Yahoo Japan fires up video delivery service for Sharp AQUOS TVs

With Akihabara, mobile TV that works and games like this, does Japan really need another nicety to remind us of how awesome it is? Starting this week, Yahoo Japan has started to deliver free video services to loads of Sharp AQUOS HDTVs. The so-called Douga Channel currently offers some 3,000 videos gratis, and absolutely no member registration is required to tap in. At least initially, the service will target Sharp's AQUOS DS6 family of products, which are equipped with a revised Sharp GUI and an 'Ex System' for handling the video processing. Better still, the material coming through can be viewed in SD or HD, which has to make local cable companies cringe. At any rate, the company is still trying to hammer out a business model before delving into pay-TV, and it's hoping to service at least one million TV sets in the not-too-distant future. So... any news for North America?

[TheSuburbanWhiteBoy @ May 28th 2009 11:07AM]

YES

[superhobo @ May 28th 2009 12:36PM]

baka

[greenlight @ May 28th 2009 11:22AM]

動画 (douga) means "video" BTW.

[Drunken @ May 28th 2009 11:25AM]

interesting

[Tres @ May 28th 2009 11:28AM]

Akihabara is only awesome if you're a fat, sweaty, anime nerd.

I guess it's kind of awesome if you like to laugh at creepy American anime nerds walking around with t-shirts that have "Looking for a Japanese Girlfriend" written on them though (I actually saw this).

[Crazy J @ May 28th 2009 4:26PM]

I used to live in Akihabara. At first it was cool because of all the cool electronics, but after a while, I got tired of the constant neon signs and lights coming through the window... And the noise... Couldn't get much sleep...

[va jj @ May 28th 2009 1:19PM]

well those maid cafe looks interesting....

[therealmusashi @ May 29th 2009 1:46AM]

"So... any news for North America?"

Yeah, there's this thing called Hulu where Americans can watch tons of TV shows for free - all the TV shows (and more) that Japanese pay to see a full season later...but sadly, you can't watch it in Japan.

Seriously Engadget, Japan has some neat stuff, but you guys need to come live here and see what Sony/Docomo-lockdown is like, then you'll be singing a different song.

And lastly...mobile TV? Really? No one gives a crap about that in the US or anywhere else but Japan, and *maybe* Korea.

[Boards of Canada @ May 29th 2009 6:06AM]

Hehe nobody noticed the amazing game!!