Wii gets TV listing channel in Japan
Ready to covet something that, up until a few hours ago, you didn’t even know you wanted? Well get ready to be confused, amazed, and envious (in that order) over the Wii’s latest, and Japan exclusive, channel: “Terebi no Tomo” channel, or for you gaijin, the “TV Friend” channel. Let’s try and tackle the emotions you’re feeling right now:
Confused? Don’t be. The TV Friend channel is an interactive channel guide for Japanese broadcast television. Favorably referred to as an unruly beast unfit for the deepest, darkest layer of Hell, Japan’s television scene is something of a confusing affair. Cable/Satellite services are primarily used for movies, music videos, or special events like Wrestling, and do not represent a sizable portion of the television viewing populace. So, unlike the United States or Europe, where cable/satellite providers have electronic on-screen channel guides, Japan is sorely lacking such a service.
Amazed! Here is easily the coolest part: when viewing the channel, your Wii-remote is transformed into a universal remote control. That’s right, without any kind of modifications, you can use your Wii-remote to change channels, increase volume, and switch inputs just like any television remote. Apparently, Nintendo implements a very simple hack to obtain such a feature. They use the Wii’s sensor bar, usually used for the pointer functionality of the Wii-remote, to bounce an infrared signal off the nearest wall and into the IR port of your television. Ingenious.
Envious. If you aren’t, then you should be! While many features of the channel are present in American cable boxes, there are a few incredibly smart aspects to the channel. First, you can set up programming reminders that can be sent to your email. Next, it will show the popularity of various programs as determined by those that have set up said reminders. Then, you can share your list of favorite shows with your Wii-friends via WiiConnect24. And finally, the thing just looks so damn slick:
- Rob O’Reilly
