Everyone Hates UMD 275
PSP-Fanboy writes "More bad news for the UMD, which is already dying a speedy death at retail: not only are stores not stocking them, but no one really wants to buy UMD movies either. Although 40% of PSP owners claimed UMD media was a big reason why they plopped down a few hundred on Sony's pixel-spurting game brick, the complaint from actual owners is there just isn't anything worth goddamn buying on UMD."
What's new? (Score:5, Insightful)
That's the same situation as is happening with recently released DVDs... coincidence? I think not.
Re:What's new? (Score:3, Interesting)
One of the main reasons I don't think that a High Definition format will actually replace DVD anytime soon is that the quality of the movies isn't there. Everyone I knew upgraded their TV, Surround Sound System and even redecorated there room because they wanted the "Theater experience at home". People liked DVD because it made the Fifth Element, The Matrix, Saving Privat Ryan, The Lord of the Rings (and so on) better experiences at home; a fa
Re:What's new? (Score:2)
Last year did represent a significant drop in box office revenue, but that's more because of a number of overlapping incredibly successful franchises having run their course over the previous years.
My bet is this summer puts things on an upward swing again - X-Men, Cars, Superman Returns, Pirates of the Carribean and, of course, Snakes on a Plane.
Re:What's new? (Score:2)
Re:What's new? (Score:4, Insightful)
I work in film. Statistics show that most people become far more discriminating as far as their film tastes go as they get older. The sentiment is always inevitably ushered forth: movies are getting worse, etc.
I can roughly gauge your age by what you claim you and your friends have done as far as home theaters are concerned. Film is a cyclical business. What this means is that the same kind of films are done over and over again. Universal themes are reintroduced to new generations. Once a person reaches an age when they experience the commencement of another cycle, the new iteration is matched against the original - which holds a place in heart and memory, no doubt. The new iteration cannot win. This is why Hollywood spends it's money appealing to those who are experiencing the cycle for the first time, and the young at heart. If Hollywood spent any considerable amounts of cash trying to please you and those who utter what you say - the business would be sunk.
The UMD didn't fail because of the quality of movies. It failed because it was yet another format to keep trakc of - a format incompatible with all else. Convergence is the dog's bollocks here. Not another format.
People aren't going to less movies because of the quality. It's because there's so much else to do. With some initative, $500, and some good pot, I can produce a really interesting movie that I can share with the world. Everyone is getting their 15 picoseconds of fame, or playing WOW or languishing in the throes of porn addiction, or posting on slashdot, or watching one of 500 available channels, or sending pictures of one's dong to prospective fuck buddies (a personal favorite).
In short, movie quality is always poor to older people. But the quality of everything is always poor to older people. IT has nothing to do with the actual quality of the product but the nature of memory that paints everything in the past with rosy tint. It probably wasn't that rosy the first time around.
It's a lame lament. If you feel that it's that bad, go cop some good hydro, get wasted and watch it again. Don't forget what it meant to be a kid and enjoy yourself. Trust me.
Re:What's new? (Score:4, Interesting)
"People aren't going to less movies because of the quality. It's because there's so much else to do. "
My husband and I were avid movie-goers and DVD-collectors until two years ago. Are we older? Sure, we're older than we were two years ago, but we're not that much older. Since you work in film, take this to heart: all of the movies that have been released in the last two years really are crap. I'm not trying to troll you, I'm trying to make you understand that people aren't just saying that. It's true. And we miss having decent new movies to watch. The last DVD I bought was a copy of Citizen X on Amazon.com, a movie that premiered about 10 years ago. We haven't bought a DVD of a recent movie in 2 years now. Absolutely none of the movies released in the last 2 years appealed to us. We didn't download any of them either; they're not worth watching, not even for free.
Make some decent movies and we will go see them and buy the DVDs. Make crap and/or DRM the DVDs to the hilt, so that I can't even take screenshots while watching it on a computer, and you won't get our money. If you really think that the reason ticket and DVD sales have fallen so is because there is more to do than you are deluded. There has always been much more to do than go to a movie theater or watch a DVD. None of that has changed. What has changed is that the movies coming out aren't worth watching.
In short, make some decent movies, not yet another remake of an old sitcom or a movie based on a good game that is an insult to the game itself. Then sales will rise. The current decline has nothing to do with there being more to do besides go to a movie or with piracy. Those are excuses. Stop making the excuses and make some decent movies. We really do want there to be some movies worth watching again.
