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The UMD and PSP Getting Off The Ground 187

Posted by Zonk from the impulse-engines-full dept.
1up is running a piece examining Hollywood's relationship with Sony's UMD format. From the article: "Two UMD movies sold 100,000 units within two months. By contrast, one of the earliest DVD releases, Air Force One, took nine to achieve the same goal. DVD and ticket sales are on the decline, Hollywood needs a new source of revenue while they pick up the pieces, and PSP's handheld UMD format is turning into the glowing solution." Relatedly, Next Generation is running an article taking a look at the increasing quality of original games coming out for Sony's handheld. From the article: "After an embarrassingly slow start, the PSP has begun to find its niche with developers; likewise, Sony's internal studios and publishing division have gotten really adventuresome lately, with big and little games, both in tested genres and genres those games serve to test."
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The UMD and PSP Getting Off The Ground More

The UMD and PSP Getting Off The Ground

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  • Just say "no"... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by badasscat ( 563442 ) <basscadet75@@@yahoo...com> on Monday September 19, 2005 @01:29PM (#13597533)
    ...to proprietary media formats.

    I'm using the term "proprietary" loosely, of course... but buy into any media format that's tied to one specific device, and it's a given that someday you're going to have a stack of media that you can't play and a much lighter bank account to go with it.
    • Just say "no"... ...to proprietary media formats.

      I agree with you, but I am definitely waiting for stores like Blockbuster to rent UMD movies. They currently rent games, which is okay but the price is like $8 for a 2-week rental. I view that as kind of high. If they rent UMDs though, it's an excellent way to take your game device and movie player on the go with the newest movies.

      I don't plan on buying any UMD movies until I have a device that will play them on my television as well. However, I am
      • I don't plan on buying any UMD movies until I have a device that will play them on my television as well. No offense, but "DVD player" anyone? Wal-Mart sells them for 30 bucks now.
        • Wal-Mart's $30 DVD player doesn't play UMDs. fistfullast won't buy a single UMD until he has a set-top UMD player!
        • I think you missed my point. Buying UMD's is completely useless to me for the reason that my parent stated - you'll end up in a few years with a ton of UMD's that only work on your old and busted PSP. I'm saying that until there are more devices that accept UMDs, I'm not going to purchase movies in that format. DVDs are irrelevant to the conversation but make my point. You can buy many different DVD readers from DVD ROMS to DVD set-top players to portable DVD players. You can't do this with the UMD yet

            • BetaMax!

              No. If you're thinking about buying DVDs and format-shifting them to Memory Stick PRO Duo, the so-called Betamax precedent won't save you now. Sony v. Universal was decided in 1984, but the law was changed in October 1998 so that format-shifting from a copy-protected medium became a federal felony. The governing case is now Universal v. Reimerdes, where it was ruled that using and/or distributing DeCSS within the United States (where Slashdot's server is located) is unlawful.

      • Re:Just say "no"... (Score:2, Informative)

        by apoc06 ( 853263 )
        the blockbusters here rent where i live umd movies and games. they have been renting them since at least as far back as may/june.

        also, you can rent them from www.gamefly.com and a few other places, if you are more a www.netflix.com person than a www.blockbuster.com person.

        as for playing them on a regular sized tv screen: http://www.pspupdates.com/2005/09/teamxtender-upda te.html [pspupdates.com] there you go... its not the most elegant solution; it requires some weirdness with the faceplate. but its a proof of concept. also
        • Yeah one blockbuster near me has 2 or 3 UMD movies for rent. The blockbuster website doesn't even mention PSP to my knowledge. I have a feeling that we probably won't see anything from them until after GTA:LCS comes out or even after Christmas. There have to be enough units in the area for the stores to rationalize purchasing them. Personally, I won't be happy until there are at least 10-20 movies to rent or so. I might even buy the movies used if they sell them for 5 or 6 dollars after a while because
      • Wow man...me either...cause I want to put a 350x230'ish less-than-dvd quality movie up on my 32-inch High Def tv screen...that makes Sooo much sense.
      • Does Blockbuster rent out DS games? Just curious. I haven't been inside a Blockbuster in a long time and didn't even know they had PSP games.
      • You can rent UMD movies from GameFly [gamefly.com]. It's a bit of a better deal, because you can keep them for as long as you like.
    • Every major* portable game console ever has used a "proprietary" memory card format. The GamePark handhelds have adopted standard formats for memory cards, but even those have short shelf lives -- who uses SmartMedia any more, for example?

