Notel (video player)

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A notel - also called a notetel - is a portable video player that is common in North Korea . The device is a mixture of notebook and television. This is where the name comes from as a case word for "notebook" and "television". The device can be opened like a notebook and has a screen on the inside of the lid, but it has no keyboard. The Notel has interfaces for USB sticks and SD cards and you can play DVDs and EVDs . With the Notel you also have the option of receiving radio and television broadcasts. The device is powered by a rechargeable battery.

Notels have been on the market in North Korea since around 2005. It is reported that around half of the urban population in North Korea now own a notel. The Notel enables secret access to foreign videos and western music. This is the main reason for the widespread use of the devices. The data carriers are either smuggled or illegally recorded and then passed on clandestinely. South Korean TV series, Hollywood movies, news programs, and Western music are popular. Since the Internet is forbidden in North Korea, the Notel enables individual access to information to the outside world in the otherwise strictly isolated country. It is reported that as a deception, users insert an official DVD into the drive and then watch an illegal film using a USB stick. In the event of an inspection, the stick can be removed quickly. The heat of the device can be justified with reference to the DVD.

The devices are made in China, but are now considered obsolete there. Today almost all production goes to North Korea. They are offered there for the equivalent of around 50 US dollars. Given the widespread use of the devices, the government has officially allowed the notels since 2015. They are even offered at market prices in government stores. An acquirer must, however, register and it must be technically ensured that only North Korean radio and television stations can be received.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b "Notel" boom in North Korea: hardware for the resistance . In: mirror online . March 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  2. ^ Sean Gallagher: A $ 50 device is breaking North Korean government's grip on media . In: Ars Technica , March 27, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 
  3. ↑ Sören Kittel: "Notel" - How North Koreans escape from the medial isolation . In: Der Tagesspiegel . April 9, 2015. Accessed June 3, 2015.
  4. ^ Diffusion de la vague coréenne "hallyu" au Nord by TV portable (French) . In: Yonhap , October 22, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2015.  
  5. ^ Andy Greenberg: The Plot to Free North Korea With Smuggled Episodes of 'Friends' . In: Wired , March 15, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 
  6. ↑ a b c James Pearson: The $ 50 device that symbolizes a shift in North Korea . In: Reuters , March 27, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.