The Oh!K Review: Really OK?!

On 20 October 2014, a new Korean TV channel has landed in Singapore and that is Oh!K. Oh!K is a channel operated by Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific. Oh!K airs dramas and variety programs from MBC (or Munhwa Broadcasting Company), a TV broadcaster from South Korea. MBC was the last channel to reach Singapore after 2 other broadcasters, KBS and SBS, got their own channels.

With the addition of this new channel, Starhub now has 5 South Korean TV channels - KBS World (Ch 115), ONE TV Asia (Ch 820/823), Channel M Asia (Ch 824), KMTV (Ch 846) and the new Oh!K channel (Ch 816).

Oh!K is a free channel when customers subscribe to Basic Chinese Entertainment HD Upsize Group or other packages which contain Oh!K, including the Dynasty HD Pack, Malay Pack or Indian Pack from Starhub, catering to other races as well. Oh!K previously had its free preview on Starhub from 20 October 2014 to 11 November 2014.

Oh!K Channel Logo (Source: www.onscreenasia.com)

My review about Oh!K

In my opinion, I have been waiting for a channel which specialised in broadcasting MBC programs for a very long time, around 4 to 5 years. I was wondering why MBC took a long time? Previously, to watch MBC program, I'll have to go to the internet to watch especially Infinity Challenge or on free to air channels and other cable channels for MBC dramas. I'm not saying that it is troublesome but seriously does MBC not want to work with other operators to have their own channel outside South Korea? Finally, as I heard news about the new channel, without a second thought, it must be from MBC. And I was correct when I got more information about the new channel on the Internet and newspapers.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch it at home during the free preview period because unlike KBS World, ONE and Channel M Asia, it is the only channel that ONLY airs in HD (High Definition) feed, meaning if you only subscribe to basic channel packs along with a normal set top box, you cannot receive that channel (even though there's sound). That really made me disappointed as I thought I could watch all 3 broadcasters from South Korea. So, during the weekends at my Grandmother's house, I watched the free preview as they have the Hubstation HD (the black-coloured one).

During that free preview period, I was even more disappointed about the channel. I know the channel was here not a few days ago but when they are airing in HD, shouldn't they provide multi-language subtitles instead of dual-language subtitles? One thing I notice during that period was I could see English subtitles below and Chinese subtitles above it but there are not appearing simultaneously, meaning that the Chinese appeared slower than English. Some HD channels like ONE or Channel 8 will provide viewers to change subtitles so that's the reason I believe Oh!K channel would have it but unfortunately, no.

Well, other than the subtitles, the sound quality was another issue. Oh!K previously provided dual sound, Korean or Chinese. During the free preview period, it was hard to hear what they were saying when it's in Korean but when it's changed to Chinese, it became very loud that made other people awake. So from that free preview, I felt that they could really improve and benefit.

After the free preview period, I still managed to watch it at my Grandmother's house because I believe they have subscribed the HD pack. I continued to watch it during the weekends until 28 December 2014 when I finally got to watch it at home after changing the Hubstation (the silver-coloured one) to the HD Interactive Set Top Box.

Screen Capture of Oh!K Channel (Source: http://www.starhubtvanywhere.com/tvanywhere/watchchannel/816/oh-k)

The issues that I have stated during the free preview period have already resolved after I got the channel. They have multi-language subtitles since late December 2014 where audience can choose English, Chinese, Malay or even no subtitles and audience can also choose to listen in Korean audio, Chinese audio or Malay audio as well.

Now to the content. The content is much similar to ONE, with many dramas but lesser variety programs. However, the delivery of the content in Oh!K is much faster as compared to other channels.

For example, latest MBC dramas can be seen within 24 hours on Oh!K (Only applicable to Monday-Tuesday dramas) as compared to 2 weeks (4 episodes) for KBS World or a month (8 episodes) for ONE. Latest episodes of selected variety shows like Infinity Challenge, Show! Music Core and Dad, Where are you Going? (now on hiatus) can be seen on Oh!K 1 week after Korea's broadcast, which is already considered the fastest as compared to 3 weeks for KBS World or 2 weeks for ONE.

