iTunes as a podcast client

I wrote this post yesterday, but somehow it was lost in the ether of the Internet. So now here I am again to rewrite it...

I listen to podcasts. I use iTunes and have an iPod nano (2GB, black). iTunes works pretty well as a podcatcher-- much better than any of the standalone apps, even-- but I have a few gripes/feature requests that could make it even better.

1) Separate podcast subscriptions into groups

This would work like playlist folders, and allow the user to create groups of podcasts instead of needing to view all shows and episodes in one big conglomeration. For instance, I would use this feature to put all of my video podcasts in one group, all of the Radio Leo podcasts in another group, etc.

2) Convert Podcast MP3s to regular MP3s

I'd love to be able to remove episodes from the Podcast view, but keep them in the Library still for future reference. This way, I'm only seeing new podcasts in the Podcast view, but still have access to past shows I've downloaded.

3) More options for episode longevity

I currently have iTunes set to keep "all unplayed episodes." It would be great if iTunes could leave the episodes in the Library after they're played instead of deleting the files entirely (see #2 above). Also, it would be great if the episodes could be set to automtically be deleted or moved out of the Podcasts section after a certain amount of time has passed since either the episode release or the time of download.

4) Longevity options for individual shows

I'd like to be able to set the options discussed in #3 for each individual podcast. Maybe I want the episodes from Channel Frederator to be moved out of the Podcast section after one full play, but completely delete all episodes of Jawbone Radio after they've been on my iPod for two weeks whether they've been listened to or not.


I think these enhancements would make iTunes the perfect podcast client. Let me know what you think in the comments.