Nico Nico Douga: Difference between revisions
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[[Nico Nico Douga]] (ニコニコ動画) is a Japanese video-sharing service much like [[YouTube]]. In fact, it started out as an online [[YouTube]] front-end before they were blocked from loading videos off [[YouTube]] servers. Now they host their own videos (for most language versions; for the English version they have somehow been allowed to do this again). Its trademark feature is the ability to add timed scrolling or subtitle-style captions to a playing video instead of offering a regular comments page like [[YouTube]]. This solves one problem (multiple pages required to see all comments on a [[YouTube]] video) while introducing a whole new one (see "Bullet Hell" below). Additionally, it has two features not originally seen on [[YouTube]] <ref>Well, the live broadcast for [[YouTube]] eventually spawned.</ref> -- one is the "live broadcast", which is exactly what it sounds like, usually a concert or anime, and the other is the "International [[Nico Nico]] Film Festival", where people compete to make a short film based upon a certain theme; there is a cash prize.
It is now available in [http://www.nicovideo.jp Japanese], [https://web.archive.org/web/20111206195601/http://es.nicovideo.jp/ Spanish], [https://web.archive.org/web/20111206194818/http://de.nicovideo.jp/ German], and [https://web.archive.org/web/20120930004452/http://tw.nicovideo.jp/ Chinese] (the Chinese site is "tw" because that's where Niwango (the people who keep the site running) were told the most Chinese-language users were from, so don't start a political mess here). Registration is required; free membership (downgrades playback quality during peak hours) is available in all four languages, premium membership applications can only be purchased on the Japanese site but can then be carried over to any other language (credit card required, JCB or American Express from any country can be used while Visa and MasterCard issued outside Japan don't work, 500 yen or approx. US$6.20/month). There is no given timeline for carrying over the new player or site redesign over from Japanese to other languages (Taiwanese members now have a direct link to purchase premium membership).
In April 2011, [https://web.archive.org/web/20121102134545/http://www.niconico.com/ a long awaited mostly-functional English version] was added and is currently{{when}} in beta. Also, an option to purchase premium memberships by Paypal was added, allowing international members without JCB cards or [[Web Money]] vouchers to purchase it. There is also [http://www.mmcafe.com/nico.html a redirector] that allows viewing videos without having an account at the Japanese website.
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