Today, Matter, a read-it-later app sponsored by GV that competes with services like Pocket and Instapaper but puts a stronger emphasis on reading recommendations, introduces a new method to utilize the app. This morning, the business unveiled “Readable Podcasts,” a tool that enables you to keep your favorite podcasts and convert their audio to text. As a result, you can interact with the podcast’s content using Matter’s various capabilities in the same way that you would with a saved article, including by underlining, making notes, and sharing quotes.
The audio transcript and text remain synchronized as you engage with the podcast, facilitating a smooth transition between listening and reading. This feature provides you with the flexibility to pause the podcast should you wish to revisit a specific passage or research a topic that the hosts discussed.
The feature would also enable you to skim the transcript to rapidly get the main points of interest in a long podcast without having to fast-forward or listen to the audio at a higher pace.
The new functionality is driven by a combination of a third-party transcription provider and Matter’s unique technology to name speakers and guarantee transcript accuracy, according to Matter co-founder Ben Springwater.
Additionally, users do not need to abandon their preferred podcast app to make advantage of the new capabilities. In other words, rather than downloading a podcast directly into Matter, you’ll transfer the episode you wish to transcribe from another podcast app using the iOS transfer Sheet’s Save extension. Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Castro, and Pocket Casts are all supported by Matter at launch.
When a podcast is shared with Matter, it is converted to text and made available for interaction just as when you save a story for later reading. It also unlocks the content contained in audio, making it accessible to individuals who aren’t auditory learners or who are hearing-impaired. This is advantageous for individuals who lack the time to engage in an audio show or desire the ability to make annotations to the content.
The app provides support for a wide array of languages, including but not limited to English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Hindi, Japanese, Chinese, Finnish, Korean, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
“Podcasts are a gateway to expert knowledge,” declared Springwater upon announcing the release. “However, audio is transient, and much of that information is lost. For the first time, Readable Podcasts make the knowledge in podcasts accessible.
Matter now has “tens of thousands” of active users and thousands of paying members for its premium product since completing its $7 million Series A round in 2021. Subscribers to Matter may take advantage of enhanced AI transcriptions for podcasts and YouTube for $7.99 per month or $59.99 annually. They can also listen to articles at double the pace in voices that sound natural.
Private podcast feeds are not currently supported by the firm, but that capability is on the way. It claims that because Spotify exclusives are not open access, it cannot transcribe from them.
The Matter app is accessible on iOS as well as through Chrome, Safari, and Firefox web browsers.
[Source of Information : Techcrunch.com]
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