Video Stream - Availability

[Kintamayama 47,178]

Well, no sumo for you today.. (I'm pretty sure they will do the second half). It is showing on BS ch 102, if anyone has that.

2nd half to be on NHK educational - NIJI looks good there (now I get the lizards though).

Start at 5p.m. JST (+NIJI delay)

Excellent!!

[kuroimori 1,634]

I don't get UBS to run, internet is very weak and unstable and won't even let me connect with my laptop, so no jpPlayer NHK action as well.

Today of all days... :-(

[torquato 1,075]

Anyone know what that building complex is they keep showing?

Good question. A bigger extended mountain hut, I'd guess. Completely covered in vulcano ashes. Looks scaring...

I was courious myself and now found out that it was the Otakichojou mountain villa (王滝頂上山荘). It serves loggings for about 70 guests and there is an adjacent Shinto-shrine. That's why it looks so big.

https://www.ontake.jp/reserve/facilityDetail/13

http://www.kisoji.com/kisoji/spa/ootaki/ootakityoujyousansou.html

[Kintamayama 47,178]

Finally all bouts of the day up-many thanks to Akinomaki for his heads up..

[sumodrax 8]

Anybody know if "Niji" will broadcast Makuuchi today?...

[torquato 1,075]

The NHK website says from 15:20 JST instead of the originally planed 15:05.

[sumodrax 8]

Yes...Niji broadcasting live-sumo right now (Dribbling...) (Applauding...) (Dancing of joy...)

[Yubinhaad 11,954]

A new development on the Kyokai website.

We would very much like to express our great appreciation to you for using our services. Ustream Inc., PPV billing platform developer and licensor in USA, has decided to shut down our Pay-Per-View (PPV) feature on September 30th, 2014. Because of this, it is not possible to continue offering live and recorded Grand Sumo Tournament 2014 provided by Japan Sumo Association through PPV features, or accept new offers to purchase.

As of September 30th, 2014, we will start making refund to customers who have purchased the September Tournament. We will separately inform you of the streaming schedule from November Tournament onwards.

For more information on each refund, please contact Ustream Support Center below.

Email: japan@ustream.tv

We deeply apologize for the any inconvenience this may cause.

We appreciate your understanding.

Sincerely,

Ustream Asia Inc.

[Gurowake 4,148]

Well that's interesting. I wonder if it's because almost nobody bought the service. It started in January, right? They didn't even make it an entire year?

[Kintamayama 47,178]

So what now? No live sumo on the internet at all, without using software? No lower division viewing?

Edited October 2, 2014 by Kintamayama

[Jakusotsu 6,387]

Let's hope they haven't sacked the old equipment yet...

[Asojima 2,874]

My rough guess is that they may stay with Ustream and possibly go to a yearly subscription strategy at a much lower rate. There are other streaming services, such as Livestream, which are also available.

[Asashosakari 20,223]

My rough guess is that they may stay with Ustream and possibly go to a yearly subscription strategy at a much lower rate. There are other streaming services, such as Livestream, which are also available.

Or another experiment with Niconico, perhaps.

Well that's interesting. I wonder if it's because almost nobody bought the service. It started in January, right? They didn't even make it an entire year?

Yeah, on Ustream since last September, PPV-only since January. The press release is worded a bit strangely - seems almost like Ustream is once again rebooting their paid service altogether ("Ustream Inc. has shut down our [ustream Asia] PPV feature"), and the sumo streaming is just collateral damage. Or collateral benefit perhaps, for us, depending on what's next.

Edit: Seems like this is a general shutdown of their PPV services indeed, and it's been out there since mid-July. Leave it to the Kyokai to mention it at the shortest notice possible...

Edited October 2, 2014 by Asashosakari

[Gurowake 4,148]

Yeah, I did think the signing of the announcement and the way it was worded was rather strange, but I chalked that up more to improper translation than anything else. I really didn't know what to think of an announcement that seemed to be signed as from Ustream Asia that was posted on the Kyokai site without a header indicating it was the product of someone else that referred to Ustream in the US in the first person other than "someone goofed in translating this".

[Monnodo 60]

I was already wondering, New Japan Wrestling, who also used UStream announced that weeks ago.

[yade 14]

As from today all former aki ppv videos on ustream are for free:

http://www.ustream.tv/Sumo-Seasonal

easily to download with dl tools like netvideohunter 4 firefox. Seems they shutdown THE PPV SERVICE but not the streaming (keep your fingers cross) (Applauding...) . Also all people payed for aki will recieve a full refund.

