Itazura ichiban wrote:

Actually, since this board is for Japanese Entertainment discussions, does KTSF really count anymore?

I agree, soon their won't be any saturday night line up. KTSF or who ever is going to get rid of all the Japanese programing.

Hi guys,
I just wanna ask you all if what is your drama series .,?


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IndiaZer wrote:

Hi guys, I just wanna ask you all if what is your drama series .,?

Come again?
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- Douglas

Well, as you may know I'm so irritated with American TV's habit of ending shows mid-story (or spinning them out till they suck) that I don't have cable or satellite. I *do* have a newer TV that supposedly has a built-in digital tuner, but ... yeah, I can't find KTSF on it, just KQED, NBC, and Univision (and briefly, some other subtitled Asian show on a channel that was NOT KTSF, but it was so brief I didn't catch enough of the audio to tell whether it was Chinese or Korean).

I'm going to miss the announcements about local Japanese culture-related events. :/ It's not like I can't keep up with better dramas elsewhere...and now I have a certain widget that lets me view files played on my MacBook Pro on the TV, so they look better than KTSF over the air ever did.
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wintersweet wrote:

. I *do* have a newer TV that supposedly has a built-in digital tuner, but ... yeah, I can't find KTSF on it, just KQED, NBC, and Univision (and briefly, some other subtitled Asian show on a channel that was NOT KTSF, but it was so brief I didn't catch enough of the audio to tell whether it was Chinese or Korean).

I think this whole digital TV conversion thing is such a huge crock of BS...and basically a fraud. Personally, I don't find the "improved" picture quality of digital or even HD worth it to make EVERYONE go through all this trouble. Plus, they often promised that everyone will get "MORE!" channels, but my experience with helping people set up their inexpensive converter boxes, as well as their inexpensive digital TVs, has shown the opposite: people are always getting LESS channels, unless maybe you also count the extra channels that just shows weather reports, etc (although it is kinda nice to get the KCSM jazz station so clearly...my radio reception of 91.1 is so terrible). The problem is that digital TV transmission has less broadcast range than analog, so whereas you may have not gotten the best picture with analog, with digital you get NO picture, or one that is subject to such weird digital distortion to the point that you just can't watch it. However, what I also found out is that the quality of the digital tuner and the quality of the antenna can make ALL the difference with your reception - and particularly if the antenna specifically has a strong UHF antenna, because even the former VHF channels may actually now use the UHF band to transmit the digital signal. (BTW, if you live in Fremont, however, you might want to consider an outdoor antenna...if possible.)

So, for those who have already bought their digital converter boxes, or inexpensive digital TVs, I suggest that you spend the money you saved on those purchases (plus even more money) on a really good set of rabbit ears with a good-sized UHF antenna...and maybe one with a signal amplifier too. That may bring in KTSF for you if you can't get it now. And for those who haven't bought a digital TV yet, I suggest not getting a really cheap one. Do research on the internet and try to find a model that is known to have a strong digital tuner. With regard to digital converter boxes, if you are intent on getting an inexpensive one, get the TR-40 made by Dish Network/Echostar. After being sorely disappointed setting her up with one she got at Radio Shack, I suggested to my sister that she use her other coupon and get the TR-40, and she reported to me later that the difference in the reception was amazing. She no longer has to fumble with the antenna to get each station. The TR-40 also has a timer in it where you can set it to turn on and tune to a particular channel at a particular time so you can still use your VCR (or DVD recorder) with an analog tuner (of course the VCR has to be set to channel 3 or 4, or the video input, to which the TR-40 is connected). Beside online, I have also seen the TR-40 at Sears, BTW.

As for me, I've got cable so I was not affected by the conversion on the 12th - although my cable company will soon be converting just about all channels above 35 to digital, requiring me to get a cable box (I'm quite annoyed by this change since I will no longer be able to use my DVR's or Slingbox's built-in tuners). Partly just in case I decide to pull the plug on my cable TV service to retaliate, I recently bought a DVD recorder with a digital tuner, and discovered that the tuner in it is quite strong....so KTSF, as well as every other local channel, comes in very well. But then I'm in SF and not too far from San Bruno Mtn (as well as Mt Sutro), where KTSF's main antenna is located. I have lost far-way channels, like 36 from San Jose, which used to come in snowy. I also have had this small inexpensive digital LCD TV which apparently has a weak tuner because I haven't been able to get anywhere near the number of channels the DVD recorder is now able to (see my advice above regarding cheap equipment!).

Oh, and as far as keeping up with Japan-related events, try subscribing to the Nichi Bei Times, or pick up a free out of date copy whenever you stop at the J-town mall in SF (check out the racks outside of Kinokuniya's). Also, get on the Japan Society of Northern California email newsletter (it's free). Oh, I guess you can also regularly check out the websites for Nichi Bei Times and Asianweek.

