skype to their phone and use it over wi-fi. I like this idea, and here is a twist to make it easier. All it takes to create a free Skype account is an email address. You can create a free Gmail account, sign up at skype.com and make a second account. You provide the login and password to your guest, now they don't have to create a skype account. You don't have to ask for their skype ID (as it's yours). Afte the conversation have your guest I Need to Move if I Want Free TV I tried using a digital over the air antenna to receive free channels. I've tried three different versions of these. Most of them you sparking pictures of TV stations that are involved with shopping and/or Jesus. Couldn't I get NBC? Why because I live in Akron (about 50-60 miles from the nearest NBC signal). So any solution that starts with, "get an HDTV Antanea isn't going to work because of where I live. So Skype may not work for you because you Internet blows. Swapping to a new system (much like switch antennas for me) didn't help. Michael Delaney from Baby Mountain Radio (Care Giving for Dementia)  let me know about Silicon Dust about the HD Home Run ($66) but it requires an  HDTV Antanea and then allows you to stream that signal to any device. It's cool, and inexpensive (you can have a DVR for something like $35/year) at least from what I've seen I still need an HDTV Antanea. Stargate Pioneer told me about Tablo DUAL OTA DVR for Cord Cutters - 64 GB with WiFi - For use with HDTV Antennas that again requires an HDTV Antanea (they do make Outdoor HDTV Antenna), but living in an apartment, I didn't want to go there) How I Saved MySelf $44 and Got Faster Internet Want to see a popular topic? Start talking about cutting off your cable television, or "cord cutting." Oofah! I just mentioned it on a live podcast that hasn't been released and I got two replies (with really good information. I was spending at one point over $200 on cable but got it down to around $176, but I don't watch a ton of TV. So I contacted my Cable Company (Formerly Time Warner Cable - Now Spectrum) and found out that while I was on TWC fastest internet there was faster Cable available. So I downgraded my cable to $109 which now includes a much faster Internet. But I lose the ability to record anything (and you know us podcasters we love to time shift). After some comparisons of YouTube Live, Sling, and Hulu, I went with Hulu with the Live TV streaming for $44. So my now faster cable and channels is $153. This week I'm going to shut off my basic channels (and cut the cable tv completely) which should make my total expense $133. So I went from $176 to $133. I come down and ask Alexa to play Hulu which fires up my TV and tunes it to Hulu. This is going to be a fun space to watch as different companies (Googe is now rolling out YouTube Live).