      * I'm not counting Nokia, Tapwave, or GamePark as a maker of "major" portable game consoles here.

      • Re:Just say "no"... (Score:3, Insightful)

        by yotto ( 590067 )
        No, not like DVD. You can go to Wal-Mart and buy any of a dozen different DVD players from various manufacturers. You can buy DVD players (and burners) for your computer. And they started life that way.

        Can you buy a U(niversal!)MD burner for your PC? Can you buy a UMD player for your TV? No? Then they're not in the same league as a DVD.
        • Can you buy a U(niversal!)MD burner for your PC? Can you buy a UMD player for your TV?

          No, you can't...... yet.

          • Re:Just say "no"... (Score:3, Insightful)

            by Lisandro ( 799651 )
            No, you can't...... yet

                Take my word for it; you'll be able to buy a Minidisc drive for your PC before that happens. Don't wait standing.

            • Take my word for it; you'll be able to buy a Minidisc drive for your PC before that happens.

              I can't really tell whether that was sarcasm or not given the first result for Google md data [minidisc.org].

              • Re:Just say "no"... (Score:3, Informative)

                by Lisandro ( 799651 )
                It was. All of those drives don't let you deal with the MD-Audio media and MD-Data discs instead, which are quite more expensive and not cross-compatible. There's not a single consumer device that lets you read and write MD-Audio discs with your PC. NetMD players come close, but you're still tied to a hardware ATRAC3 encoding/decoding and propietary software/protocols.

                It's also interesting to see a link to an old PC World article comparing MiniDisc to Betamax... i guess the more thin
    • ...to proprietary media formats.

      Would you consider all the game the consoles in this argument? They are all 'proprietary' formats, for all intents and purposes.

  • UMDs? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Shadow Wrought ( 586631 ) <.moc.liamg. .ta. .thguorw.wodahs.> on Monday September 19, 2005 @01:34PM (#13597571) Homepage Journal
    Arr, the format be from the deserts of Iraq, Arr!

  • As long as (Score:3, Funny)

    by PenguinCandidate ( 819243 ) on Monday September 19, 2005 @01:43PM (#13597628)
    the UMD Wipeout/Stealth combo is not affected by this article, all is well with the world. And, if you listen closely, you can hear 8 tracks and Beta getting a setting ready at their table.

  • Bwah? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Momoru ( 837801 ) on Monday September 19, 2005 @01:48PM (#13597680) Homepage Journal
    Anyone who has purchased one of these care to explain the reasoning? The PSP is cool, but I just dont understand why anyone would buy a movie that can only be watched on it, when DVD + laptop works perfectly well. The Spiderman 2 disc is neat to wow people with but i mean how many times can i watch the same movie on the same portable system? Especially since I got the system for gaming...
    • Probabbly the fact that it can fit in your pocket and not have to worry about a a huge laptop brief case? Im not sure really. BUT I want one

    • Re:Bwah? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Winterblink ( 575267 )
      Well one thought would be that not everyone can afford both a PSP and another portable system to watch DVDs on, or that not everyone wants to bother lugging a bunch of devices around. For some, it's pretty convenient to have the one device.

      Myself, I have a PSP, and I buy movies on DVD because I have a home theater. I'd love it if they released DVDs with UMDs in dual packs at a reduced cost, since it would be nice to toss a few movies in my bag along with the games when I travel.
      • DVD-ripping software and a big honking memstick for the PSP are your friends.

        I don't have specific recommendations, but now you know where to start!

