App of the Week: NHK World TV Live

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Like much of the world, I’ve been transfixed by the hat trick of horror that Japan has been confronted with. And my heart goes out to the people of that nation, as the death toll climbs and the challenges continue. Last weekend, while updating my iPhone apps, I came across NHK World TV Live which is a 24 hour English language news channel out of Japan.

Given the time difference, I’ve gotten into a routine of checking in at the beginning and end of their days (corresponding to dinner and breakfast here) to gain some insight into what’s planned and what’s been accomplished in regards to the ongoing containment efforts at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. I’m certainly hoping for the best and salute the brave souls who voluntarily risk potentially lethal doses of radiation as they race to protect their countrymen.

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9 thoughts on “App of the Week: NHK World TV Live”

  1. Wow, dare I say, great minds think alike. I’ve been doing the exact same. France’s news channel, 24, has an iOS app with live video streaming too. I sometimes jump to that when the NHK feed starts to loop footage.

    http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/france-24/id364379394?mt=8

    Bloomberg also has live audio news streaming:

    http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bloomberg/id281941097?mt=8

    Lastly, AP News does still seem worth having for the occasional Push alerts

    http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=284901416&mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D6

  3. I wonder if FiOS TV retransmits it like they do Al Jazeera English. Hm, will have to check tonight. Although it won’t help me in the car or when my wife is watching Idol. ;)

  5. MHz Networks broadcasts a number of international channels in the DC/NoVA area that are carried on the DC Cable/Telco. This includes NHK World.

    http://www.mhznetworks.org/mhzindc/cable-telcoindc/

    For those outside the DC area, FiOS carries TV Japan nationally on channel (1770). Normally it’s a pay channel, but they are currently providing free access to all subscribers. TV Japan is broadcast in Japanese, but some of the news programming is available in English on the secondary audio programming channel (SAP).

    -Dave

  6. “For those outside the DC area, FiOS carries TV Japan nationally on channel (1770). Normally it’s a pay channel, but they are currently providing free access to all subscribers.”

    Es verdad.

    Thanks for the tip. And good on FIOS for doing that. I wish they’d provide Al Jazeera nationally too.

  7. So the MHz broadcast is indeed retransmitted by FiOS TV here in suburban Northern Virginia outside DC. However, it’s the 4:3 letterboxed feed. My iPhone has the widescreen HD stream (but obviously not HD).

    Somewhat off topic, but Chucky may appreciate it. We ordered pizza in last night and sat at our bar with the iPad streaming live NCAA basketball while we ate. Looks like the iPad is the kitchen TV. And if I can get it away from Melissa long enough to experiment, I’ll see if NHK supports iPad resolutions. Although the most compelling live “TV” iPad solutions will be brokered by our cable companies.

  8. “Somewhat off topic, but Chucky may appreciate it. We ordered pizza in last night and sat at our bar with the iPad streaming live NCAA basketball while we ate. Looks like the iPad is the kitchen TV. And if I can get it away from Melissa long enough to experiment, I’ll see if NHK supports iPad resolutions.”

    Well, you shall see.

    I continue to think the iPad has unique “TV” strengths in things like the March Madness app and breaking news for odd-sourced stuff like NHK.

    But if you wanted to regularly watch TV shows in the kitchen while eating or cooking, I still think you’d be happier by wall-mounting a 27″ or 32″ panel.

    The iPad as TV will fit in nicely if you have an outdoor patio, however…

  9. Enclosed three-season sunroom is our patio. And I still think the iPad is a cleaner solution for the kitchen despite it’s limitations (size, audio). I don’t want the wires associated with a tv and cable box there. But that’s partially based on our layout and, despite my gadget lust, we’re minimalists.

  10. Several nights now I’ve been on the laptop with the iPad next to me streaming Al Jazeera English coverage of the events in the middle east and the Japanese nuclear situation. Never even thought about turning on the TV…

    As these world-wide options proliferate, cable channels are going to see an interesting challenge to their hegemony. If they aren’t willing to give us over the top live streaming video to our devices, others will…

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