An NFC movie library for my kids • Hacker News Board

Re: An NFC movie library for my kids

#321

Post by nsteel » Wed, Sep 11, 2024, 9:04 AM UTC

alias_neo wrote: post #202

MBCook wrote: post #55

Awesome. Reminded me of Yoto, an internet radio style thing for kids that uses little NFC cards. https://us.yotoplay.com/ Techmoan reviewed it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mQECKOkkqk Less directly was Tonies, an audio player for kids that uses NFC on Skyrim style figures to trigger stories. https://us.tonies.com/ Techmoan did a video on that too (it’s how I know about both): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=…

My kids (2,4yo) have one each. They were recommended by a friend who has one for their child. Honestly one of the best pieces of tech I've used in a while. The app is thoughfully made with exactly the sort of features you'd want (alarms, separate volume limits for day/night, night light with changeable colours, morning alarm, bed/wake colours so the kids know when they should be asleep/awake; though my kids don't pay…

I like that you can get other people (i.e. grandparents) to join your yoto "family" and have them record things via the app and it transfers to your card.

Re: An NFC movie library for my kids

#322

Post by nsteel » Wed, Sep 11, 2024, 9:06 AM UTC

zer0zzz wrote: post #320

aembleton wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The electro mechanical engineering inside a VHS player is so much more impressive.

I find so much of modern technology to be a huge step backwards. Example: People used to call friends over a land line and tell them to tune into the movie on whatever channel and they’d watch at the same time together from two different places. Doing anything like that with modern tech is such a hassle these days that no one does it anymore.

Tried Streamio? I think it has that exact feature. Not tried it yet but given everything else just works I imagine that will too.

Re: An NFC movie library for my kids

#323

Post by Freak_NL » Wed, Sep 11, 2024, 11:31 AM UTC

tasuki wrote: post #312

Freak_NL wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, given that they understand Dutch, get them on to Buurman en Buurman! (The excellent stop motion Pat & Mat from Czechia). That's something which works well even at 3.

Fun fact, the original has no dialogue. I think only the Dutch version is dubbed.

Due to a quirk of history the Dutch version got dubbed initially as an attempt to create an edgier version of Pat and Mat when it was aired within the framework of a quite progressive block of children's television in the Netherlands. But the result of two professional comedians ad-libbing dialogue for these silent shorts was so absurdly successful that they've been doing that ever since.

It is unique. There is no guarantee that this would work in any other language unless you found two voice actors with the same level of natural skill and collaboration (I'm sure it must have been tried). You can't write out the dialogue in Czech, translate it, and have it dubbed in various languages; the ad-libbing seems essential, and I'm sure any attempt to replicate this would fail if you didn't get two actors who not only completely grok the show and its protagonists, but also know how to apply the local tropes of this type of character correctly.

But it works. There are few countries where Pat & Mat are as popular as the Netherlands. In fact, it's probably only Czechia itself which tops that. It's not that Pat & Mat were lacking anything — the silent shorts are brilliant in their own right — but the Dutch dub adds another layer of humour which so completely matches the feel of the characters in the show that it doesn't detract at any point. A lot of Dutch don't even know that it is only here where a dub is used, and that the affable dialogue added was never intended!

The only weird and regrettable thing (for a variation of a Czech show) is that you have to understand spoken Dutch to get it.

Re: An NFC movie library for my kids

#324

Post by tasuki » Wed, Sep 11, 2024, 11:53 AM UTC

Freak_NL wrote: post #323

tasuki wrote: post #312

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fun fact, the original has no dialogue. I think only the Dutch version is dubbed.

Due to a quirk of history the Dutch version got dubbed initially as an attempt to create an edgier version of Pat and Mat when it was aired within the framework of a quite progressive block of children's television in the Netherlands. But the result of two professional comedians ad-libbing dialogue for these silent shorts was so absurdly successful that they've been doing that ever since. It is unique. There is no gu…

Very interesting, I had no idea!