        GTRacer
        - Format-shifting is cool

        • Been there, do that :) *wink*
    • I could understand if the PSP had a TV-out and good resolution on the TV screen so that you could watch your movie on the home screen. As it stands, I can't see the appeal of watching a movie on the tiny-screen instead of the small one.
    • care to explain the reasoning ... when DVD + laptop works perfectly well

      'cause a lot of people don't enjoy dragging a laptop around?

      'cause laptop is a tad more expensive compared to PSP?

      'cause laptop is inconvenient in a rush hour bus or train?

      'cause laptop is difficult to handle if you can't sit down?

      'cause laptop requires software/OS maintenance?

  • Er... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Dachannien ( 617929 ) on Monday September 19, 2005 @01:52PM (#13597707)
    Why would people be *more* likely to buy an overpriced low-quality version of a movie that they can only watch on their PSP when they could just buy the DVD and watch it on their fantabulous home theater system?

    Any high sales at the moment are probably solely due to novelty. Once the novelty wears off, sales will drop off (rather dramatically, I'm guessing). In any case, this isn't going to be a cash cow for Hollywood, as the studios will be less likely to sell a DVD for every UMD they sell of the same movie.

    • Well my reason is that I simply don't have time to watch TV at home anymore. PSP I can watch on the train and shit, where my options are much more limited.

      • Re:Er... (Score:2, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward
        PSP I can watch on the train and shit,

        I agree that watching a movie while you're taking a dump is convenient, but the least you could do is wait until you get to a restroom.

    • No kidding, especially when you take into account the fact that you can get a decent portable DVD player at Wal-Mart for half the price of a PSP. I've seen uber cheap ones for under $100, decent ones go for around $120-$130.
    • I agree. There's little additional value (sound, audio quality, licensing) that you gain from UMD. TFA never mentioned which two titles were selling over 100K copies, and I suspect that they are part of bundles?

      MIAA, it's very easy to sell more DVD's. Just follow the two rules:

      1. Release DVD at the same time the movie is out.
      2. Drop the price of new release dvd's by $15-20 and the old ones by $10.

      There you go, you greedy bastard.
      • The other thing about the 100k number is that they were comparing two UMD movies, released when there was already widespread adoption of the PSP, to the first DVD movie. I mean, when there's only one DVD movie out, how many people are going to rush out and buy the movie and a (still very expensive at the time) DVD player when there's no guarantee the medium won't flop?

    • Eh, people can do what they want.

      In case you haven't noticed, there are a lot of companies out there that make a lot of money selling overpriced crap to rich people. For instance, Monster gold-plated audio cables. Or those universal remotes with the 3"x8" backlit color touchscreen, which are about 40 times more annoying to use than an old-fashioned rubber-button remote.

      I say, if people want to buy your product, go for it.
    • Currently in a bunch of countries people are paying more for a 15 second sound clip of a song to use as a tone for their mobile phone than the cost of the entire song on e.g. iTunes...
    • Why would people be *more* likely to buy an overpriced low-quality version of a movie that they can only watch on their PSP when they could just buy the DVD and watch it on their fantabulous home theater system?

      Better question: Why would people be *more* likely to buy the home theater system when they can just buy some immersive 3D goggles?

      Because: they are not the same thing at all!

      We're talking about a portable system. I agree that they are overpriced (the UMDs); I don't buy 'em for my PSP, I just

  • Something odd... (Score:3, Funny)

    by tktk ( 540564 ) on Monday September 19, 2005 @01:53PM (#13597718)
    Sony also demoed a sequel to cult curiosity Siren, a recent horror game that was criticized for being almost unplayable while simultaneously hailed for its unconventional ideas. Brief inspection proves it slightly more graphically advanced than its predecessor.

    So the sequel is more graphically advanced but it's still unplayable?

  • PSP=Gamecube of the Handhelds. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by kinglink ( 195330 ) on Monday September 19, 2005 @02:05PM (#13597797)
    Let's face it people the PSP has a serious problem with games, this is the same problem you laughed at the Game Cube about, but you defend it now? The problem is you don't have people who know how to make handhelds in charge of it.