Other dramas which are still ongoing are also aired on Oh!K. Some are in original audio while the others are available in Chinese and Malay. For example, Legendary Witches which first aired in October 2014 and Rosy Lovers which also first aired in October 2014 were shown on Oh!K 2 months after Korea's broadcast.

The + points:
Faster delivery contents make the channel very unique to watch but there's also a risk where the show could stop airing due to some live events. Previously, Pride and Prejudice have stopped airing a few times due to football games and live award ceremonies.

The openings of most shows are left in which I like to see it because those are rare to see when you are watching it via the internet. It is also considered rare as ONE rarely show openings for most programs like the latest Korean dramas and variety shows.

The - points:
Many shows did not start and end at the exact timing as provided on the TV guide. As a result, when I wanted to record some programs, I may not be able to watch the whole show.

Overall, it is still worth to watch Oh!K so not just an OK rating but excellent.

Stand by Me Doraemon Movie Review

Date: 15 December 2014
Showtime: 7.40pm (Digital in Japanese)
Venue: Golden Village at Jurong Point

A true Doraemon fan should never miss out on this movie and it's true, I'm not joking!

Having seen the animation series on television for the past decade, this is really the first time I've really watched a full length Doraemon movie at the cinema. Actually, there were previous Doraemon movies shown on television especially during the public holidays but I didn't watch it full, probably because it's not to my liking and got used to the normal 6 to 8 minutes short series.

Thankfully, this movie never made me wanted to sleep or leave the cinema, I laughed instead and also felt that it was also heartwarming.

Stand by Me Doraemon tells about the beginning where Doraemon began to help Nobita after a boy named Sewashi claiming that his family is suffering from the debts Nobita made after 4 generations. Nobita's future can be re-written with the help of Doraemon's gadgets such as Anywhere Door, Memory Bread and Take-Copter. However, something has to be sacrificed where Doraemon has to go back to the 22nd century when Nobita feels happier after his future has been re-written.

Before the movie started its production, Doraemon comics have shown those scenes from Doraemon staying to help out Nobita and leaving Nobita after successfully completed his duties. To me, I had a rough idea on how the comic sequences might turn out into a movie even though in actual fact they have added some scenes here and there to make it more entertaining.

I must say as technology advances, Stand by Me Doraemon has made it in 3D, unlike what I've seen on television. All characters have a slightly different look as compared to the normal cartoon series. What surprised me the most was...Nobita's dad! I can't reveal that much but you really have to compare with the cartoon series and the movie itself. A totally unexpected look I could say. The 3D look of the setting also made a 180 degree change, see it for yourself.

The movie itself contains lots of laughs and not forgetting, sadness into it. When a thing is gained, something is sacrificed. This is the one sentence that really needs to consider in our daily lives. This movie has clearly shown it which is a plus point.

Stand by Me Doraemon was first shown in Japan in August 2014, stood at the #1 spot for 5 weeks. After that, the movie is distributed to Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong. 3 different versions are shown in Singapore, Digital in Japanese, Digital in Mandarin and 3D in Japanese. I've listened to the Mandarin-dubbed trailer and it is amazing to hear the same voices like in the normal cartoon series. Sadly, the Mandarin version only has 2 showtimes while the Japanese version has 4 or 5 showtimes so it could have been better if the number of showtimes is even but after listening to the Japanese version, the overall movie was great.

Plus points:

The movie has clearly shown what we normally see it on television, the introduction of various gadgets by Doraemon to help Nobita, at the start of the movie. Honestly speaking, without those scenes, something is really missing from the movie and who is Doraemon? A blue earless cyborg cat from the 22nd century! Obviously, he has to show such abilities! (Common sense)

Needless to say, the 3D effects are great and the characters' expressions really add a lot of points to it, totally entertaining! Wonder if budget permits, will there be another movie filming in 3D?

Minus points/Suggestions:

Not exactly minus points but not all characters really show up in that movie. Suneo's dad and mum? Shizuka's mum? Where are they? Maybe the directors are thinking that they are not important characters after all. Well, no harm to that.

Movie rating: 10 (A really must-watch movie! Watch it before 2014 ends or maybe at the start of 2015 to ring in the new year)