Re:What's new? (Score:3, Insightful)
Couldn't have said it better myself. Wish you hadn't AC'd that, because that's a perfect description of most nostalgia that goes on around this site...
And the whole "The past 10 years have had NO good movies" arguments made below is pure crap. The past 5 years have had more excellent comic book movies combined than all o
Re:What's new? (Score:3, Interesting)
Sounds like it's definitely time to end the farce called copyright.
Promoting "the progress..." eh.
Re:What's new? (Score:2, Informative)
The artistic quality of the content has never had anything to do with adoption of the medium. Eight Track didn't die because of the success of K.C. and the Sunshine Band. UMD just offered very little value proposition. The first rule of any medium is that it be useful. To the consume
Re:What's new? (Score:2)
While on some level I don't really mind the concept of perhaps Actors/Actresses becoming perceived as simply actractive than the artificial "Flawless" that's perceived today (Intellectually, of course we realize it's fake. My hormones are however pretty determined that, yes, of course Charlize Theron really looks like that.), is there any industry more affected by the
Re:What's new? (Score:2, Funny)
UMD writers (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:UMD writers and Reader (Score:4, Insightful)
Even if I can purchase a new movie in UMD, what's the point since I can't watch it on anything else than the PSP.
Note that I'm not asking specifically for an external player, but you cannot even plug the PSP on the TV !
So, what does that leave me with ? I can by on UMD the movies I can only watch alone which are the one I generally rent
I takes years to create a new format. Years for the public to become aware of it, years for movies to come out on it, years before blockbuster stock them
Re:UMD writers and Reader (Score:2)
That said, the mind boggles as to who rents *or* buys them. Maybe there's far more PSP users here than I thought.
Interestingly there are a lot of second-hand PSPs in the game shops at the moment. I wouldn't even spend the 200 that you can get them for now though. 150 I'd possibly consider it.
Re:UMD writers and Reader (Score:2)
It's more likely that wholesalers are giving good deals on UMD movies to the rental places. If they can make back the wholesale price of a UMD in 1 or 2 rentals, then even a bargain-bin sale of the things later could net a profit.
True True (Score:4, Interesting)
Just give the PSP a gig of flash memory so you could rip a DVD and put it in memory anyway...
Two UMDs? (Score:5, Funny)
(If you don't get it, say it out loud a few times.)
Memory Stick PRO Duo (Score:2)
Just give the PSP a gig of flash memory
Froogle helps [google.com].
so you could rip a DVD
Major markets where the PSP is sold all have a DMCA of some sort. Which major studio DVDs aren't CSS'd?
cause and effect (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:cause and effect (Score:3, Funny)
Well, no, I don't (Score:2, Informative)
But if I did, I wouldn't expect them to make any movies just for the (U|W)MD, so the only problem would be price.
Wow, how strange... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2, Interesting)
Sony is #1 when it comes to selling us worthless garbage. They will go to great lengths to make sure their product doesn't w
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2)
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2)
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2)
VHS won not because of picture quality, but rather because Beta failed to fill a simple requirement of fitting an average length movie on one tape at release.
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2)
Sony itself is probably responsible for the myth that Beta was useless for long recording times. It was stupid of them to ever try to sell L-125 tapes, which couldn't hold more than 45 minutes, even at slow speed. And although "standard" L-500 tapes could record over three hours at slow speed, I seem to recall that early Beta VCRs only had one
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2)
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2)
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2)
Well the news is: that does not work.
If the politicians worldwide continue to criminalize 95% of (young) people, the effect is that no con
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:5, Informative)
The things that only work in iPods are files "protected" by FairPlay DRM, and those only come from iTMS -- iTunes defaults to unprotected AAC for ripping.
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2)
I don't think it's a lie, just unclear semantics. By "incompatible," I think generic-man meant that other portable audio players don't play AAC. They can play AAC if they acquire a license, b
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2)
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2)
Where does this ignorant FUD keep coming coming from?
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2)
The things that only work in iPods are files "protected" by FairPlay DRM, and those only come from iTMS -- iTunes defaults to unprotected AAC for ripping.
Interestingly enough, I can't find an option in iTunes that allows you to rip your CDs to protected AAC format.
Even stranger, Windows Media Player allows you to rip to a protected WMA format, or not.
