squarezebra Wrote:... Sopcast streams in Japan pretty much vanished when the new anti-piracy laws came in; people prividing this content knew that they were doing so illegally, and are afraid of the possible penalties for doing so.

So wait, are the SopCast streams basically just gone for good? And that Niji TV is gone as well?

The SopCast streams went offline on October 1st like clockwork, and they haven't come online since. From what I can see, no-one really knows who was ultimately responsible for providing the streams (there was speculation that whoever made the NIJI player was based in China though). It doesn't look like it'll be back though, at least not any time soon. It was short and sweet while it lasted.

Comment from a 2ch thread on SopCast/NIJI:
突然現れてすぐに消える
まさに虹

does the ihome set top box still work? Been considering one of those. It's pricy but if it works really well without any problems it'd be worth it to me.

I really do miss those SopCast streams. :/ Got to watch a ton of Japanese TV for like a week or two at least.

LunaSlave Wrote:does the ihome set top box still work? Been considering one of those. It's pricy but if it works really well without any problems it'd be worth it to me.

Yes - the iHome still works (I was worried too, since I had just gotten mine a week before SopCast went offline). Definitely worth the price - when I consider how much I spend on Cable every month for hundreds of channels I rarely watch, the roughly $16 a month average for 30+ channels on the iHome is much cheaper in the long run. And I can almost always find something worth watching.

Hi BlueScratch,

I'm new to this forum, but am also considering getting an iHome to keep up with Japanese TV. From what I can tell, first-hand impressions of the unit are few and far between, but I'd really like a realistic idea of what to expect from the quality, for example. Is is closer to standard definition than 720p, or is the advertising accurate this time round?

Also, do you know how to go about renewing the channel subscription for the second year onwards? I've heard that it's easy, but can't seem to find any actual instructions. Did you receive any with your unit?

Cheers!

djandy76 Wrote:I'd really like a realistic idea of what to expect from the quality, for example. Is is closer to standard definition than 720p, or is the advertising accurate this time round?

For me the quality is quite good, though it does get a little pixellated at times with any more action-based shows. Since the majority of the shows I watch are more static (I like the quiz shows best - not a lot of action on those), it doesn't bother me, since most of the time the picture is much better than standard definition. Definitely a lot better than what you might have seen using SopCast.

djandy76 Wrote:Also, do you know how to go about renewing the channel subscription for the second year onwards? I've heard that it's easy, but can't seem to find any actual instructions. Did you receive any with your unit?

My unit didn't come with any manual or instructions, so I'm not sure what the specifics will be once the first year is up, but when I contacted my seller, they said they would contact me again when the subscription runs out. You can see how many days you have remaining in your current subscription at the bottom of the main menu screen. I plan to contact the seller again once it gets down below 30 days to make sure I don't run into any troubles getting it renewed.

Two other things to note: First, most likely when you get it, it will come with an HDMI cable that is video only. If you use your own cable that supports both video and audio it works just fine. Not sure why they provide the video only one.

Second, the unit does have a record feature, but you need to buy your own external hard drive. Make sure if you do that, you get one that is self-powered (has its own power cable and does not use the USB cord to power it) - I tried using a portable one that draws power through the USB, and it could never maintain a connection long enough to record anything, so I had to buy another self-powered one later. Also, if you decide you want to record, you'll need to contact your seller and have them authorize your unit for recording. That should be free, but it won't record until you do so.

A couple of annoying things about recording: If you are recording something while you watch it, there is a flashing red circle on screen at all times. Haven't figured out how to get rid of it. The recording doesn't have the flashing circle embedded, though. Also, if you are recording while watching, the resulting filename in the menu is just the date and time you recorded, not the program name from the guide. A little hard to keep track of what you have stored. I haven't done it yet, but I'm going to try hooking the drive up to my computer to see if I can change the filenames myself later. I haven't done much with the scheduled recording features where you can set up a future recording. I might eventually get around to that.

All in all, best purchase of the year for me.

Hi BlueScratch,

Thanks very much for the helpful info, it's much appreciated!

I hoe you don't mind, but I had a few follow-up questions I'd like to ask, if you can spare the time:

1. What sort of functionality does the unit offer in terms of video-file playback? Does it support mp4 and mkv, for example?

2. Maybe a bit personal, but where did you get yours? I'm sounding out the various online retailers, but currently the only one I'm considering is Aliexpress as the shipping and purchase security are really positive.

Thanks in advance!

Cheers!

djandy76 Wrote:1. What sort of functionality does the unit offer in terms of video-file playback? Does it support mp4 and mkv, for example?

I haven't actually tried plugging the drive I have recorded to into another computer to check out the resulting files yet, but from what little information I could find online, it sounded like it was a proprietary format. Now, that could just be that it saves the files with an extension of its own and actually uses an existing format, but I guess I won't know for sure until I get around to messing with the files themselves one of these days. It would be nice to be able to edit the files, though. While the commercials are interesting at first, they quickly become as annoying as the ones I skip over with my DVR here. Speaking of which, one other minor gripe with the box is that the fast-forward/rewind is a bit clunky - basically only works in full-minute increments, so if you want to go back a few seconds to see something you just missed, you have to go backwards at least a minute. Unless there's some functionality I haven't figured out yet to make it work better. Not a big deal, though.

djandy76 Wrote:2. Maybe a bit personal, but where did you get yours? I'm sounding out the various online retailers, but currently the only one I'm considering is Aliexpress as the shipping and purchase security are really positive.