    Nintendo risked a bit with the 2 screens, but notice where they are? Notice they know how to use it. Nintendogs is genius. They tried something big, and it's worked. Sony can't have something like that, they don't have the capablities for it on this system.

    It's the same with the Revolution, if Nintendo gets third party in and sees it's a great idea you'll see a shift in power. And they can likely do it. What they need to let out is numbers for the systems and get the dev kits out, I don't know if they have done either, but once that starts it could be something good. It's going to be hard, but let's be honest, if you think games are good now, your kidding yourself, all we are getting are games similar to what we've been seeing for the last 20 years. This might actually give us something different.

    The problem is PSP should stand for PS Ports. They might have GTA Liberty City Stories but they need more than one unique game to hold this system together and they failed that test so far. The only game I want for the PSP is Lumines and maybe Liberty City Stories. Where as the DS definatly has the games, and the backwards compatibility too.

    They should have allowed everyone to put their own apps on the system. Would Java have worked if they locked it down? Imagine if you can run anything on the PSP and enjoy programming for it? but of course Sony doesn't want freedom (remember they have a huge invested interest in RIAA.)

    Ngage failed for the similar reason in the game department, but the PSP is competition for the DS which is good, but it's not going to beat it though. Nintendo is entrenched here where they wern't on the 64. They use the older archaic format for the Handhelds, but I've noticed it's the one that works the best. You can't damage a cartridge like you can easily scratch a disk. I've scratched many discs accidently, nothing horrible but I've done it, I've never ever damaged a cart, even when trying... And when your transporting this stuff, you're going to scratch it after a while.

    The more we glorify their attempts at trying to make it live, the worse it will do when it crashes. UMD is a good idea, if they can make other players and get the cost down. I'm not going to pay twice the price (I get DVDs at places like walmart.. 15 bucks a piece on the day it gets released) just so it's portable. That's obscene.

    • Re:PSP=Gamecube of the Handhelds. (Score:5, Informative)

      by oGMo ( 379 ) on Monday September 19, 2005 @04:27PM (#13599055)

      Let's face it people the PSP has a serious problem with games

      It does? Which problem would that be?

      this is the same problem you laughed at the Game Cube about, but you defend it now

      OK, presumably you mean "the lack of games for the GameCube". However, I have about as many PSP games now as I have bought over the entire life of the Cube. Perhaps you mean "games I like", which may be perfectly valid for you, but irrelevant for the rest of us. No one is forcing you to buy one, but there are tons of games others enjoy.

      Nintendo risked a bit with the 2 screens, but notice where they are? Notice they know how to use it. Nintendogs is genius. They tried something big, and it's worked. Sony can't have something like that, they don't have the capablities for it on this system.

      That's nice. You like Nintendogs. A lot of people don't have any interest in an oversized tamagotchi. I, for instance, would be more interested in Super Mario Bros, Castlevania, or Advance Wars.

      It's also a bit silly to assert you can't have a pet game for the PSP simply because you don't have two LCDs.

      It's the same with the Revolution, if Nintendo gets third party in and sees it's a great idea you'll see a shift in power. And they can likely do it. What they need to let out is numbers for the systems and get the dev kits out, I don't know if they have done either, but once that starts it could be something good. It's going to be hard, but let's be honest, if you think games are good now, your kidding yourself, all we are getting are games similar to what we've been seeing for the last 20 years. This might actually give us something different.

      Ah yes, if, if, if. If they do all the right things, and happen to generate the right interest, and things happen to fall their way, it'll be great! It's so simple! But it's not. Generalities are nice, but it's actually pulling through in the implementation of them that's difficult. It's easy for an armchair enthusiast to comment about what they'd do, especially when they know nothing about what it takes to actually accomplish it. You seem to think Nintendo is stupid, and that it's not trying to do these things. I'm sure the random advice of a slashdotter would help them immensely.

      The problem is PSP should stand for PS Ports. They might have GTA Liberty City Stories but they need more than one unique game to hold this system together and they failed that test so far.

