Sony sells Memory Sticks with movies ... so it does work then?
by Christopher Grant 
{ Jul 13th 2006 at 1:25PM }
UMD movies aren't doing so hot nowadays, so why don't we experiment with movie playback from MemoryStick ... y'know, the way people have wanted it since day one? Sony, in their infinite wisdom, crippled video playback from MemoryStick on the PSP by barring playback at the handheld's scrumptious native resolution of 480*272 and instead maxing it out at 320*240 (QVGA). So instead of building an iTunes-like store where we could download movies and TV shows right into our little players, they asked us to pay for their proprietary and overpriced (but full resolution) UMD movies.
Fine, so they screwed up. But here's their big chance to make it all up. They've created these simple, easy-to-use 1 and 2GB MemoryStick Entertainment Packs. It's simple, really:
- Buy the MSX-M1GSTEP or MSX-M2GSEP MemoryStick Entertainment Packs for $60 or $100, respectively at your local retailer.
- Load up the enclosed DVD into your (Windows-only?) computer and select one of four (pretty lousy) Sony Pictures movies.
- Use the enclosed code to unlock one (just one) of these movies, which can then be transferred to your PSP. Oooh, what to choose?
- Figure out how to transfer your movie using the PSP's arcane file system, since they still don't include the mediocre (but nevertheless shockingly absent) Media Manager software.
- Watch your movie straight from your MemoryStick in (what we assume is) delicious 480*272 resolution. You're happy, your battery is happy!
See also:
New TiVoToGo automates PSP support; low-res still
[Via Engadget]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Evil Inside @ Jul 13th 2006 1:33PM
I'm starting to believe there are Nintendo, Apple and Microsoft spies working for Sony.
This is a joke right?
Derbeste @ Jul 13th 2006 1:34PM
Waaaaaaaaay too little Waaaaaaaaaaaaay too late.
Put one DVD you didn't want to buy in the first place onto ANOTHER propriety format. I'm sorry....That's not even trying. UMD failed for movies. Get over it. Now unless you want your PSP to fail too, let us play all the movies we want.
the deaf guy @ Jul 13th 2006 1:35PM
... triple x, swat, the grudge, hitch...... all those movies make me not want to buy a memory stick. not that i need one but if i did i'll pass.
DBX00 @ Jul 13th 2006 1:42PM
I'll wait until they get the online network up and going in the fall. If they don't completely screw it up, you'll be able to download movies on to your PS3 and transfer or stream to your PSP at full resolution. I have a feeling that's why they haven't made it easy to transfer your own movies to the thing and limiting resolution.
Todd H. @ Jul 13th 2006 1:46PM
Most people have probably already pirated those movies buy now. Ha!
Todd
http://www.proplaystation.com
Belcho @ Jul 13th 2006 1:53PM
Eww, do I have to pick one of those movies? What they need to do is make the larger memory sticks more affordable. Push out some affordable (read cheaper than the PSP itself) 4 & 8 gig sticks.
pandlcg @ Jul 13th 2006 2:02PM
Todd H.
Are those articles on proplaystation.com serious or are they supposed to be sarcastic?
Donny K @ Jul 13th 2006 2:13PM
Sony has some of the best ideas but hands down the worst implementation of them
Advanced @ Jul 13th 2006 2:25PM
What was the middle part again?
C. Grant @ Jul 13th 2006 2:31PM
Donny K: Agreed.
Ian @ Jul 13th 2006 3:00PM
They just don't get it, do they?
Patrick @ Jul 13th 2006 3:17PM
Wow, I wonder how I could get a job doing market research at Sony. Their complete cluelessness about what customers actually want is amazing and seems to be consistent across their entire product line. 20+ years of continuously trying to force proprietary formats on us and failing.
Darth Pixel @ Jul 13th 2006 3:19PM
What was wrong with UMD, already?
bagstah @ Jul 13th 2006 3:19PM
Maybe they want psp owners to buy big memory cards, to later sell videos online...
C. Grant @ Jul 13th 2006 3:24PM
Darth Pixel: You mean besides the antiquated business model of buying physical media, the battery draining disc, the fact they're *WAY* overpriced, have no functionality outside the PSP, etc. etc.?
Really, are you playing devil's advocate here?
epobirs @ Jul 13th 2006 3:58PM
Sony has reserved the ability to play full resolution 480x272 video from Memory Stick. Some of the video files you can download from Playstation Underground do it, so apparently it requires a special code in the header or something. It isn't a hard inviolate firmware design but apparenty the hackers haven't cracked it yet.
#6 Belcho, the prices aren't necessarily something Sony controls. While Memory Stick carries a small premium over more common formats (SD) or those with physically greater volume that make it easier to stuff in the chips (CF), the prices have dropped steadily since the PSP launched and increased the user base for Memory Stick practically overnight. The increased market helps but they're still constrained by the same flash memory costs as any other format.
