VDD19

Welcome to Video Dev Days 2019

The VideoLAN non-profit organization is happy to invite you to the multimedia open-source event of the fall!

For its eleventh edition, people from the VideoLAN and open source multimedia communities will meet in Tokyo to discuss and work on the future of the open-source multimedia community.

This is a very technical conference, focused on low-level multimedia.

Who can come?

Literally every one is invited to VDD, we just need registration for legal reason (to enter the building).

This is a technical conference, focused on low-level multimedia, like codecs and their implementations like x264 or dav1d, frameworks like FFmpeg or Gstreamer or playback libraries like libVLC.

Things like Javascript video frameworks or ad-injection frameworks would be considered out of scope.

The price to enter is totally Free.

Sponsorship for Japan

Since Japan is a bit further than the usual conferences, often in Europe, going to Japan is more expensive.

If you want VideoLAN to sponsor your trip, you should read the Sponsorship Policy.

Traveling to Japan

You should consider staying a bit longer to Japan, if you can afford a few extra days. Kyoto is amazing!

You should take care of your passport and, if applicable, your visa very quickly!

See the dedicated page: traveling advice for Japan.

You might want to consider to offset your carbon footprint.
For example: MyClimate CO2 Calculator or CarboonFootPrint.com

Schedule

Friday November 8th

Community bonding day!

Da Tokyo game

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Meeting tbd

Address : tbd

Evening drinks

19:30 Evening drinks at the...

Sponsored by Mozilla.

(NB: food is not provided there)

Saturday November 9th

Planning

Time	Auditorium
08:30 - 09:00	Registration
09:00 - 09:25	Welcome words by Jean-Baptiste Kempf, VideoLAN
09:25 - 11:50	Talks (to be listed)
11:50 - 12:15	VLC 4.0 by Jean-Baptiste Kempf, VideoLAN
12:30 - 14:00	Bentō lunch break sponsored by J-Stream

Goodies distribution will start at 14:00

Time
14:00 - 18:00	Meetups
19:30 - ??:??	Community Dinner by the Dinner committee

VideoLAN community dinner

To be defined

Sunday November 10

Time	Description
09:30 - 12:00	Lightning talks
12:00 - 14:00	Lunch by the Lunch Committee
14:00 - 18:00	Unconferences
20:00 - ??:??	Unofficial Dinner by the Unofficial Dinner Committee

Unconference schedule

Time	Description
06:30 - 07:00	Beyond Breakfast Coffee by VideoLAN

Practical information

• The official JNTO site has a wealth of practical information targeting first-time visitors.
• The air travel page provides more info for arrival and departure.

Location / main venue

The meeting is happening at the IIJ HQ:

In English	In Japanese
Internet Initiative Japan Inc. Iidabashi Grand Bloom 2-10-2 Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 102-0071 Japan	株式会社インターネットイニシアティブ 〒102－0071 東京都千代田区富士見2-10-2 飯田橋グラン・ブルーム

The venue is within walking distance of Iidabashi station served by:

• JR East
  • Chuo-Sobu (JB16) train line,
• Tokyo Metro
  • Tozai (T06),
  • Yurakucho (Y13) and
  • Namboku (N10) lines,
• Toei
  • Odeo (E06) metro line.

From the sponsored attendees' hotel, take the Tozai line west-bound from Kayabachō station (T11).

Accommodation / Hotel

If you are sponsored by the VideoLAN association, your hotel is:

In English	In Japanese
Hotel Villa Fontaine Tokyo Nihombashi Hakozaki 20-10 Hakozaki-cho Nihombashi Chuo-ku Tokyo, 103-0015	ホテルヴィラフォンテーヌ東京日本橋箱崎 〒103-0015 東京都中央区日本橋箱崎町２０−1０
+81-3-3667-3330

Elsewise, please make your own arrangements for accommodation.

Check-in is 3:00pm. Check-out is 11:00am. Breakfast available from 7:00 to 9:30am.

Beware that there are plenty of Villa Fontaine hotels in the area. Be sure to head to the Hakozaki one.

Public transit

Origin	Recommended route
Conference venue	Tokyo Metro Tozai line east-bound to Kayabachō station (T11).
Sengakuji station Haneda airport via the Keikyu railway	Toei Asakusa metro line north-bound to Ningyōchō station (A14)
Ueno station Narita airport via the Keisei electric railway	Tokyo Metro Hibiya line south-bound to Ningyōchō station (H13).
T-CAT terminal Haneda airport via T-CAT Narita airport via T-CAT	Short walk.
Tokyo station Yaesu Keisei bus stop Narita via Keisei bus	1,7 km walk from the North exit.

