Apple Podcasts video uses HLS: what Sume renders instead

Sume renders MP4 files, not HLS streams. Apple's newsroom post, read 2026-10-01, says Apple Podcasts video uses HLS and names Acast, ART19, Omny and SiriusXM/Simplecast as launch hosting providers, so the HLS packaging is done by your host, not by Sume.

What does Apple say?

The post says creators pay no Apple fees, that dynamic video ads are supported, that an ad-network impression fee comes later in 2026, and that the feature shipped in the iOS 26.4 beta.

What can Sume make?

POST /v1/timeline-1.0/render turns audio up to 1800 seconds into an MP4, with up to 200 video slots, at $0.10 per output minute. Output defaults to 1080x1920; set output.width and output.height (even integers from 256 to 2160) and output.fps (24, 25, 30 or 60). Use 1920x1080 for a landscape episode, and an image slot holds as a still.

{
  "audio": {
    "url": "https://media.sume.com/artifacts/artf_demo/episode.mp3",
    "duration_seconds": 1500
  },
  "video": [
    {
      "source_url": "https://media.sume.com/artifacts/artf_demo/cover.png",
      "start": 0,
      "duration": 1500
    }
  ],
  "output": { "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "fps": 30 }
}

What is the hand-off?

Give the MP4 to your podcast host and let it deliver the HLS Apple expects. Check the host's own upload specs. Sume does not state what Apple or any host accepts.