Loads of UMD format movies announced
by Steve Parsons 
{ May 30th 2005 at 3:47PM }
Want movies in your pocket? If you've got a PSP, there a
slew of new titles coming out to amuse, entertain and, in some cases, bore the living crap out of you. IGN has a list
of upcoming titles that range from the recent (Team America: World Police), to older titles (The Rock), to obscure
movies you really should check out (Shaolin Soccer).
Despite the size of UMD in comparison to DVD, studios are managing to cram extras onto some releases as well. As the
article points out, Kill Bill Volume 1 actually had extras (beyond advertising) included. Could the PSP spell the end
of the portable DVD player? Or will folk not want to buy the same movie twice? I guess Sony are going to find out.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Gaurav Mathur @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
I hope people aren't that stupid.
Isn't it supposed to be "I guess Sony is going to find out" and not "are going to find out"?
I might be wrong, but that doesn't sound right to me.
Reggie Jack @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
shaolin soccer is obscure?
Ryuukuro @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
It's nice that Sony's new handheld thing that isn't a game console (*the world snickers*) is doing well but come on! For movies I'd rather use a laptop or a portable DVD player.
Or better yet, I'll skip the movies and read a book.
dukobe8 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
Yeah, I could care less about it playing movies. I mean seriously...why would I buy a lower resolution movie that I can't even view on my TV??
Eran Hawke @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
Anyone who pays money for a VHS-quality UMD movie will have a fine time watching it on the short bus.
Christopher7xii @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
'Anyone who pays money for a VHS-quality UMD movie will have a fine time watching it on the short bus.'
You must not have watched a UMD film yet. My friend owns like 5 of them, they all look amazing compared to my DVD counterparts (mostly in part due to the extremely crisp screen of the PSP).
UMD films definitely have a market... They just need to come down in price first (if they were 10-15 a pop, i'd have no problem buying them for films... anime series, those are something different. Can't imagine having 13 UMDs per series...)
Torgo @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
I simply will not buy movies I want to own twice. Especially with the ridiculous prices they're charging for these UMD's. Come on people, am I alone in this? I have a feeling alot of these publishers are going to take a bath on this UMD movie stuff.
Chris Weber @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
Team America on UMD. Wow, that reason enough to get one. No matter how many times I see that it's still funny.
pspimp @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
shaolin soccor on the PSP?!?!
That may be the first UMD movie I get! I love that flick!
Also Ren and Stimpy could be quite cool.
I am way too old to be justifiably excited about this...
mp @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
So when can we expect Sony to release a UMD player? it's gotta be around the corner. I'm not sure what they can do for screen size, but they could probably do 10" and get away with it.
It ALMOST makes sense... have you seen the Media Now (I think that's the name) $60 video players they sell to kids? the screen is about 1.5" and the things sold like hotcakes last Christmas. Discs for those are about $20/ea too.
Sony seems poised to saturate the market with a "portable media revolution".. it's unfortunate, but inevitable- me thinks.
higon @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
UMD seems to be already on its rail, and running faster. Even I'm gettng 'Appleseed' next month.
Sony really needs to build other UMD players. I guess the problem is that UMD player might be required nearly the same spec as PSP has, but currently CPUs and UMD drives are being in short.
Thundercizzle @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
I'm not buying the same movie twice myself. If I know I want it and it's coming to UMD, I'm holding out for that. I have enough dvd's and it's time I had a more portable collection.
mp @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
Fun with false advertising... hmmm... these people sure know a lot about the psp...
http://www.tangshop.com/sony-psp-playstation-3-in-1-laser-stylus-pen.html
Wesley Hester @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
I really enjoy my PSP and movies even more but I'm not going to purchase movies for it on UMD. I actually collect DVD movies and prefer to use my portable DVD player with 8" screen when on the road.
I don't need the 'convenience' of playing a movie on my PSP. I'll 'rough it' and pull out my portable DVD player which is in my bag of other portable devices.
I totally understand the concept of compressed media. I use iTunes for music and backup some movies to CD via Divx and Nero Digital. However, I'm not going to purchase a highly compressed movie for play on one particular portable device that cost as much or more than a DVD version that has more 'universal' playability and still looks good on a 56"+ display.
It's like the RIAA wanting to charge more than 99 cents for compressed music that isn't even CD quality when the songs should be 25 cents or less per track instead (in my opinion). Now Sony and others want to charge 'DVD prices' for a highly compress, proprietary movie format - no thanks. Bring on HD-DVD/Blu-ray portable players instead where I can pop out the disc and play it on my HDTV too.
EC @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
This is a bit off the topic, but is there a way to get music on my psp if my computer does not have a duo slot? Can i do it wirelessly (i know its a long shot).
oh, and umd quality is pretty excellent imo.
Romeo @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
This is another significant evolution of movie media, its pretty cool if you can have 20+ movies burn in a disc w/ 4+ gigs capacity like DVD-RW disk or save a bunch of movies in my PC w/this UMD format thing, so think UMD player (CD,MP3,DVD,UMD,etc.Player)and UMD-ROM (that can plays CD & DVD) are on the cooking pan now and will be serve in few months.
bruce @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
I think alot of you folks are speaking too soon. The PSP is revolutionary in the multi-media platform world. As of now, it can hold pictures, music, and videos dirctly on a memory stick. As for UMD movies, they are far from VHS quality...infact the resolution with a screen as compressed as the PSP, the resolution seems even crisper.
Not only that, but Sony has left the door open for system updates for the PSP which can mean anything within the boundaries of todays technology.
There is already a PSP to TV adapter. Soon to be a Camera attachment and a 4 gig hard drive. You can already browse the internet WiFi. And if you buy the Sony LocationFree TV adapter, you can watch TV anywere you get a wireless connection as long as you have it at home hooked up to your internet.
Don't forget about the "illegal" system hacks you can do at home...even more options.
Sure you can carry a laptop, but try playing madden '06 on your keyboard. Bottom line, PSP is underestimated.
Eric @ Dec 18th 2005 9:46PM
I think everyone has forgoten where everything started. Beta, VHS, Laserdisc, 8mm, DVD and now UMD. How many of you have changed the way of doing things. This is just another change in our rapidly changing world of electronics. UMD home players would integrate just fine in a home entertainment system. Just think nest year we could have RW UMDs.
Nic @ Dec 29th 2005 3:24PM
The real question is this: why not save up the money it would cost to buy, say, eight UMDs (at $22 each for example) = 8 X 22 = 176. Get those movies on DVD instead = 8 X 15 = 120. Then, with the leftover 56 dollars, get a memory card online, and save the compress video to it. You can watch the movie from your card, then delete it and watch a different one next time. The battery life isn't good enough to watch a bunch of movies anyways, so when you go home and recharge, you might as well switch movies while your at it!