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Sony to offer PSP movie downloads; UMD ready to go die now photo

According to the Financial Times, Sony is in talks with "Amazon.com and film download sites such as Movielink and CinemaNow" to complete a movie download service that would be set to launch sometime early next year. The move would certainly signal the real end of the UMD format and be the ultimate hint at the PSP 2 having a hard drive or flash memory -- though most of us already assumed that.

If you're worried about space on your PSP for a movie, well perhaps battery life should be more of a concern. Why? Because if you're packin' a big memory stick, then you'll be good to go. According to the article, Sony will distribute a "4Gb memory stick capable of storing 10 feature films."

Bye bye UMD, hello digital download. How long until Blu-ray suffers the same fate?

 


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14 comments | showing # 1 to 14

BlindsideDork's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2006 12:17
BlindsideDork
Half the life cycle of PS3 is my prediction....well that is when they will start to be "phased out" with games.

So what, that's 2008?
Toneman's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2006 12:22
Toneman
Good. Give UMD what very, very little dignity it has left and let it die a peaceful death.
Cruds's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2006 12:22
Cruds
And games? Are they still be on UMD or are they going to be downloadable too? It would make sense to go for download, no moving part thus longer battery life.

They could even use the energy saved for a touch screen and a second display and elevate portable entertainment out of the handheld-gaming ghetto.
Mxyzptlk's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2006 12:24
Mxyzptlk
About time this happened, I've always been more impressed with the PSP converted DVD-rips my friends had on their memory card rather than the UMD flicks themselves. Longer battery life and no disc-searching noise FTW.
Tempus's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2006 12:25
Tempus
I absolutely hate discs. Let me manage my own data on formats I like instead of force feeding me UMD and Blu-Ray. Sony fuckups ftw!
Aaron Linde's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2006 12:29
Aaron Linde
Blu-ray and HDDVD won't be replaced by digital distribution unless there's as big a step forward in broadband technology as cable was to dialup. If people are going batshit over Blu-ray 'cos of the quality, it stands to reason that they wouldn't settle for anything less via any other format (like digital distribution) -- and I don't think anybody's really keen on the idea of downloading 25+GB for one flick.

The UMD, though, that thing can go to hell.
Ballistic90's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2006 12:37
Ballistic90
The problem is that most movies aren't going to be on Blu-ray or HD-DVD for a long time. Also, personally, there's not enough of a difference to make it worthwhile.
moclippa's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2006 14:05
moclippa
What they need to be doing is working on talks with the various companies to get a standard format that works between all the systems... till they do that, I'm happy enough working subtle hacks to get my Divx running on the systems.

I am not at all appealed by the prospect of loosing all my movie downloads when I shelf a system.
Hamza CTZ Aziz's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2006 14:21
Hamza CTZ Aziz
HOLOGRAPHIC CDS IS WHERE IT'S AT BITCHES!!
Zero Iscariot's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2006 15:28
Zero Iscariot
good riddance. solid state ftw.
cavapower's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2006 17:47
cavapower
PS2 with mini-blueray in mini high definition
Krakn3Dfx's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2006 18:21
Krakn3Dfx
"How long until Blu-ray suffers the same fate?"

Quite the dig, I think if anything, both formats are doomed to failure considering the sorely lacking number of HD sets in U.S. homes currently. In 3-4 years, we may see a format that people are willing to dump their current DVD collections for, but right now I put my money on HD upconverting DVD players which will improvement the look of the movies people currently own more than any overpriced, underperforming HD format that is trickling out movies at a snail's pace.
NickiToid's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/08/2007 03:56
NickiToid
i saw "UMD ready to go die now", and i cant stop laughing! i just cant! *still lmao*
dprime's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/13/2007 23:00
dprime
Sony has cornered the market on hardware running formats that are about to die.
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