Doppler 2.0 is out and I've been running it through its paces. One feature I did find lacking was an easy way in Windows Media Player 10 to catch up on all of my feeds in a single, smart, Auto Playlist that organizes all my latest feeds for listening on my Desktop or in Media Center and syncs just the ones I want to my portable player. These Auto Playlists will automatically organize your feeds (eg. new feeds just downloaded, those not listened to etc.) and prepare them for easy Sync to a portable music player such as the Creative Zen Micro or Portable Media Center. 

Organize your Podcasts by:

• Today's Podcasts
• Unfinished Podcasts (in case you listen on PC and Portable )
• Last Week's Worth
• All Podcasts

For power users*, just download the playlists here or read below for step-by-step instructions:
Download: MP10_Podcast_AutoPlaylists.zip (.97 KB)
Download: MP10_Podcast_AutoPlaylists.exe (30 KB)

Please note this is for Windows users of Windows Media Player 10 and has only been tested on Windows XP - don't kill the messenger!

Step 1: Pick your Podcatcher
The first step is to pick your preferred podcasting app.  I recommend Doppler 2.0. While it requires you to download the .Net Framework, it's fast and downloads multiple feeds at the same time.  The search function makes it easier to find feeds and if you're just starting out, you can find feeds to subscribe to under File|Import from Directory.

By default, Doppler will create static playlists in WM Player 10 for each of your shows, but this can be hard to navigate on a device or if you just want to catch up on all your latest feeds. Now you need to set Doppler to update the "Genre" tag on downloaded feeds. To do this, choose Tools|Options, and select the Default Feed Settings tab at the top, and then Tags. Set the tag to, "Podcast" for my Auto Playlists, or whatever meaningful alternative (eg. "Audio Blog") you prefer. You'll find Podcasters aren't too stringent about format for using Album, Artist, and Genre tags so this fixes it. Now go ahead and download some podcasts or if you already have some, choose, Tools | Apply default feed settings to all feeds to fix the genre tag on all feeds.

Step 2: Install the Auto Playlist Pack
This step is pretty simple.  If you don't have Windows Media Player 10 yet, click here.  I've created two versions of the Playlist Pack, one is a standard .zipfile, the other is a self-extracting .exe. 

Download:

The .exe will by default prompt you to install the Auto Playlists in the following location: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\My Music\My Playlists which is shared for all users.

Note: For per-user installation just unzip to My Documents\My Music\My Playlists

Step 3: Search and Auto Sync!
WM Player 10 should automatically add the playlists into your library in a matter of seconds and they will show up on the left-hand pane under "Auto Playlists". If you're really impatient and they haven't shown up, hit F3 and tell WM Player to search for files in the folder you placed the Auto Playlists.

Now you're ready to enjoy your Auto Playlists on your PC, or your portable music player. Just add the new Auto Playlists to your sync relationship and every time you connect your device, it will transfer your preferred podcasts onto your device. Certain devices such as the Creative Zen Micro with the latest firmware update (MTP support) will even sync your playlists to the device for easy playback, organized the way you like it. Not all devices do this yet- I'll try and get a list together shortly.

I hope you enjoy these playlists as much as I did creating them for you :).

* You're a power user eh?  Well, this was a quick fix and I'm sure there are other Auto Playlist combos I didn't think of. Windows MP10 Auto Playlists are just XML-based search queries designed for the Media Library and stored as text files with a .wpl extension. You can make your own by R-mouse clicking on the Auto Playlists category in the Media Library and choosing "New".  A powerful yet under-utilized feature of WM Player 10. Feel free to send your Auto Playlists to me to add to the pack.