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2)
(-8 Million, Ignorant) (Score:5, Informative)
ONCE AGAIN: AAC is the standard for MPEG4 audio, every bit as open as MP3 (both encumbered by licensed IP, less open than Ogg Vorbis). It's Apple's "Fair Play" DRM, wrapped around the AAC format, that's exclusive to the Apple iPods and the Motorola ROKR (excusably, people also like to forget that beast). Note that Fair Play is not a factor when you rip the songs yourself.
AAC is supported by tons of players, including (just from a quick Google) the Sony Network Walkman [pocketpccentral.net] and the Viliv P1 [cnet.com]. Hell, there's a press release from 2000 [toshiba.co.jp] when Toshiba first announced theirs.
I'm sure there are tons more, AAC support is integrated in a number of the chipsets available now.
Jackass.
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2)
Except when I burn my music in iTunes to CD. Seems to work pretty well then with every portable device I own.
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:3, Informative)
That said, the Zen doesn't play AAC, seriously? Why does everyone say it's more "featureful" than the iPod?
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2)
Nope, and it doesn't play ogg either, it does play wma, so I guess it's one proprietary codec up (wma) & one down (aac).
Why does everyone say it's more "featureful" than the iPod?
Because it's got more features? (Not that more features is neccessarily a good thing, but I would like a radio on my ipod....)
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2)
Re:Wow, how strange... (Score:2)
In other news... (Score:4, Funny)
*sniff* :'( (Score:5, Funny)
Re:*sniff* :'( (Score:2)
The nerve of the editors....
Re:*sniff* :'( (Score:2)
PSP in general was just a huge mistake (Score:5, Insightful)
All the way through the leadup to the PSP the gaming press was falling all over themselves to fawn over the PSP, predicting glory and conquest for their new handheld overlord. Sony said the PSP would change everything for the handheld market, and the press believed it. Then the PSP came out and it was mostly a dud; the thing didn't get any games worth playing for nearly a year, the sales weren't even high enough to outsell the GBA week to week in America, and an awful lot of the things Sony promised just plain never panned out. Meanwhile in the Japanese market, embarassingly enough, the gimmicky, ugly little Nintendo DS wound up turning into a market revolution bigger than even the PSP's wildest dreams. As the months passed after launch and the PSP increasingly failed to take over the world, the gaming press began to get a bit embarrassed. They began to realize, in the runup to the PSP launch, how many times Sony had lied to them-- and, more importantly, they realized they'd been made to look like fools.
I think the PS3 coverage has just been one extended backlash from the media for the way Sony used them. Because the PS3 coverage has been if anything the polar opposite of the PSP. The gaming media for the last year or so has bought absolutely none of Sony's hype, and has focused only on the downsides of the PS3-- and if there aren't enough negative things to report about the PS3, they just make some up. The gaming press is gunning for the PS3 to fail just as hard as they once gunned for the PSP to succeed.
Meanwhile the UMD has been an even bigger disaster for Sony's public relations. Sony is, this year, attempting to promote a media format which is absolutely vital for their future success, the Blu-Ray. Unfortunately they're doing this right on the heels of the unmitigated disaster that was the UMD format. Sony's doing everything right with the Blu-Ray that they did wrong with the UMD; they have actual studio support, the blu-rays will be playable on devices of a wide variety of types and from a wide variety of vendors, and there is clear differentiation with the format the Blu-Ray intends to replace. But the public is seeing all this happen right on the heels of seeing the laughingstock that was the short, sad life of the UMD. And since UMD is still clearly in their minds, the public is seeing Blu-Ray colored through the lens of the UMD venture-- and many of them are expecting Blu-Ray to meet the same messy fate. That's a problem. With something like Blu-Ray, a public perception of failure can become a self-fulfilling prophesy.
I keep wondering how public perception of the Blu-Ray and PS3 would have been different had the PSP just never happened.
Re:PSP in general was just a huge mistake (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:PSP in general was just a huge mistake (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:PSP in general was just a huge mistake (Score:2)
I believe people should standarize like that, I just buy SD compatible devices, likewise, I have some SD cards which I can use for whatever I feel, the biggest is a 2GB card, but the nice thing is that they are very small so I could carry 10 with me (of course I never do that, usually I only
Re:PSP in general was just a huge mistake (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:PSP in general was just a huge mistake (Score:2)
It's not just a storage format, it's an emoticon too!