      Oh? Which ports would you be referring to? Mercury? Lumines? Metal Gear: Acid? Untold Legends? Wipeout Pure? Twisted Metal: Hands On? Hotshots Golf? Ridge Racer? Yes, a few of these games are sequels or have related series. (But then, the DS does too, right? Yoshi? Mario? Metroid? Castlevania? Advance wars?) There are also a few direct ports: THUG2 and Ape Escape. But I can see why two ports mean the system should be called the "PS Ports".

      The only game I want for the PSP is Lumines and maybe Liberty City Stories. Where as the DS definatly has the games, and the backwards compatibility too.

      Ah, here's the confusion. "The only game I want." Well, guess what? You're not the only person in the world. Possibly not even the only gamer. The PSP lineup appeals to a lot of people.

      Also, the PSP doesn't really have something to be backward-compatible with, yet, but that is a nice feature of the DS. (Although why they elected to disallow multiplayer link games is boggling.)

      They should have allowed everyone to put their own apps on the system. Would Java have worked if they locked it down? Imagine if you can run anything on the PSP and enjoy programming for it? but of course Sony doesn't want freedom (remember they have a huge invested

      • Quality post. Makes me wish I had mod points.

        I'm surprised you didn't also point out that PSP discs aren't easy to damage, seeing as how you can't really take UMD discs out of their case like you can with CDs or DVDs.

        And I hadn't heard about Megaman X on the PSP, that'll be sweet..

      • It's also a bit silly to assert you can't have a pet game for the PSP simply because you don't have two LCDs.

        It's not the second screen as much as the fact that it is touch sensitive. Nintendogs could have been done without the top screen, but if you don't have a touch screen, how can you touch your dog in pleasant ways?

        Yes, a few of these games are sequels or have related series.

        And a lot of the DS games aren't. Feel the Magic, Meteos, Polarium, and the like are brand new franchises. There are bo

    • [Among games rated T or more inclusive,] The only game I want for the PSP is Lumines

      Got a GBA, or an emulator? Try this [jk0.org].

    • Neither the Gamecube nor the PSP have an inherent problem with games, or at least not in the form of "it can't possibly have more games".

      You can step down from that soap box. It's not some conspiracy to be pro-Sony and anti-Nintendo. It's just a pragmatic decision based on what games exist at a given time that interest a potential buyer. No more, no less.

      There was nothing that said the Gamecube couldn't possibly get more games. For me, it just somehow didn't. The ports from other systems I could already pla
      • Patent doesn't mean lawsuits. Microsoft uses patents as a axe, that doesn't mean that all companies will use patents that way. I've never heard them going after the GBA emulators by a patent, just that it was theft of their stuff, and breaking the DMCA, both.

        Their old contracts are old for a reason, and let's admit that maybe it was smarter that way, I prefer 1 good game, rather then an ok game and 2 ports (3 if you count the computer)

        If you want to continue to be anti-Nintendo feel free, but realize that

        • Re:Let's not get fanboy about it (Score:4, Interesting)

          by Moraelin ( 679338 ) on Tuesday September 20, 2005 @10:05AM (#13604223) Journal
          Nintendo tried the legal bullying route against N64 emulators before, e.g., against UltraHLE.

          Their going the "just that it was theft of their stuff, and breaking the DMCA, both" is still, well, precisely the point. That an emulator containing exactly 0 (ZERO) lines of Nintendo code is somehow theft of Nintendo's property, isn't just laughable, but just the kind of playing nasty that I was talking about. Using the DMCA to that end, doubly so.

          "Their old contracts are old for a reason, and let's admit that maybe it was smarter that way, I prefer 1 good game, rather then an ok game and 2 ports (3 if you count the computer)"

          You don't get it, kid. I'm not talking that you couldn't port your current game to other systems. I'm talking that you had to sell yourself into serfdom to Nintendo, and never ever be allowed to publish any _other_ game for a non-Nintendo platform. Think non-compete for life.