Re: An NFC movie library for my kids

#325

Post by dusted » Wed, Sep 11, 2024, 12:12 PM UTC

nsteel wrote: post #319

dusted wrote: post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought about that earlier today, I'm pretty sure it does. Worst-case DVD experience: Step 1. Unbox TV and DVD Player Step 2. Plug scart cable from DVD player into TV. Step 3. Connect TV and DVD player to power, insert batteries in remotes. Step 4. Turn on DVD Player, TV, press "Source" a few times, the DVD player shows something. Step 5. Gander at some DVDs, decide which to watch. Step 6. Press Eject Step 7. Inser…

Hang on, but we already have a library of DVDs?! The main benefit of streaming and what makes it worth the effort is you have thousands of films available. You've just ignored that part. Yes, that is absurd.

Honestly, that time where I had HBO, Netflix and Disney+ at the same time, it still didn't feel like I had even 1000s available, getting them listed and sorted by something relevant (like year of release) was a pain, and it seemed like the same 6 orange-blue shaded poster appeared first in every category.

Re: An NFC movie library for my kids

#326

Post by nsteel » Wed, Sep 11, 2024, 1:36 PM UTC

dusted wrote: post #325

nsteel wrote: post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hang on, but we already have a library of DVDs?! The main benefit of streaming and what makes it worth the effort is you have thousands of films available. You've just ignored that part. Yes, that is absurd.

Honestly, that time where I had HBO, Netflix and Disney+ at the same time, it still didn't feel like I had even 1000s available, getting them listed and sorted by something relevant (like year of release) was a pain, and it seemed like the same 6 orange-blue shaded poster appeared first in every category.

Providers pushing certain context (usually their own junk) is very frustrating, 100% agree. The 1000s of titles are available, just 95% of them are obscured. I use things like https://www.justwatch.com/uk?providers=amp,dnp,nfx&sort_by=i...

Re: An NFC movie library for my kids

#327

Post by rickcarlino » Wed, Sep 11, 2024, 2:47 PM UTC

This technology could be used to benefit people with developmental disabilities like Alzheimer’s disease. TVs and streaming services have become increasingly complex compared to 30 years ago and it makes it harder for people who have cognitive issues. Wish I had something like this for my mom, who struggles to change channels on our UI heavy smart TV.

Re: An NFC movie library for my kids

#328

Post by westcort » Wed, Sep 11, 2024, 6:29 PM UTC

Simpler than this is just switching to DVDs. Not only do I not have extra bandwidth strain on my home internet, but there are no recurring fees, no worries about legality, and lots of extra features and games that kids enjoy. DVDs are Blu Ray are the best format for movies that currently exist, and arguably the best way to actually own a movie legally. A good TV antenna serves for watching news in my area.

As a consumer, I try follow the reverse of William Painter's advice to King Camp Gillette before he invented the famous razor, "invent something people use and throw away" and arrive at "buy things you can actually own and use repeatedly."

Re: An NFC movie library for my kids

#329

Post by theshrike79 » Wed, Sep 11, 2024, 6:45 PM UTC

westcort wrote: post #328

Simpler than this is just switching to DVDs. Not only do I not have extra bandwidth strain on my home internet, but there are no recurring fees, no worries about legality, and lots of extra features and games that kids enjoy. DVDs are Blu Ray are the best format for movies that currently exist, and arguably the best way to actually own a movie legally. A good TV antenna serves for watching news in my area. As a consu…

Have you ever actually seen kids under 10 manhandle optical media?

It's not a pretty sight.

Re: An NFC movie library for my kids

#330

Post by progmetaldev » Wed, Sep 11, 2024, 8:07 PM UTC

illwrks wrote: post #191

progmetaldev wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, and ultimately think it's also learned behavior, and seeing those at home interested in technology and getting a deeper meaning about things. A lot of comments seem to think that millenials or younger don't have an interest in technology, but I think that's only because they see their older peers or family members perfectly fine with a dumbed down interface to get their needs taken care of. As a 45 year old,…

You’re retelling of your Atari story has resurfaced memories of me fiddling with a Commodore 64 tape drive to make some game work :) After this post, perhaps tech for kids need to be difficult to encourage learning.

I agree that there needs to be some kind of challenge and discovery to really pull kids into learning. Not so difficult that they can't pull it off, but just hard enough that there's a sense of accomplishment.