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Out with the UMDs, in with the New!

Posted on Friday 14th July 2006 at 16:00 by karasuman
PSP
Sony's tale of woe with UMD (Universal Media Disc) movies seems to be reaching a conclusion. Despite a strong initial release, lackluster sales of the expensive releases of movies you probably own on DVD but can't yet play on your PSP because Sony wants to milk more money out of you have plumetted to the point where even Target won't stock them anymore. (And I thought they sold anything!)

But, never fear! Sony is getting the point. Well, not really, but at least they've realized that UMDs have gone the way of the dinosaur. Instead of relying on a physical format, Sony is now selling movies online. But it's complicated--they have a very limited selection of movies no one really wanted to see in the first place, and even though you download all four (yes, only four right now), you can only unlock a single one.

The best part of this deal is that the unlocking process automatically converts the movies to the right format, whereas movie enthusiasts who burn DVDs to watch on their PSP have to convert them to MPEG-4 themselves.

Of course, the natural way to read this scenario is that Sony screwed up with their overpriced UMD format in the first place, and that they're now trying to hang onto the movie market however they can. It's not like movie-to-memory-stick is a new concept for PSP owners! But Sony, the monolithic corporate entity which is never wrong, refutes this suggestion, insisting that they planned this all along, even if the UMD hadn't completely flopped.

Uh huh. Right.

Source: GameSpot
Posted in: Gaming Industry News

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Written by
karasuman

Comments

HamedoComment 1: 2006-07-14 18:37
Hamedo News is supposed to be non-biased, Kara dearest. happy.gif

Quote
But Sony, the monolithic corporate entity which is never wrong, refutes this suggestion, insisting that they planned this all along, even if the UMD hadn't completely flopped.

Uh huh. Right.


I keed, I keed. I'm actually in agreeance with you on this one.
karasumanComment 2: 2006-07-14 20:03
karasuman
Quote (Hamedo @ 14th July 2006 13:37)
News is supposed to be non-biased, Kara dearest. happy.gif

We newsposters are encouraged to include our opinion in the post. smile.gif
Del SComment 3: 2006-07-14 21:18
Del S Whilst it's intresting enough that UMD has failed (as was pretty predictable considering it's "universe" was resigned solely to a console in the last market dominated by Nintendo), it almost seems that rather than trying to actually tell us anything here you've just decided to throw out as much anti-sony vitirol as possible.

I mean, we could very well have wanted to watch... Hitch, S.W.A.T., The Grudge, or XXX: State of the Union... Okay, yeah, you may have a point there.
SilverlanceComment 4: 2006-07-15 17:09
Silverlance
Quote (karasuman @ 14th July 2006 15:03)
Quote (Hamedo @ 14th July 2006 13:37)
News is supposed to be non-biased, Kara dearest. happy.gif

We newsposters are encouraged to include our opinion in the post. smile.gif

But not to pepper every paragraph with strong sarcasm and bias. wink.gif

Regardless, agreed. Sony just isn't getting the message gamers have been sending them: the format stinks. The low sales and diminishing popularity are not linked with gamers copying movies so much as they are with the format being too much of a hassle.

We're in a world where everything tries to be universal. DVDs can be used on PCs, consoles, fridges, and even condoms. Well... almost. Trying to introduce a new format will only work if...

1- There's a need for it. (Basic economy - supply and demand.)
2- It quickly gains (or already has) support from many other forms of media (ie, you can't just play it on one thing.)
3- It is not overshadowed by other methods which make the process easier and less of a hassle.

There is no demand for UMD, nor a use for it, because DVDs already do the same thing BUT are quite universal. It doesn't much much of a use outside the PSP, a single device only gamers are likely to use regularly or to favor to a portable DVD player. And finally, the alternative means of watching a movie on the PSP seem to be even more convinient.

They've got squid.
Rangers51Comment 5: 2006-07-15 17:11
Rangers51 Here, let me end this. She did her job as a CoN newsposter, and I thought it rather entertaining. UMD was a stupid idea and it deserves what it gets.
Cloud_Strife510Comment 6: 2006-07-15 19:29
Cloud_Strife510 wells somebody said what I was about to say.
I'm glad I'll no longer see those on shelves as I'm looking for DVDs to buy. They would always piss me off Trying to find a cetain DVD and all that's left is the UMD, great. I've still yet to find a person who bought a UMD, even though I live in a town with too many rich kids none of them felt like buying UMDs, even though their parents give them an infinate supply of money to blow.
Because Sony didn't forsee that buying a portable DVD player was a lot more cost effective than rebuying all the DVDs on UMD.
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