          After that point you'd be basically at Nintendo's mercy. If they didn't want to publish your games any more, you couldn't just say "fuck it, then I'll try making my next game for the PC instead." You'd just go bankrupt. You were officially their bitch from that point, and they knew it. You _had_ to do what Nintendo wanted, and at whatever price Nintendo felt like paying, or go bankrupt.

          _That_ nasty. The old Nintendo was a nastier monopolist than MS at it's nastiest hour.

          Mind you, those contracts got overruled in courts, but that they even tried that kind of "sign yourself into serfdom for life" stunt, says something.

          Also let me say: having one game ported on more systems, doesn't make it be suddenly a worse game, which you seem to imply. Au contraire, it gives it more potential market, hence it can be made with a bigger budget. Between selling 100,000 copies on one platform and selling 200,000 copies across 3 platforms, guess which gives you more funds to hire extra artists or include more levels? Right.

          So any way you want to look at it, that stuff didn't benefit either the consumer or the developpers in any form or shape. It was self-serving stuff that benefited exactly one entity: Nintendo itself.

          Now I can understand that they're in it to make money, and act primarily in their own interest, and all. Fair enough. But claiming that it benefitted _anyone_ but themselves (e.g., that the consumers too got better games out of it) is pretty funny.

          "Gamecube's falling is the same as the PSP's current predicament."

          Well, yes, any console lives or dies by the number and mass appeal of the games it has. No arguments there. The difference is that the Gamecube has already failed, while the PSP is just starting. Will it fail too? Maybe. Maybe not. It's far too early to tell.

          So far it seems to be doing great at least in Europe. Admittedly, that's also because Nintendo pretty much gave up on the European market. You can count the number of DS games released here on your fingers, and it's not even the best ones. And the DS sales reflect that: they've sold in really pitiful numbers. So at least here the PSP is at the moment very much the _only_ choice.

          I can assume that that'll go a long way to make it a valid market. Europe is a games market only slightly smaller than the USA market, and about twice the Japan market. Dominating this market can go a long way to make it worth writing games for it.

          But again, I wouldn't know which way it'll really go from here. We shall see. Proclaiming it either a victor or a failure at this point is just silly.
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • You don't need dual screens for something to be big. Take Halo for example. The X-Box didn't have something special...they just hit a game that was popular to a lot of people and sales took off. It wasn't long ago that the DS had fairly crappy titles and ports out. They are starting to come out with a few innovative games...but a puppy simulator might appeal to a lot of people, but it doesn't do much for me. The PSP needs more games...and good ones if it is really going to compete. I am not going to ar

  • Holywood FUD (Score:5, Informative)

    by Serapth ( 643581 ) on Monday September 19, 2005 @02:06PM (#13597805)
    "DVD and ticket sales are on the decline, Hollywood needs a new source of revenue while they pick up the pieces"

    God I hate this little fact people like to bandy about. Tinsel town is not hurting in the slightest, here are yearly box office sales from the last half dozen or so years ( thanks to boxofficemojo.com ).
    2004 9.4 billion
    2003 9.1 billion
    2002 9.1 billion
    2001 8.4 billion
    2000 7.6 billion
    1999 7.4 billion
    1998 6.9 billion


    See... where I come from, when the number keeps going up and up, we dont call that shrinking... grrr.
    • They might be going off of any combination of inflation, production costs to revenue ratios, you name it. I'm sure there's a way to spin and twist the numbers to make it look like those poor Hollywood execs are really suffering.

    • Re:Holywood FUD (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Momoru ( 837801 ) on Monday September 19, 2005 @02:52PM (#13598228) Homepage Journal
      Those numbers may not be declining, but they are certainly flatlining, which could be forcasted as an eventual decline. Look at the growth... it was growing at least 10% a year until 2002, where it grew 0%, and then only 3% or so the next year. 3% or less growth is considered failing in the business world.
      • The last time I heard someone say that a smaller increase was the same thing as a decrease, they were talking about taxes. And they were in Congress.