I went with one of the many sellers on AliExpress (sorry, I don't remember the specifics off-hand). I'd never used the site before, so I was a little skeptical at first, but in the end it was a very positive experience, and the seller I went with was very good and gave very fast and free shipping, and was very responsive with follow-up emails when I had questions.

Hi BlueScratch,

Once again, thanks for the very fast and thorough response! Actually, in the first question, I was actually curious to find out if video files retrieved/created on a computer would work via a USB HDD if plugged into the iHome unit. It'd be a great bonus for me if the thing doubled as an all-purpose media player.

Oh, and AliExpress is the exact same place I'm currently considering getting mine from. I've located what appears to be the seller with the most completed orders and positive feedback, and was about to place my order when I noticed that they're having trouble processing credit cards at the moment... I guess I'll just try again later.

Anyway, thanks again!

Sorry for not having made good on that promise to make autogenerated playlists yet. I've been unexpectedly busy. But I'll try to get it done this weekend.

Espionage724 Wrote:

squarezebra Wrote:... Sopcast streams in Japan pretty much vanished when the new anti-piracy laws came in; people prividing this content knew that they were doing so illegally, and are afraid of the possible penalties for doing so.

So wait, are the SopCast streams basically just gone for good? And that Niji TV is gone as well?

They went down at almost the exact moment a new draconian anti-piracy law was introduced in Japan. Could have been a coincidence, of course. It might have been that whatever company was running and exploiting the streams decided it's not worth keeping them around.

But who knows? They might come back. But it will likely be from a different provider if they do.

djandy76 Wrote:I was actually curious to find out if video files retrieved/created on a computer would work via a USB HDD if plugged into the iHome unit. It'd be a great bonus for me if the thing doubled as an all-purpose media player.

I finally got around to checking out the contents of the drive on a computer tonight, and as I thought the format it saves in is some proprietary format (IHP I think) and won't play on the computer. While I had it plugged in there, I added a couple of video files (MKV and AVI) to see if the iHome would be able to play them. When I returned the drive to the iHome, it did not play the other format files. The MKV just gave me a black screen with no audio, and the AVI actually rebooted the iHome. So in answer to your question, it doesn't look like it would be an all-purpose media player, unfortunately.

Hi BlueScratch,

Thanks again for taking the time to run those tests! Shame the unit doesn't seem to offer media-centre-like playback, but that really would've only been a bonus anyway. The main purpose will always be the live Japanese TV streams!

Cheers!

Hmm, iHome sounds pretty interesting. Just to be sure though, your talking about the Apple product right? This thing: http://www.ihomeaudio.com/media/uploads/...00_q85.jpg ?

Espionage724 Wrote:Hmm, iHome sounds pretty interesting. Just to be sure though, your talking about the Apple product right? This thing: http://www.ihomeaudio.com/media/uploads/...00_q85.jpg ?

Actually, no. It's not anything to do with Apple, just a Chinese (?) product that uses the Apple naming convention. Search for "iHome Japanese tv" and you should find some links for more info, what little there is out there - mostly just pages on AliExpress where it can be purchased.

just bumping this thread.
any new TV solutions found? man do I miss Japanese TV.

rswarsaw Wrote:just bumping this thread.
any new TV solutions found? man do I miss Japanese TV.

I would gladly pay for such service, assuming the quality would be sufficient (around 720p). Hopefully somebody will make it a reality, rebroadcasting is legal even in US and Japan isn't as advanced in their closed content paranoia.

http://www.117yes.com/mini.html?f=undefi...height=530

It's not a program but just click on 国外. The channels are temperamental but the quality is good.

Thank you Crispy!! I've been missing Japanese TV so much since Sopcast went offline Hope they don't take the website down right away.

Thanks Crispy, been looking for some reliable links to Japanese TV for a while now! Slightly off topic, but does anyone know how to locate the actual streams from the channels broadcast via that website? Ideally, I'd like to be able to play them through VLC and similar, and perhaps even put together a short playlist. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Crispy Wrote:http://www.117yes.com/mini.html?f=undefi...height=530

It's not a program but just click on 国外. The channels are temperamental but the quality is good.

Sooo is it just me, or is the website down...? That was quick :[

Same here I'm afraid. In fact, the only way I could see any stream was when I reduced the link to merely http://www.117yes.com/. It's a shame, but was fun while it lasted!

Looks like its working again : ))

Wow, perhaps this site's here to stay! Now the streams are up and running again, does anyone know how to get the individual URLs for the Japanese channels?

Crispy Wrote:http://www.117yes.com/mini.html?f=undefi...height=530

It's not a program but just click on 国外. The channels are temperamental but the quality is good.

This is amazing. Thank you.