Vodcasting has actually other meanings, like videocasting, video podcasting and videoblogging. But all these meanings refer to the use of the same technology called RSS (Rich Site Summary).

Vodcast is a term used for delivering “Video On Demand” VOD files online via RSS feeds. In order to publish a vodcast, video files have to remain on the server and special enclosure tags must be used in an RSS feed. Vodcasting is different from simple video files online. First of all, because vodcast is a video file in different format than regular video files. That special format is needed for special devices to understand and play the video. Second of all, whenever a new vodcast appears on your RSS feed, RSS readers or iPods automatically locate the new file and allow you to see and listen to it.

Vodcasting, like podcasting, is a subscription technology. When you’re surfing the web, you may have noticed icons on web sites that say “RSS” or contain some link to an RSS or Atom feed. These icons contain a link to the site’s feed file.

What is a feed file?

A feed file holds the equivalent of a table of contents of the most recent content items (often sorted by publication date) on the web site. There is an entry for each item in the table of contents. The item may be a written article, an audio file, or -- in the case of a vodcast -- a video file. Each TOC entry contains information such as a descriptive title, a link to the actual content (text, audio, or video), and a brief description of the item.