    • But aren't box office sales values revenue and not profit? And isn't profit the bottom line?

      I mean .. how many tech companies that started in 1998 and aren't around now had increasing revenue year over year?

      -- V

    • Sometimes people in business think that "not making as much money as I think I should" == "I'm losing money/business is shrinking". The RIAA spins the same sob story but they're still making more money every year!

      The one thing that pops into my mind with every "UMD format is gaining ground" article is this: how is selling more UMDs a measure of format acceptance when you can only use those UMDs in a PSP? Isn't this just a measure of how people are using their PSPs? Put out DVD player appliances (or ma

      • Yeah, the article summary made what I think is a stupid point. It compared some 100,000 sale UMD movies to one particular DVD which was released very early after DVD players became available. The reason that I think this is silly is due to the difference in cost of the players. How much did a DVD player cost when they first came out? Hundreds of dollars? Thousands? The PSP is significantly cheaper, and that price can also be further justified by the fact that it's a game/music player as well.

        It sounds more
    • Revenue from ticket sales may not be declining, but the actual number of tickets sold probably is--hence "ticket sales are on the decline."

      Say you sell widgets at $2. Your first year, you sell 100 widgets. You raise your price to $3 the next year and sell 90. Revenue is up $70, but sales are down 10.

      Given the amount of money we're talking about, though, I'd have to agree that whatever metric they're using, they're not hurting.

      Here's an idea for a new source of revenue: spend less on movies. Change the way w
    • Ticket revenues in nominal dollars are increasing. If you adjust for inflation, the increase is less impressive.

      However, if you read the quote, it says ticket sales are declining. That is true. Number of tickets sold, not number of dollars paid. In fact, this summer was the worst summer for ticket sales (number of tickets sold) since 1997.

  • Soldiers buy them like crazy. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Sinryc ( 834433 ) on Monday September 19, 2005 @02:07PM (#13597810)
    I swear, they do. I went to my stepbrothers Basic Graduation, and every other soldier was buying a damn PSP. He bought one and 3 games and 2 movies. Ghost Busters, and the first 10 episodes of Ren and Stimpy. I asked my stepbro why he wanted a PSP, he said to watch the movies AND play the games, I asked why didnt he get a DS and a seperate movie player. He said the DS didnt play movies, and he only wanted one thing he had to take care of and that it was better that it was small. That way he could use it on downtime, instad of a DVD player.
    • That's interesting. There's the kind of market where "convergence" really could work well. It's somewhere where the convenience of having less to carry becomes more important than the quality of the individual components. Sony should produce an extra rugged PSP, maybe with camo patterns or something. If nothing else, they'd probably get some free good publicity out of it

  • "Two UMD movies sold 100,000 units within two months. By contrast, one of the earliest DVD releases, Air Force One, took nine to achieve the same goal."

    Wait, and was Air Force One one of the two best-selling DVD's? I'd be more surprised if the two best-selling UMD movies didn't compare favorably to a poorly-selling DVD of my choosing. Add the fact that things probably just sell more today than they did then and I'm struggling to see the news here.

  • wouldn't it just replace dvd sales? hopefully there aren't too many people who buy a dvd and a umd. i think a new "glowing solution" would be re-releasing lots of dvds and older movies on super-mega-video-format, where they actually do something innovative instead of shrinking it down and putting it on a 4" screen. yeah, probably flamebait. oh well.

  • Apples to oranges and red herrings (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Red Flayer ( 890720 ) on Monday September 19, 2005 @03:28PM (#13598551) Journal
    "Two UMD movies sold 100,000 units within two months. By contrast, one of the earliest DVD releases, Air Force One, took nine to achieve the same goal."

    This comparison is not relevant.

    First, the DVD player was a single-function appliance, and had to be adopted before people would buy one. The PSP was released as a game platform, so it was adopted by many more people.

    Second, the DVD competed with a tech that already had very deep market saturation -- videocassettes. Early adopters had already invested in laser-discs and been burned. Adoption of DVD players was slower due to these factors. The PSP, on the other hand, competes (in re: movies) with portable DVD players, which do not have as deep market saturation.

