Did I make a mistake getting wowow?

[AssKissinger]

I just got Wowow and Spiderman is on tonight and it's dubbed in JPN and there's no English sub channel. WTF??? How often does this happen? Austin Powers was in English.

[American Oyaji]

Thats weird, there should be an English sound track.

[Steve Bildermann]

Due to some 'licensing' agreement made a few years back a certain number of overseas movies shown on WowWow and Star channel must be shown without the original soundtrack and dubbed into Japanese.

It's usually one a day. However the same movie is shown in the original language later in the day on the second Wowwow or Star channel.

[kamome]

I decided to get cable without Wowow or Star and just rent DVDs from Tsutaya whenever I feel like watching a movie. What's the point of spending all the extra cash for repetitive movies that are shown on someone else's schedule?

[canman]

Is that they do broadcast some sports, like the Australian and US Open tennis tournaments. They use the feed from an American sports channel but they only broadcast it in Japanese, they don't inlcude the English. But you know that it the original is done in English so they just cut it out and they add their own commentators. Who usually know nothing about the players. Unless they are Japanese, and then the announcers are so biased its unbearable.
They also have a stange habit of showing popular shows at really strange times. For example they have Friends on every morning at 7:00am. I know set the VCR timer but still its weird.
And why can't they add one page in their guide with the movies and times in English. Anything that would let us know what the schedule would be like. As it is I have to wait for the Japan Times each morning to find out whats on.

[Shinigami]

I just got Wowow and Spiderman is on tonight and it's dubbed in JPN and there's no English sub channel. WTF??? How often does this happen? Austin Powers was in English.

Hey friend. I had Wowow back in the early 90's when it first came out but gave it up when they came along with CSban and then gave that up when they came along with Perfect TV then dumped that when they started up Sky Perfect TV (I even had Direct TV for a while till they dropped the NBC channel and later went down the toilet) ............ When I had Wowow it cost me like 30,000 yen to get set up and then 3,000 a month. Whats it cost these days????? I been thinking about maybe hooking it up again (I still have the decoder) cuz they have some of the newer US shows....

Anyway about your question.

I've never heard of the 'licensing' thing that Steve Bildermann was talking about above. That might be part of it but I remember the same thing happening to me back in 95 and so I called Wowow and they told me. "When they broadcast in bilingual (with two separate soundtracks one on left channel and the other on right) they can't broad cast it in stereo. The only way that they can broadcast it in stereo and in it's original language is if they use subtitles......." (They usually WILL broadcast it at latter date in English with Japanese subtitles)

Another thing. They generally don't dub movies in Japanese unless they're movies that kids might like. (Spiderman kids might like)

Hope I helped.........

[Shinigami]

BTW.......

If you're watching a movie (bilingual) on the English or Japanese subchannel you're not watching it in stereo.

[Shinigami]

I decided to get cable without Wowow or Star and just rent DVDs from Tsutaya whenever I feel like watching a movie. What's the point of spending all the extra cash for repetitive movies that are shown on someone else's schedule?

That's the same reason I gave up the Star pack.

I like to watch the movies I wanna watch when I wanna watch em.

[American Oyaji]

Another thing. They generally don't dub movies in Japanese unless they're movies that kids might like. (Spiderman kids might like)

he said something intelligent! AND usefull.

It's gonna snow or quake in Tokyo peoples.

[Shinigami]

he said something intelligent! AND usefull.

It's gonna snow or quake in Tokyo peoples.

Wow he said more than a single sentence.

He just may have a brain after all.

[American Oyaji]

he said something intelligent! AND usefull.

It's gonna snow or quake in Tokyo peoples.

Wow he said more than a single sentence.

He just may have a brain after all.

Touche

[AssKissinger]

I decided to get cable without Wowow or Star and just rent DVDs from Tsutaya whenever I feel like watching a movie. What's the point of spending all the extra cash for repetitive movies that are shown on someone else's schedule?

Well for me Wowow is only 2000 yen a month and there's no video store in my village so it's worth it to me. BTW, thanks for the info everyone.

[kamome]

Well for me Wowow is only 2000 yen a month and there's no video store in my village so it's worth it to me. BTW, thanks for the info everyone.

Well, if you're in a village, I can definitely see the value of Wowow. Damn, it sounds third world where you are.

[AssKissinger]

Well at least I'm not

Location: Perched on a concrete light pole.

. I like the inaka. I've done my time in Asian cities. Too much goddamn noise. Friday nights here, ain't no sound but the crickets.