Jason Unger

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I don't know about you, but I'm tired of watching video podcasts on my computer. It just doesn't make sense.

Even though I've got two screens running — one of which I use for "passive" applications (like IM, Twitter and podcasts) — having a video running while I'm working is awfully distracting (DUH).

This content needs to be on my TV. I didn't spend $2,500 on my Pioneer plasma to neglect it.

Of course, this is what Internet TV really is — using the Internet pipes to deliver video to your TV. It's NOT watching video on your computer.

We're starting to get there. Now that Netflix is coming via the Xbox 360 and LG's new Blu-ray player (called here first), the pipes are starting to get used to deliver content to the living room.

When any of those devices gets access to Hulu content, that'll be another big step forward.

In order to make the move into the living room, I've been thinking a lot about getting an Apple TV. I'm already locked into the iTunes universe. It's just one more step to my Apple-fication.

TV content is meant to be enjoyed in a passive setting, not when you're leaning over the keyboard.

It's easy to hate on the mainstream media, especially in an Internet age where most companies don't understand Web publishing.

Newspaper sites don't write Web headlines. Magazine sites think people care what issue a story is from. And TV networks? They just think we're all pirates.

But there are a few broadcasters with mainstream podcasts that are getting it right — and believe it or not, they're actually worth watching.

NBC Nightly News w/Brian Williams
Almost immediately after each day's broadcast, the NBC Nightly News is available commercial-free as a podcast. It's not a special "online" edition — it's the entire show, sometimes even updated when the West Coast edition has something new.

We've talked about Brian Williams and the shift in media before, but what makes this broadcast interesting a day "late" is that it isn't really that late. While there's obviously news from the day, a lot of the content is timeless — so if I watch it a day or two later, it's still worth it.

Anderson Cooper 360
AC 360, iTunes' "Best new podcast" last year, doesn't feature all two hours of Cooper's nightly news program, but it's the first podcast I watch every morning. Running about a half-an-hour an episode, it normally has the latest news from the previous night.

Beyond the news, Cooper and newsgal (and former TechTVer Erica Hill) seem to speak to the Internet generation — they're not old and stogy, and love to laugh at videos of bears falling out of trees.

They also incorporate their daily blog contests — The Shot and Beat 360 — into the podcast, which are lighter fare.

Meet the Press
NBC also gets it right with Meet the Press, which it offers in its entirety, also without commercials.

Obviously, things have changed a bit since the show lost host Tim Russert, but since the show has never been about breaking news, it can be watched at any point during the week without feeling completely out of the know.

What mainstream media podcasts are you watching?

There's something about the theme song for The 1Up Show that is just so damn catchy.

I get it stuck in my head all the time, and I literally can't wait to listen to it (is it downloadable as an MP3 somewhere?).

The actual vidcast is a really great show — it's such a different way to present the news and views. Instead of having talking heads telling you what's going on, the whole group sits around talking about whatever game they're playing or event has just happened.

It's basically like an audio podcast with video, but not the roundtable-style discussion — more of a "day in the life" shoot.

Anyway, you can figure this all out too. Just watch the video. And enjoy the song.

PS - Not sure why you have to verify your age, but wait for this to buffer. The loading time sucks.

How great would it be to work for The Onion? You make jokes all day, create hilarious videos, write ridiculous news stories, and just laugh.

The Onion News Network was easily the best new podcast of 2007 — if you haven't seen their videos before, check them out.

My favorite part is that they can find run-of-the-mill looking actors to play the totally stereotypical roles: the morning show host, the roundtable panelist, the pundit, and more.

I imagine the only place nearly as fun to work is over at CollegeHumor, where they are making some great indie video, like 24 From 1994 and Minesweeper: The Movie.

(RSS readers, click through to see the video.)

User-generated online content has gotten a lot of press in the past year (helping "you" become Time's Person of the Year), mostly due to YouTube, but also in part to blogs, podcasts and indie music.

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