Six TV Asahi affiliates in Tohoku (Aomori Asahi Broadcasting Corporation, Iwate Asahi Television, Higashi Nihon Hoso, Akita Asahi Broadcasting Corporation, Yamagata Television, and Fukushima Broadcasting Corporation) will jointly launch "Topo," a comprehensive portal service for Tohoku that distributes programs and regional information, on Friday, September 22, at 10:00.
This article provides basic information on Topo, how to use it, and how to download videos.
What is Topo?
|
Name: |
Topo" is a coined word that combines "Tohoku" and "portal," which means an entrance or doorway in English. |
|
Service provided: |
Live streaming, missed streaming |
|
◆Membership Types |
Free membership: Free to watch a part of the program just by registering as a member. |
|
Monthly membership: 550 yen/month (tax included) to view all content (excluding rentals) |
|
|
Rental: Available for a limited time by paying a rental fee per video *Some content is available for free without membership registration. |
Topo is a service in which six TV Asahi affiliates in Tohoku (Aomori Asahi Broadcasting Corporation, Iwate Asahi Television, Higashi Nihon Hoso, Akita Asahi Broadcasting Corporation, Yamagata Television, and Fukushima Broadcasting Corporation) jointly distribute programs and regional information.
This service allows viewers to watch programs and other content specific to the Tohoku region, including the rich nature, history, culture, and climate unique to the Tohoku region and the lives of the people who live there, anytime and anywhere via smartphones and PCs. The six TV Asahi affiliate stations in Tohoku offer a wide variety of TV-quality content in each category, including gourmet food, hot springs, travel, variety, music, and other genres.
How to use Topo
How to register as a free member
1) Click "Login" on the top right side of the screen.
2) On the login page that appears, click "Member Registration (Free)".
(3) Enter your e-mail address on the e-mail address input page, and click "Next. An "E-mail for this registration" will be sent to the e-mail address you entered.
4) Click on the "URL for this registration" in the email you received.
(5) Enter your membership information on the membership information entry page that appears, and click "Confirm Registration Details.
⑥Confirm the information entered on the Membership Information Confirmation page displayed, and if it is correct, click "Register".
(7) Membership registration is completed.
How to enroll in the unlimited subscription service
1) Click "Watch for free trial" displayed in the center of the home screen.
2) Click "Start now for free for 2 weeks" on the free trial page.
Click "New member registration (free registration)" on the login page.
③In the member registration page, enter your e-mail address and click "Send" to send an e-mail for this registration.
4) Click the URL for registration in the body of the registration e-mail received.
⑤Complete the free member registration from the member information input page displayed.
⑥Click "Register Payment Information" on the page to complete new member registration, register payment information, and execute payment.
7) Complete the payment to join the service and start the free unlimited subscription trial.
*If you do not cancel your subscription before the end of the free trial period, it will be automatically continued.
Can I record Topo videos?
Topo does not allow recording or videotaping.
If you wish to save videos, you will need to utilize an external tool.
Also, Topo videos are delivered as m3u8 files and use drm (content protection) technology, so if you record with a normal recorder, the recording will most likely be blacked out.
For this reason, we will introduce 5 software that can undo the drm.
Recommended 5 selections of Topo recording software
Topo Screen Recording Software 1: Y2mate
- - Supported OS: Windows and Mac
- Price: Free trial, $25.9/month, Yearly fee: $64.9 ・Lifetime $129.9
- Japanese language support available
- Can convert to MP4 and MKV
Recommendation: Get 1080P super high quality Topo videos with 8x recording speed.
Y2Mate Topo Downloader is an easy-to-use, high-performance video downloader. With this software, you can easily download Topo videos in MP4 format, which are stored in 1080p high quality and can be viewed offline at any time, allowing you to comfortably enjoy the videos even without an Internet connection.
Actual experience: Although recommended as a recording software, it was actually a downloader. I was able to save Topo videos at a higher quality and faster than screen recording, I was amazed that I could save a 2 hour movie in 10 minutes and it was in super high quality 1080p!
The only downside is the price is a bit high.