In addition to Kayabachō and Ningyōchō, the Suitengu-mae station (Z10) on the Tokyo metro Hanzōmon line is also located close-by.

Transportation

• Get a Japanese electronic payment card to travel easily on the public transports.
• Check the dedicated page for airport transfers.
• For routing, you can use the following services:

Vendor	Website	Google Play	Apple App Store
Hitachi Hyperdia	Hyperdia	here	here
Japan National Tourism Organization	-	here	here

NOTE: VideoLAN does not refund taxi, car rental and public transport.

Rail pass

If you have a voucher for a rail pass, you should save it for before or after the conferencing days. JR passes are of limited within central Tokyo. They are valid for the Yamanote loop and the Chuo-Sobu east-west transverse train lines, as well as JR-operated buses, but not on the metro networks.

Means of payment

VISA and MasterCard cards are not universally accepted in Japan.

Cash

You will need to withdraw cash from an international ATM (accepting VISA, MasterCard, AmEx, Discovery and UnionPay). You can find those:

• at arrivals in the airport terminal,
• at 7-Eleven convenience stores,
• at Family Mart convenience stores,
• and during office hours in Japanese Post offices.

Do not bother with the local banks ATMs, most of which do not accept overseas cards. To be on the safe side, you could exchange a few tens of thousands of yens in advance. Compare prices and avoid the extortionate bureaux de change at airports!

Electronic payments

For small day-to-day purchases, you should procure a FeliCa electronic payment card, a.k.a. an IC card. It can be used to enter and exit public transports (train, metro, bus, etc), to check out at convenience stores and many shops. You can load the card with Japanese bank notes at dedicated machines. There are two options in Tokyo area:

Vendor	Regular card	Tourist card	Tourist point of sale
JR East	Suica ¥500 deposit	Welcome Suica Free, but you will lose all unspent money	JR East Travel Service Center
Tokyo Metro	Pasmo ¥500 deposit	Pasmo passport ¥500	Keisei at Narita airport Keikyu at Haneda airport

Tourist cards with their cutesy design are meant to keep as memento and provide third-party discounts. But beware that they expire after 28 days (including any unused credit).

Electricity

Japan has the lowest household voltage in the world, so check the specifications on your power adapters. Outlets are not compatible with European or Commonwealth plugs. North American grounded plugs (with 3 pins) are also troublesome. Most attendees will thus need passive adapters. They are easier to find at home, so BUY BEFORE DEPARTURE.

Voltage	100 V
Frequency	50 Hz (60 Hz in Kyoto/Osaka)
Socket	Type A with only 2 pins (i.e. ungrounded)

Connectivity

The telephone prefix for Japan is +81.

Mobile data

You can buy, or better yet pre-order, a prepaid data SIM card at international arrivals at the airport. Don't postpone, as it might be difficult to find elsewhere.

Wireless LAN

Free Wi-Fi access points are common, but they may need registration, possibly in Japanese only. There is a map of known Wi-Fi access points in the JNTO app (see #Transportation).

Group Chat

Participants can share information and discuss using the dedicated VDD 2019 Telegram group.

Emergency

119 is the fire and ambulance emergency number in Japan. 110 is the local police number.

Please carry your travel insurance card or certificate on you at all times. If you do not have a travel insurance yet, buy a fixed-term one before you depart. EU social security cards are not not valid in Japan. Advise your relatives, and if applicable, your government:

• Registration for French citizens.

Personal safety risks in Japan primarily stem from natural disasters:

• JNTO safety tips
  • on Google Play Store
  • or Apple App Store.
• In case of earthquake:
  • Seek cover (e.g. under a table) if indoors,
  • Get away from structures (especially glass windows) if outdoors.
  • After the quake, get away from the shore onto high ground away from tidal waves.
• In case of typhoon, follow instructions from authorities. Typhoon are predicted several days ahead.

Contact

The VideoLAN Dev Days are organized by the board members of the VideoLAN non-profit organization:

• Jean-Baptiste Kempf,
• Denis Charmet,
• Konstantin Pavlov, and
• Hugo Beauzée-Luyssen.

You can reach us here.