BTW the English subtitled Asian show that you saw was probably Korean. KTSF even has an extra digital channel that is MBC full-time (26.2) - too bad it isn't Fuji TV or TBS full-time instead!

More channels and STILL there's nothing on.
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Even with a powered antenna I get no signal from KTSF on my side of the Sunset District. It's no great loss since I wasn't watching their programming anymore, but this is like watching the slow death of something that had, at one point, become a weekly ritual for many people.
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Waldo T wrote:

.....like watching the slow death of something that had, at one point, become a weekly ritual for many people.

Well put, Waldo!

And some of us have been "forced" to become "outlaws," acquiring what are essentially bootleg videos in order to continue enjoying our subtitled J-dorama. I would have much preferred getting it from KTSF, but now that I have discovered the abundant library out there in cyberspace, it would be hard to go back to the often disappointing selections offered on KTSF over the years.

It may perhaps be time bid a final farewell to the "KTSF website." The person who created that original site had already long ago gave up all hope that things were going to get any better, and I guess I hung on hoping he/she would be wrong. But now, for the first time in 12 years, I have ceased permanently recording anything on KTSF. I had been sending those tapes and DVDs to my sister on the east coast (there is no J-TV where she lives), but it is truly an end of an era for me.

Yeah, I suppose our antenna isn't good enough, nor is our TV, but I'm not going to go buy new ones just for this. I'll pick up a paper when I'm at Mitsuwa or whatever, but I'll miss sitting down on Saturday and checking in here!
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"What kind of bread can we not eat?"
"Furai pan."
Cute.
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Ktsf 26.2 MBC and 26.3 KBS Korean drama's with subtitles. I hope they could add a Japanese channel soon

MikeNolan wrote:

I hope they could add a Japanese channel soon

Only in your dreams!

I found that weird Umeshu commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paZ1XMhz47A


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Itazura ichiban wrote:

I found that weird Umeshu commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paZ1XMhz47A

Yeah, must be a kind of umeshu that is spiked with LSD!

Andru wrote:

Only in your dreams!

I guess so KTSF

That little girl in Tanoshii Yochien, I wish they send her and her Jambo to boarding school. She's the worst child actress I've ever seen

MikeNolan wrote:

That little girl in Tanoshii Yochien, I wish they send her and her Jambo to boarding school. She's the worst child actress I've ever seen

Yeah, everytime she yells out "JAMBO!!!" flashing the peace sign....

As the series has progressed though, she seems to be doing this less:

The next most annoying thing is how she tends to look around as she is delivering her lines....perhaps looking at cuecards, the camera crew, or her "okaachan" in the back of the studio trying to give her encouragement

Well, excessive use of the Peace Sign warrants a spanking in most cases.
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Itazura ichiban wrote:

Well, excessive use of the Peace Sign warrants a spanking in most cases.

If that were the case, there'd be a lot of sore butts in Japan.

Well, for anyone who checks out this thread to find out what's currently on KTSF:

The dorama entitled "Boss," which just finished airing in Japan about 10 days ago, started this past Sunday evening on KTSF...but without subtitles of course. On the internet, fan-subbers have been working on it and are up to at least episode 4. If you don't do bittorent, you can check out the results their work here:

http://www.dramacrazy.net/v/japanese-drama/boss/

For those who like the actress who was in Divorce Lawyer, you might enjoy tuning in on Sundays at 9pm.

BTW, the rest of the line up on Sunday evenings is about the same: Moshimo Tours, followed by a boring NHK business news program. However, since they only showed the first half of the first episode of the Boss, they filled in the extra time with one of those NHK travel/nature programs, which I personally enjoy and even collect sometimes (depends on which part of Japan they're featuring).

100 yen ramen!!

On my DVR I've been watching the most recent episode of Moshimo Tours from last Sunday on KTSF, and they were doing a common theme: dirt cheap eateries. They first featured a yakuniku place that charges only 105 yen per plate of meat.

Then they featured a place near Hachioji JR station that has a bowl of ramen for only 100 yen! That was almost half the price of what I thought was the cheapest bowl of ramen available (short of cup o'noodles). The last time I was in Tokyo, I was staying in the area near Minami-senju (aka "Sanya") and happened upon a place right near the Minowa subway station (in Taito-ku) that had a decent, albeit small, bowl of ramen for only 180 yen! (And this wasn't someone just opening a package of instant ramen either!)

I wondered how the hell they managed to stay in business. I noticed most of the other customers who came in whenever I was there, simply said like I did: "Hyaku hachiju-en ramen kudasai!" There were usually two workers behind the counter, both probably paid minimum wage, which is about 800 yen/hour in Tokyo (although maybe them being Chinese [from overhearing them talk to one another], they were being paid less, but still....), the restaurant would have to sell a lot of bowls of 180 yen ramen per hour to just cover the labor!

In the US, I guess the closest thing would be a small burger and/or fries off the $1 menu at Micky D's. Both meals have a lot of sodium, but which is healthier?