I'm going to build a Classic Music website and the client already has several podcasts for about 3 min each, and I want to know if should I just add as QT / WMP file to listen and a ZIP to download, or should I use a web podcast hosting solution and just add the link to them?
...having full cross browser and os system (mac, windows, *nix, mobiles) in mind.
Thanks.
If you are expecting many downloads then hosting the files on your own site could run down your bandwidth pretty quickly. A third party host could solve this.
I'd recommend 3rd party hosting for the podcasts (mp3 files are the standard), and on the pages use a flash mp3 player on each podcast post, with a download link as well. Don't forget your RSS and iTunes either, subscriptions are a huge part of podcasting!
To keep costs down, start by hosting it yourself. The typical site is using WordPress and PodPress. Do release in MP3; any other formats is optional, but not really recommended these days. If you do host it yourself, just watch the downloads and plan to move to dedicated host as soon as you start getting popular.
Contact me offline if you have more questions. This isn't really a programming question.