When the PSP launched peopel would excitedly tell each other when they found a 1GB card for under $100. Today, no informed shopper would pay more than $40 after rebate and better deals are frequent. The 2GB card I use was only $60 after rebate. I expect by this time next year I'll have no problem buying a 4GB unit for under $100 if doesn't already happen by the coming Xmas shopping season.
Aram @ Jul 13th 2006 4:04PM
Look, it's an expensive, complicated, time-consuming way to watch one of four mediocre movies on your PSP - who says Sony is hopelessly clueless?
Moogle @ Jul 13th 2006 4:16PM
So something I learned in social psych is that when you offer something cheap that people don't want, it actually decreases the percieved value of the deal.
People are more likely to buy a TV if it comes with a free cruise than a TV that comes with a free cruise and a toaster.
This is silly behavior, but it's how people generally work. I'm predicting that Sony doesn't sell many of these memory sticks.
...
I 'rented' triple X, only because I noticed blockbuster had a whole empty shelf of "Rent this movie for free if we don't have it in stock"... I didn't care what movie it was. I guess on the whole, I don't regret seeing it... it was free, and now I have a amusing (yeah right) annecdote to relate. It makes me sad that it was sold out though. Humanity is doomed.
SuicideNinja @ Jul 13th 2006 4:35PM
My 2GB Memory stick was $45 on ebay. Why the hell would I go for a 1GB that costs more with annoying stipulations?
Etheo @ Jul 13th 2006 4:46PM
They are not even trying. First you have to buy the specific memory stick, which already costs you 60-100 dollars... and now you can't even watch all 4 of those (crappy) movies included? And let me guess, you can't even download your own movies into the memorystick to playback.
Congrats Sony, you've won the gaming war again. You're the genius of it all. Face it, that's why Nintendo's DS lite is doing so well and PSP is doing dipshit. No consideration for customers whatsoever.
Darth Pixel @ Jul 13th 2006 4:59PM
@14
Cool down, I was just asking a question... :)
The way I see it, events occurred this way:
Sony:
1. What media should we use for our portable system? Nintendo uses some kind of proprietary flash memory. It works well for them, but we would want something more multimedia.
2. If we go with some proprietary optical media, like Nintendo did with GameCube, we will be able to distribute our games, audio, video content and even applications.
3. Let's go with that.
The way the public perceived Sony's move:
1. OMG, $ony wants us to rebuy our movies on UMD discs!!! At FULL price!!! OMG111
2. OMG, OMG, $ony is trying to conquer the world with another proprietary format!!!
In other words, I think they just picked a media that would cover all types of content they wanted to make available to their portable system.
An optical media may have been a bad choice for a portable system, but nothing is perfect. For instance, DS' carts are not that great for anything but games.
geekRECON @ Jul 13th 2006 5:13PM
This sounds like a last ditch effort to salvage the UMD format.
Robotic House Plant @ Jul 13th 2006 6:04PM
Sony should have offered this solution from the beginning, but with software to make the process painless.
That they continue to miss opportunties to this day really surprises me.
Of all the consoles and portables I own, I have to admit, I use the PSP the least. I think they had a good idea and design, but just executed the whole thing poorly.
TopaZ @ Jul 13th 2006 10:20PM
Don't forget Jonny's PMP mod, a constantly-updated, open-source homebrew program that allows you to transcode and playback your very own videos at 480x272! Yet another reason to stay at firmware 1.5
nick @ Jul 13th 2006 11:37PM
So if you plug the Memory Stick into a PC or laptop, can you also play the video?
Matt S. @ Jul 14th 2006 4:11AM
FYI, despite what "1337 haxors" can find for memory stick pro duo prices, Best Buy and other big electronic chains charge $60 for a 1GB card.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6730424&type=product&id=1083716073008
So basically Sony is giving you a free movie for the same price as a regular card. What the heck are people complaining about?
Ok, we get it... all you people who have hated on the PSP and the UMD format since day one. UMD didn't work as a movie format. Sony appears to be trying something new with this memory stick thing. So what are people complaining about?
One last thing-- if the Joystiq staffer who wrote this article is truly "baffled" by the "arcane" file system of a PSP, maybe they should step down and allow someone else to take their job.
jimy @ Jul 14th 2006 7:37AM
I love Hitch!
pheen @ Jul 14th 2006 10:00AM
That link to Best Buy is for a regular memory stick, the PSP uses a memory stick duo.... $70 from BB, but you can find a 2 GB for about the same price if you shop around (and you don't even have to be a 1337 haxor).
Gazbin @ Jul 15th 2006 12:08PM
UMD and Blew Ray both blow. The load times with UMD is insane. I knew it was a mistake.
Memory stick - here is another one. Who uses it? All my other devices use industry standard / accepted "SD" media. SD also offers better performance, higher capacities and much much lower costs.
Backward companies like Sony are hopelessly out of date and out of touch. They need to fix quality controls first - Read 2 x Class actions for crap PS2 DVD drives. Now they want to push onto consumers a Blew ray drive? Funny. Pathetic.