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We had difficulty downloading episodes from your feed Problem

I know this is a common problem and I've tried to look at what others did but was unable to fix. I receive the message, "we had difficulties downloading episodes from your feed," when I try to submit my podcast to itunes.


My feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheBeat-AHoopsPodcast


I'm not sure what to do. It works fine on my blog and feedburner.

Posted on May 8, 2015 2:34 AM

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27 replies

May 8, 2015 2:43 AM in response to TheBeatHoops

This isn't a valid podcast feed. You have no 'enclosure' tags containing the URLs of your media files. Your 'description' tags (which iTunes does not read if the 'itunes:subtitle' tag is present) contain iframes, which they shouldn't, with links to media files. One is an archive.org URL beginning with https, which Blogger will not recognize as a media file for iTunes. Another is a YouTube URL - you cannot use YouTube videos in a podcast.

May 8, 2015 2:52 AM in response to TheBeatHoops

I can't advise on specifics with Blogger. However it should be able to produce a valid feed.


You must submit to it direct links to valid types of media files - .mp3, .mp4, .m4a, .mov, .m4v, not Flash, Windows Media, RealMedia or YouTube players. The link must begin with http not https, and must be a direct link to the file - your Archive.org link is to an embedded player and that won't work.


You will also run into trouble with your 'itunes:image' tag. This URL also is https and might work, though it should be http, but the image is only 585 x 585 px - it must be minimum 1400 x 1400px, maximum twice that, RGB, JPG or PNG and less than 500kB.

May 8, 2015 3:04 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1

Oh I see, is the html code for each blog post that is the problem. I'm not sure where the direct link to the file on Archive.org is but I can look.


I knew Itunes needs the 1400x1400 image but I wasn't sure where to upload it too. I thought there would be a location on feedburner but I didn't find it.


Maybe it goes in the html code section?

May 8, 2015 3:10 AM in response to TheBeatHoops

You are creating your feed in Blogger then submitting it to Feedburner to pass on to iTunes. Unless you have a specific reason for using Feedburner, such as tracking downloads (which can cause problems) it may be better to stick to the Blogger feed. You should be able to submit the image to Blogger though I can't advise how. Otherwise Feedburner has a 'Smartcast' feature which enables you to over-ride the equivalent tags in the original feed (on an individual basis) and you can submit the image there. If you submit it to Blogger check the result -some of these services reduce the image size, though I don't know whether Blogger does.


Archive.org should provide a direct link; if they offer a https one you may find it will still work with http. The test is to enter the URL in your browser's address bar; it should play directly in the centre of the browser window.


When you have amended your feed you should check it by subscribing manually in iTunes (from the 'File' menu). The top episode should download automatically and play when double-clicked. If that works the feed is probably OK to submit. If it doesn't then there's no point in submitting it until you've sorted the problem as each time you submit it and are rejected you will probably have to change the title slightly in order to be able to re-submit it.

May 8, 2015 4:33 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1

Some detective work threw up this as the URL for one of your files (with https changed to http)


http://ia601507.us.archive.org/29/items/TBPCE2/TBPCE2.mp3


You can get to the page for the file by clicking on the house icon at the right-hand end of the embeddded player: User uploaded file


In this case the page is https://archive.org/details/TBPCE2 - extract the URL from the 'VBR MP3' link in the column on the right, and remove the 's' from 'https'.

We had difficulty downloading episodes from your feed Problem

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