Blackberry podcast can't use rss version 2

[gariac]

I've noticed a few podcasts have switched to "rss version=2.0". It seems the blackberry podcast player can't handle this format. I get a message that the "download" failed.

For example. NPR uses the older format. This podcast RSS works fine:
NPR Programs: Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! Podcast

But The Skeptics Guide to the Universe doesn't work. It uses RSS version two:
The Skeptics Guide

My gut feeling is this is a bug, but I'd like a second opinion before I contact RIM.

I'm on a 9870 running 6.0.0.723. I'm using Blackberry Podcasts v1.5.0.53

[berryaddictnoza]

Ah-ha, that would explain why so many people have had BlackBerry Podcasts fail lately. I was wondering if it was a audio file format issue (it's not), didn't think about the RSS format.

[stet]

I also have a lot of podcast subscriptions which are now failing to download for this same reason. It has been driving me crazy for the past few days.

[berryaddictnoza]

Originally Posted by stet

I also have a lot of podcast subscriptions which are now failing to download for this same reason. It has been driving me crazy for the past few days.

Stet, I installed PodTrapper. It works great and no issues so far.

[gariac]

I should elaborate a bit here so we can verify the problem. On a computer rather than the phone, find a link for the podcast with which you have problems. That is, the link that is used by RIM. I suspect in some cases, if you are using the podcasts that RIM has "built in" for lack of a better description, you may not have the link. But if it is a podcast that you added yourself, i.e. you have the link, open it in a browser on your PC.

For example, use the Skeptics Guide to the Universe link.
The Skeptics Guide
Now you need to view the text. On firefox, you just right click and select "view page source". On IE, you just right click on "view source". The second line starts with
rss version="2.0"

As far as I can tell, this is the common factor in the podcasts I can't download. Here is how it "doesn't work" for me. You can see the podcast just fine in the app. It even shows the episode data. But it will show "failed' if it tried to download it as a background job. If you do a "download now", it will try 5 times to do the download, then declare "failed".

I'm going to attempt to reach support via the link in the podcast app.

[berryaddictnoza]

gariac,
Yep, just checked, the podcast I listen to has changed to RSS 2.0. And the "doesn't work" aspects are exactly the same for me. The other BB Podcasts users seem to be having the same "doesn't work" MO.

Good work gariac!

PS, I just tried downloading the RSS feed directly from my BB browser, and it failed also, could it be our BB's have problems dealing directly with RSS 2.0? The PodTrapper podcast app seems to have no problems dealing with RSS 2.0, and works fine on my BB.

[stet]

The podcast I'm having problems with (astronomycast) has also changed to RSS 2.0, it is looking like this is the problem.

[stet]

All of mine have started working again. I'm not sure if RIM changed something in the background (there has been no app update) or if the podcast hosting sights (a lot are on feedburner) changed something but at least I'm able to download again.

[gariac]

Well guess what, all my rss 2 revs work as well NOW. Maybe it has something to do with how the RIM servers feed the data to us. Perhaps RIM reads this forum!

This RSS 2 podcast doesn't work"
DARK SECRET PLACE ON DEMAND
Maybe the XML has something to do with it.

[ecksdog]

Mine is working again also. But as a backup, I found "Car Talk" (the podcast I usually DL) is available on tunein radio.