    "DVD and ticket sales are on the decline, Hollywood needs a new source of revenue while they pick up the pieces, and PSP's handheld UMD format is turning into the glowing solution"

    Except of course, that the UMD format is not a new source of revenue. It is a new distribution method for an old source of revenue -- movie titles for portable video players.

    The reason that UMD-format sales of selected movies have been high? Because the titles released are targeted to the same market as the PSP. Why doesn't the article reference the top-selling DVDs sold within the first few months of sale?

    The reason people pay high prices for UMD-format movies? Because it beats paying $400 for a portable DVD player that (1) serves no other function and (2) takes up even more space in the pocketbook/bookbag/tote/man-purse.

  • Not a chance... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by CaseM ( 746707 )
    I have a PSP, and UMD movies are nothing more than a fad. Contrary to the Hollywood executives' beliefs, I don't exist to line their pockets every time they decide they need to have me re-buy my movie library on a different format.
  • As some people have stated, you can buy a dvd player for your home and a portable dvd player, but your forgetting something.

    Not alot of people have alot of room when there carrying stuff on an airplane or a have a car packed full of people, would you rather have a clunky portable dvd-player in your lap (thats hot) or a small lightweight, kickass looking screen that you can rest in your hands?

    Another thing is that while dvd movies were meant to be played in the home, UMD movies were meant to played on the go
  • The article could just as easily carry the sub-title...

    "With DVD, ticket sales down, Sony's portable might not be much of a savior."

    ...and it would be just as true. I love my PSP, but face it, the number of PSP owners out there is nowhere near the number of DVD player owners, and the UMD format is inferior and inconvenient. Simply put, I quote from a recent article [gamasutra.com] on Gamasutra:

    Seriously, who actually wants to watch a movie on a tiny screen?

  • I've got it!!! (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    People can bring their PSPs into the movie and watch a UMD when they get bored!
  • One of the most likely reasons I would buy a PSP is the Emulation/homebrew scene, but from what I hear it was destroyed when Sony updated the firmware for web-browswer support a few months ago.

    Is there still work being done on it, or is the scene dead for good?

  • Don't forget: Rip Your Own Flicks (Score:3, Insightful)

    by thatguywhoiam ( 524290 ) on Tuesday September 20, 2005 @12:31PM (#13605998)
    I haven't seen it mentioned here but it is worth reminding people: you can rip a DVD to your PSP. If you have the old (1.5) firmware, the quality is ok. If you have 2.0, you can use AVC and the quality is outstanding, very comparable to the UMDs (same codec). AVC takes longer to compress - but if you would rather let your computer chug away at night than pay for the (currently) overpriced UMDs, then it is a great option. Especially for episodic material (TV shows). A 512MB memory stick will fit a typical 93-minute movie; I have a 1GB which lets me fit a movie and a good chunk of music + photos.

    My current setup uses PSPWare for Mac. I typically rip an episode of the Office or Six Feet Under from DVD each night to watch on the streetcar in the morning. Also with this sync goes a daily bookmarks file for the browser, a random selection of 50 songs from iTunes, whatever my last roll of photos taken was, and a podcast or two. Syncins a PSP only takes a few minutes even with this large amount of data (go USB2!). Its made a gigantic difference in my commute; sometimes you wanna play BurnOut, sometimes you just want to read, or watch something, or listen to music. I don't have to decide before I walk out the door which device to take - that is the appeal.

    I understand the argument from the DS fans but these features are killer apps for me.

  • At the risk of Not Getting It...
    What's so exciting about either of these announcements? How the hell will UMD "save hollywood"? Right now PSP feels more like a niche item, limiting yourself to that audience doesn't seem like a big win. What do UMDs offer over DVD? Anything besides formfactor, and maybe format-specific goodies if the movie maker feels like throwing Sony a bone?

    As for the PSP game lineup...rouhgly speaking, I think only a few genres work well on handhelds, genres where the portability makes

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