A bit long and not really sumo Re: [sumo] Anyone using the nihongo.tv service?

[Joe Kuroda <joe_kuroda@yahoo.com>]

 --- ShiroiKuma <ShiroiKuma@ShiroiKuma.com> wrote: >
Hello:
>  
> Some time ago Joe Kuroda wrote  about the nihongo.tv
> service. I'd like to ask if anyone is using it.
> I sent a mail to Joe, but he hasn't replied. So I
> thought I'd ask here.
>  
> I'd like to know:
> 1. Does it work? How is it?
> 2. I'm a JSTV subscriber. It shows the basho,
> basically most of Makuuchi every day. 

Sorry about that. I don't ever recall getting a mail
from you in the last little while.  Hopefully you can
drop in person to our side of the pond again one of
these days. 

Anyway yes it does work. It will you cost about the
same amount of money per month as JSTV and TV Japan
plus you need to pay the set up fee (basically they
get you your own server with a hard disk in Japan that
can store a hundred hours or so programming).  You
access the server and download the files or for an
additional $10 or so you can get the live streaming
from the server provided you have a high speed
connection. It's a sort of peer-to-peer so you are the
only who can access it and the only one machine at a
time can access it.

You get all the regular channels in Tokyo (no High
Definition nor BS yet but you get both NHK Sogo and
Kyoiku and all the other private broadcasters like
Nihon-TV, TBS, FUJI, TV-Asahi and TV Tokyo). 

If you have your PC set to a non-Japanese language,
then some of the interface programs may not work so
you need to change it to Japanese in
Control-Region/Language.  My English Windows Media
Player did not work. Besides the TV Guide to select
the programs is in Japanese but you can use several
online ones - I use the one from GOO.NET).

It's pretty simple if all you are interested in is
watching the TV on live with your PC monitor.  If you
have your TV set near your PC, you can even hook the
TV from your PC. It's just like another monitor hooked
up with TV settings.  My PC is not quite near TV set
so I send the signals via wireless to watch on TV.   

You may experience some griefs if you intend to copy
the programs on DVD/CD to watch it on TV later on as
the file comes in WMV format so it needs to be
converted.  And the download time may not be something
you may look forward to unless you have a T-1
connection. A typical two hour program is about 600
meg which will not fit in one DVD disc after the
conversion, despite DVD disk says it can store up to 2
hours of video as once converted the file will be over
4.7 gig. There are some amount of video degradation
due to the conversion from WMV. 

Anyway I did get to watch Akebono's K-1 bouts, the
last one with K-1's Musashi and the full Juryo bouts
on NHK as well as the Ozumo Tournament on Fuji TV but
if sumo is all you are interested in I am not sure
it's worth the price but if you are a fan of Japanese
daily dramas, wide shows and live specials, I think it
makes sense.  Actually my wife is looking forward to
watching the Olympics on Japanese TV as TV Japan won't
show them here due to copyright reasons.   

=====
.....Jonosuke 
  <  Heart  Technique  Physique     ?S   ?Z   ?Ì  >

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[EndPost by Joe Kuroda <joe_kuroda@yahoo.com>]