Topic: IMPRESSIONS: Television's Friend Channel

[famicomplicated]

It's a friendly TV guide on your Wii.  At least, it is if you’re Japanese...
 http://nintendoworldreport.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=15656

 The Terebi no Tomo Channel, literally meaning [Your] Television’s Friend Channel, is a Japan-exclusive Wii channel that acts as an interactive TV guide for the television.  The channel is free and has several interesting features.    

The service uses the G-Guide television programming system which lets users search for programs by title, other key words and by genre.  The interface lists a week's worth of shows which can be filtered in different ways, such as by age, time, and which shows console users have selected to watch.  When switching to a week view, the listings page zooms out to a 3D overview, showing a line of sheets that each represent a day of the upcoming week.    

 The Japanese trailer for the Terebi no Tomo (Television's Friend) channel on Wii, highlighting the features of the TV guide..    

The guide has Mii integration, allowing family members to stamp their face on a TV show they are interested in watching.  What's more, the channel can e-mail users a reminder before a stamped show starts via the Wii Message Board and setting up the functionality within the channel under a registered Mii name.  It will also keep track of what all other channel users have stamped and popular programs will be rated with a high star rating.

   

The most intriguing aspect of this channel is that it allows Wii Remote control of your actual TV set. Functions are limited to basic channel selection and volume adjustment. Since the Wii does not emit the infrared signal that is required to operate televisions, Nintendo achieved this by sending the television command from the Wii sensor bar, which bounces off the Wii Remote's pointer head and back to the television.  Nintendo recommends placing the sensor bar near to where the TV set receives it normal remote control information for optimal performance of this.    

There are no current plans to release this channel in North America or Europe.  Nintendo has previously suggested that such a channel is not required in those territories, as viable electronic TV guides exist already.    

Steven Rodriguez contributed to this article.

[Ceric]

...as viable electronic TV guides exist already.

They just don't get it sometimes do they?

I also have other Viable game consoles so the Wii shouldn't be released in Europe and US.  I also have a viable way to Electronicaly get the News and Weather so I think those features are superfluous and aren't needed in Europe and US.  NoA and NoE should have dropped those features from the start.  The Japan Mother Land says it is so.

This is just a crock.  We haven't gotten an exclusive channel that appeals to Europe or US yet.  Last thing we have gotten was Check Mii Out and while its an Ok channel its not nearly as good as Everyone Votes or about any of the preloaded ones.  Check Mii Out would be better once we get a whole new set of customization and see what people can do with that.  Then after a few on months it probably go back to being not as interesting but, that could just be me.

Now there deeming that a channel that screams US at the very least isn't worth porting over.  Yes, I just got a guide feature through my antenna with the HDTV Set top box but what I don't have and find most interesting would be the rankings and the ability to mark which show each family member wants with a guide that goes up to a week in advance.  I can see that I may want to watch Stargate on Friday but at the same time my Wife has marked she like to watch.  We could then discuss it on Thursday if I notice it before Friday and we avoid a conflict on Friday.  I think its a good idea.

[pSYCO-gAMER321]

This would of been helpful before I went to Japan! Jeez... now it's a useless channel for me! At least I can check out the shows that'll be released and know when the subs for shows will show up later.

[KDR_11k]

Ceric: Yes but usually these aren't built into the TV. Well, except for teletext to get weather info, of course.

[king of snake]

Since the Wii does not emit the infrared signal that is required to operate televisions, Nintendo achieved this by sending the television command from the Wii sensor bar, which bounces off the Wii Remote's pointer head and back to the television.  Nintendo recommends placing the sensor bar near to where the TV set receives it normal remote control information for optimal performance of this.

I thought the sensor bar wire was a power cord only. So how could you instruct it to blink in a particular pattern? By modulating the power itself? Interesting.