How will HLS video works in RSS feeds? (alternateEnclosure tag)

Episode 2 of the Podcast Pulse podcast, hosted by Justin Jackson, titled "How will HLS video works in RSS feeds? (alternateEnclosure tag)" was published on March 26, 2026 and runs 1 minutes.

March 26, 2026 ·1m · Podcast Pulse

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Summary

There was a great thread from John Spurlock on the Podcast Index server on Mastodon. He listed all podcast hosts that support the new HLS video standard in Apple Podcasts.Transistor.fm is on the list (we have two shows on Apple Podcasts using HLS), but Kevin Finn and Dave Jones were wondering why we hadn't put HLS into the <podcast:alternateEnclosure> tag in those feeds.Initially, the HLS manifest wasn't in the alternateEnclosure tag (it's still a manual process for us to build these currently). But our intention going forward is that if you're hosting an HLS video on Transistor, we'll automatically add those HLS manifest URLs into the <podcast:alternateEnclosure> tag in your RSS feed.I just enabled HLS video in the alternateEnclosure tag for the most recent episodes of Stephen Robles' shows first (Primary Technology and Movies on the Side). I just tested it on Fountain.fm, and it works great. 👍Timestamps0:00 — John Spurlock's Podcast Index thread on Mastodon0:20 — Kevin Finn's question about the alternate enclosure tag0:34 — What we did with Stephen Robles' shows0:47 — Transistor's full video distribution plan (YouTube, Spotify, Apple, HLS)1:10 — Live demo: HLS manifest in the alternate enclosure tag, playing in FountainRelevant linksPodcast Index thread on Mastodonpodcast:alternateEnclosure specTransistor.fm

Episode Description

There was a great thread from John Spurlock on the Podcast Index server on Mastodon. He listed all podcast hosts that support the new HLS video standard in Apple Podcasts.

Transistor.fm is on the list (we have two shows on Apple Podcasts using HLS), but Kevin Finn and Dave Jones were wondering why we hadn't put HLS into the <podcast:alternateEnclosure> tag in those feeds.

Initially, the HLS manifest wasn't in the alternateEnclosure tag (it's still a manual process for us to build these currently). But our intention going forward is that if you're hosting an HLS video on Transistor, we'll automatically add those HLS manifest URLs into the <podcast:alternateEnclosure> tag in your RSS feed.

I just enabled HLS video in the alternateEnclosure tag for the most recent episodes of Stephen Robles' shows first (Primary Technology and Movies on the Side).

I just tested it on Fountain.fm, and it works great. 👍

Timestamps

0:00 — John Spurlock's Podcast Index thread on Mastodon
0:20 — Kevin Finn's question about the alternate enclosure tag
0:34 — What we did with Stephen Robles' shows
0:47 — Transistor's full video distribution plan (YouTube, Spotify, Apple, HLS)
1:10 — Live demo: HLS manifest in the alternate enclosure tag, playing in Fountain

Relevant links