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The days when creating content for the Internet merely involved coding a little HTML are long gone.

While most of us don't bother doing much more than post a few photos or toss a short video onto YouTube, some more ambitious souls are putting their voices on the Web through podcasting.

Podcasting was originally developed to let people create their own little radio-like broadcasts for distribution over the Internet. Part of the idea was to make it simple for people to download podcasts to devices such as the iPod, but it quickly became much more than that. Now podcasts are also used for everything from distributing university lectures to providing self-guided tours in a museum.

Creating podcasts is neither particularly difficult or time consuming. They can be recorded right on your computer, or, if you're on the go, on a digital recording device. And while there are some expensive professional-grade recorders out there, I elected to look at a few moderately priced digital voice recorders to see if they could produce output that's clear and crisp enough to be used in a podcast.

Here's what we discovered.

The first unit I tried was a Samsung S5 (SRP $199.99), which is actually an MP3 player with recording capabilities. It's a sleek little black unit with a secret: it has a built-in stereo speaker that slides out and provides surprisingly good sound. With the integrated Bluetooth, it'll even sync with a cell phone and act as a speakerphone for you.

Recording, however, had its issues. You can't plug in an external mic, and the built-in microphone (on the back of the unit) has extremely limited range. It also captures every little bump and rustle you make. You'll need to find some good audio editing software to clean up the recordings. Quality was adequate, however it's really not worth the trouble. (But it would be great for listening to the podcasts after you create them).

Next, we explored the Panasonic RR-US500 IC Recorder (MSP $179.99). It's a more traditional recorder, with all of the usual amenities plus a few extras like a stereo zoom (directional) microphone so you can record speeches and lectures from a distance. In stereo mode, it can record up to 2000 minutes before running out of memory, and quality is quite good as long as you're not too far from the audio source.

The included software lets you cut out dead air or unnecessary dialogue from your recordings. However, it's only for the PC.

There is one huge problem with this unit – it only records in TRC (Triple Rate CODER) format. TRC is extremely efficient for voice but it's a multi-step process to convert it into the MP3 format you need for a podcast. First you convert it to a WAV file, using the utility within its voice editing software, then you use a third party utility to turn the WAV file into an MP3 (there are many free programs available, such as NCH Swift Sound Switch Audio File Converter. It can also deal with many other file formats; the full list is on the NCH website.).

OK, two strikes so far. For our third attempt, we turned to the Sony ICD-SX57 digital recorder (MSP $299.99).

Sony uses a file format called dvf, but the bundled Digital Voice Editor version 3 has a converter that will generate MP3 files for podcasts, as well as performing editing tasks including overwriting portions of an existing recording to tidy up awkward spots, and appending to a file. Sony also includes a special edition of Dragon Naturally Speaking. Unfortunately, the software is for the PC only. The recorder has 256 MB of memory – enough, Sony says, for 91 hours of recording (at lowest quality, of course – it'll store slightly more than four hours in high-quality stereo). PCs see the unit as a memory stick, so you can also use it to store data in a pinch.

The built-in microphones are on either side of the unit, like little ears, and have several sensitivity settings to compensate for different environments. A switch converts to a directional microphone (mono only). There's even a low cut filter to reduce wind noise, a recording level meter, and either automatic or manual gain control. Sony also offers a special microphone for recording telephone calls (sold separately). Unlike some devices that must plug into the phone, it consists of a special earpiece that can pick up both ends of a conversation, making it possible to record from cellular or cordless phones.

Our final test model is the Olympus DS-40 Digital Voice Recorder (MSP $229.99).

It records in WMA format (though it can play MP3s), and the bundled DSS Player version 7 can only convert input to WAV. It can, however, manage podcast subscriptions and download existing podcasts to the unit. To create your own podcasts, you'll need to resort to conversion software such as the abovementioned NCH.

With 512 MB of memory, you can capture a ton of audio before having to decant – Olympus says you'll get over 136 hours at lowest quality, and almost nine hours at highest quality stereo. The stereo mic is detachable (though it's so small I can't see why you'd do so); the unit also has a built-in mono microphone. Three recording modes adjust sensitivity for everything from dictation to lectures, and a low cut filter helps reduce noise. Recording level and memory meters let you monitor remaining memory as well as sound levels during sessions, and Voice Guide gives you audio operating instructions if you wish.

If you're recording directly onto your PC, the DS-40 can be used as a USB microphone, or as a USB speaker, or, for that matter, as a USB data storage device. Like Sony, Olympus offers a separate earpiece telephone recording microphone for easy capture of calls on any sort of phone.

So, which recorder to pick?

Sound quality is good on all four, though Sony and Olympus have the edge in conference environments. The speaker's voice comes through well, though there's undeniable background noise.

Unfortunately for the Mac and Linux crowds, these units all only come with PC software. You'll have to search the Internet for non-PC products (and there are several, such as Audacity, that will do the trick).

If you want minimum hassle with file formats, Sony is the undisputed champ, since its software can directly create MP3s (although Samsung can do so too, its other shortcomings make it a superb player, but not such a great creator of podcast files). But Sony has eight, count ‘em, eight buttons down the right side of the recorder, another on the left and a couple each on the front and back, making it ... interesting ... to operate. Once your fingers get used to them, you'll probably be fine, but there will be a learning curve. It's also the most expensive unit I tested.

Olympus offers a different, simpler set of basic controls, and will talk you through settings when it's too dark to see the screen (yes, you can shut off the helpful voice if it bothers you). The DS-40 does well in noisy environments, too.

For sheer recording time, Panasonic leads the pack. It's also the least expensive device. For anything other than conference settings or extremely noisy environments, it acquits itself quite well.

Bottom line: Sony and Olympus are top choices, and the Panasonic will do the trick in many environments, especially when you have to do a lot of recording without downloading the files.