Topo Screen Recording Software 2: VideoProc Converter
- - Supported OS: Windows and Mac
- Price: Annual: $25.95 ・Lifetime: $45.95
- Japanese language support available
Recommendation: You can preview what Topo recorded and perform basic editing such as trimming, cropping, and rotating if necessary.
VideoProc Converter is a multimedia processing software with high-quality recording and versatile recording settings that allows you to specify the Topo screen to record. The software allows for high resolution (up to 4K) and high frame rate recording, and recording settings can be customized for optimal quality and file size balance.
Actual experience: I think this is an excellent recording software. The quality is also about 720P.
However, I am still concerned about the time it takes.
Topo Screen Recorder 3: iTop Screen Recorder
- - Supported OS: Windows only
- Price: Annual fee: 3980 yen ・Lifetime: 6480 yen
- Japanese language support available
Recommendation: DRM restrictions can be removed and Topo screen recordings will not be blacked out.
iTop Screen Recorder" is an excellent software for high-quality PC screen recording, making it easy to record and document web conferences, YouTube videos, live broadcasts, live game play, and many other situations. This software allows you to capture your PC screen without watermark and without time limit. It also offers a variety of capture modes, such as video recording with audio or recording audio only.
Actual experience: Although the software claimed to be able to remove DRM restrictions, sometimes recorded Topo videos turned black. We think that perhaps the technology is not yet mature in terms of technology.
I am also interested in the Windows version only.
Topo Screen Recording Software 4: Cleverget
- - Supported OS: Windows only
- Price: Regular price 65,649 yen Sale price 32,824 yen (tax included)
- Japanese language support available
Recommendation: CleverGet offers an easy-to-use interface and intuitive operation, making it easy to use even for beginners.
CleverGet is software that allows users to download videos from popular websites widely used on the Internet, such as YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu.
Actual experience: Although it was advertised as being able to download 1080p, in reality it could only download up to 720p. This made us feel cheated.
In addition, the Topo downloader cannot be purchased individually and requires the purchase of the entire CleverGet All-In-One 14 module, which can be very expensive.
Topo Screen Recording Site 5: Vidnoz Online Screen Recording Site
- - Supported OS: Windows only
- Price: Regular price 65,649 yen Sale price 32,824 yen (tax included)
- Japanese language support available
Recommendation: No installation required, can record videos from PCs, browsers, etc.
Vidnoz online screen recording site is a useful screen recording tool developed by Vidnoz. After registration, you can easily record videos on your PC or browser with a few clicks.
Actual experience: Although it was advertised as being able to download 1080p, in reality it could only download up to 720p. This made us feel cheated.
In addition, the Topo downloader cannot be purchased individually and requires the purchase of the entire CleverGet All-In-One 14 module, which can be very expensive.
The best recommendation: the procedure for recording Topo with Y2Mate.
Step 1: Install Y2Mate Downloader
First, install the recording software "Y2Mate Downloader" on your computer.
Click the button marked "Free Download" to download the installer.
When the file "y2mate_online_downloader.exe" is downloaded, click on it to open it.
When the installation screen appears, click "Quick Install" to begin the installation.
Wait a few moments for the installation to complete.
Depending on your Internet environment, it should take about 5 minutes.
When you see "Start Now," click on it.
Y2mate Downloader" will start up automatically.
If you purchased the software, click "Authentication"; if you want to try it for free, just click "Trial"!
In this case, we will start with the free trial!
Free trials are available for most products!
Step 2: Record the Topo video
Visit Topo's official website with Y2Mate Downloader's built-in browser.
Let the Topo video you want to download play.
You will automatically see a screen where you can select the video content to be recorded.
Click "Downloading" on the left side of the operation screen, and you will see the video title you selected.
Step 3: Play the saved Topo video
When the download is complete, click "Download" on the left side of the operation screen.
You will see the recording data of the video you just selected.
If you want to check the sub-filter of the video, you can easily open it by clicking the file icon on the side of the video. Saved videos are in MP4 format, which makes it easy to watch Weekly Plus movies on your PC as well as play them offline on other devices.
Additionally, it is possible to watch downloaded movies offline using regular players.