[Kuroyama 715]

I wonder if the NSK will try and come up with some other PPV mechanism, then. I understand there are costs associated with streaming and that they'd want to at least cover those and maybe even profit -- but perhaps the Ustream experience has shown them what the market will actually bear, and how people will circumvent a PPV stream if they demand more.

Edited October 10, 2014 by Kuroyama

[Benevolance 2,534]

The quality on those archives is excellent. It was never anywhere near that good any time I bought the live stream.

[Asashosakari 20,223]

As from today all former aki ppv videos on ustream are for free:

http://www.ustream.tv/Sumo-Seasonal

easily to download with dl tools like netvideohunter 4 firefox. Seems they shutdown THE PPV SERVICE but not the streaming (keep your fingers cross) (Applauding...) . Also all people payed for aki will recieve a full refund.

Looks like Livestreamer works for these recorded streams, too.

Edit: The problem being that Livestreamer doesn't grab even recorded streams at much more than normal streaming speed...just had one running for about 20 minutes as a test and it only downloaded 35 minutes of video in that time.

Edited October 11, 2014 by Asashosakari

[torquato 1,075]

Yes, recording works. I just made a quick test and it took about 5 mins. to record about 40 mins. of video (filesize was ~300MB).
Perhaps something about how you get livestreamer to record the stream. I did on the (unix) command line e.g.:

livestreamer -o PATHTOFILE.flv -l error http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/53258943 best

At the end of every (?) day they show some special bonus material. On the last day a lengthy Q&A talk with Kotooshu and someone else, at least on days 13 and 14 they are showing old footage of the early Showa 30ies (1950ies?).

[Asashosakari 20,223]

Yes, recording works. I just made a quick test and it took about 5 mins. to record about 40 mins. of video (filesize was ~300MB).

Perhaps something about how you get livestreamer to record the stream. I did on the (unix) command line e.g.:

livestreamer -o PATHTOFILE.flv -l error http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/53258943 best

Same here (on Windows command line), just without the logging parameter. Maybe I just caught a bad route on that download.

[Akinomaki 41,739]

As from today all former aki ppv videos on ustream are for free:

http://www.ustream.tv/Sumo-Seasonal

easily to download with dl tools like netvideohunter 4 firefox.

I'm using DownloadHelper, I need about 20 hours for all 105 files. The downloaded .flv files have problems in VLC, jumping to a forward position in the video leads to a crash. A (batch) copy conversion with XMedia Recode into mp4 gives a file that is really usable.

But at least two files are unnaturally large - VLC shows over 4 hours, while Ustream gives not more than around 2 hours for the longest videos.

Edited October 12, 2014 by Akinomaki

[Kintamayama 47,178]

As from today all former aki ppv videos on ustream are for free:

http://www.ustream.tv/Sumo-Seasonal

easily to download with dl tools like netvideohunter 4 firefox.

I'm using DownloadHelper, I need about 20 hours for all 105 files. The downloaded .flv files have problems in VLC, jumping to a forward position in the video leads to a crash. A (batch) copy conversion with XMedia Recode into mp4 gives a file that is really usable.

But at least two files are unnaturally large - VLC shows over 4 hours, while Ustream gives not more than around 2 hours for the longest videos.

The flv files I experimented on are virtually unconvertable, and I don't mean a car with a hard top. I finally just edited them and uploaded a clip as flv. Something in the flv encoding is causing my various conversion software to sigh.

[Akinomaki 41,739]

I'm using DownloadHelper, I need about 20 hours for all 105 files. The downloaded .flv files have problems in VLC, jumping to a forward position in the video leads to a crash. A (batch) copy conversion with XMedia Recode into mp4 gives a file that is really usable.

The flv files I experimented on are virtually unconvertable, and I don't mean a car with a hard top. I finally just edited them and uploaded a clip as flv. Something in the flv encoding is causing my various conversion software to sigh.

I use the copy option (available for most files) in XMedia Recode for video and audio. In most cases the result then can be used further, e.g. for conversion, and most of all it is quick and without any loss in quality.

I made just one try though and want to make the rest all in one batch when the downloads are finished. Several videos may give errors even with copy.

Edited October 12, 2014 by Akinomaki

[Asojima 2,874]

FWIW, UBS now lives on Livestream at http://new.livestream.com/accounts/9929069 .

Email login sign up required. The old Ustream and UBS URL's are now dead.