Re:PSP in general was just a huge mistake (Score:2)
Re:PSP in general was just a huge mistake (Score:2)
Compact flash stores a fat lot more than Memory Sticks. And unlike MS, CF has the controller chip onboard, which means that CF devices from 1998 built for 16 MB of memory can happily co-exist with a modern 4 GB card. Yet a Memory Stick device will never be able to accept anything bigger than what it was designed for. CF, by comparison, has been forwards and backwards compatible si
Re:PSP in general was just a huge mistake (Score:2)
Re:PSP in general was just a huge mistake (Score:2)
Re:PSP in general was just a huge mistake (Score:2)
Eh, I don't think so (Score:5, Insightful)
I think if you check with those people again, the REAL reason those 40% bought a PSP was PORTABLE media, not UMD specifically. DVD's are a bit unwieldy to carry and you certainly can't get a dvd player that small. It's about the convenience of a media device that size, not the format.
If there were an open media format with a multitude of player in that size, I think you'd find a LOT more takers.
Add in the ability to write that media at will and you've got a hit on your hands. (After the teething phase, of course.)
As a side note, DVD format suffered from other teething problems like 'low volume' and such. The real 'feature' was an amazing audio range, but that translated into 'too low/too high' audio when played back in any normal setting.
Re:Eh, I don't think so (Score:5, Insightful)
Hate me for pointing out a MS product, but a PDA running PocketPC with a worldwide standard flash memory card (many flavours to choose from, SD, CF, etc) will play many different media formats and will play games. Heck, the latest devices have DirectX acceleration on them.
Re:Eh, I don't think so (Score:2)
Re:Eh, I don't think so (Score:2)
And I must add that using PDA as an iPod-type device is pretty awesome. It's not for everyone but I personally really dig it.
Re:PDA controls? (Score:2)
In general the controls on PDAs are not very good for gaming. Mine works well for 8 bit emulation (NES, C64, Sega Master System) but there aren't enough buttons for 16bit systems like SNES.
As for native PDA games, the best ones tend to be stylus driven such as puzzle games and RTS. There are some decent RPGs as well.
Re:Eh, I don't think so (Score:4, Insightful)
I think if you check with those people again, the REAL reason those 40% bought a PSP was PORTABLE media, not UMD specifically.
This is one of those results you get from interpreting polls. They probably asked people something like "did the ability to play movies on your PSP have a positive influence on your decision to buy one", or something like that with checkboxes. 40% of people said, sure, it seemed a pretty nice idea to also have that option. This then is translated to "40% claims it was a big reason". But 40% of PSP owners weren't looking for a media player. They were looking for a tiny assed playstation 1, which would get a zillion games (basically the PS 1 catalog) ported to it. If it plays movies, all the better. Sadly neither of these two scenarios really played out.
Re:Eh, I don't think so (Score:2)
Fair enough. Sadly, Sony doesn't play that game. For me, the UMD would have been a home run if Sony had either put a TV-out on the PSP or made a DVD player that also had a UMD slot. In addition to that, they had enough space to put the PSP formatted version of the movie in addition to a broadcast sized version of it. If they had done those two things, I would have considered purchasing UMDs
Re:Eh, I don't think so (Score:2)
Re:Eh, I don't think so (Score:2)
Side note, how many movies can you cram in an iPod's HD compared to the same pocket volume in UMDs + PSP?
To us it's about convenience.
To Sony it's about copy control.
Which movies on iPod? (Score:2)
how many movies can you cram in an iPod's HD
Which major studio feature films are available for iPod download? Space-shifting doesn't work in most major developed markets, almost all of which have something resembling the DMCA.
To Sony it's about copy control.
It's also about copy control to the other five studios in the MPAA.
Re:BluRay/HDDVD (Score:2)
UMD Movies? Yeah. (Score:4, Insightful)
Atleast Sony added a flash-memory option to the PSP. I can rip and rerip to my hearts content. Even more... uh... well... stuff that you can't find on a UMD in the states.
If you're on a train, or a bus, or in the back seat of a car, the PSP is an awesome little gadget for a few hours of entertainment. Battlestar looks nice on it.
Sony did royally flub up though, with the whole UMD thing. If they really wanted it to take off, DVD->UMD USB converter + writable UMD discs would be a godsend.
Never gonna happen, though.
Re:UMD Movies? Yeah. (Score:4, Funny)
It's Slashdot, you're allowed to say Hentai.
That Would Break DMCA (Score:2)
Biggest problem (Score:5, Insightful)
Why would anyone pay 30 bucks for a movie that you con only play on that little screen?
UMD as a game-format isn't a bad idea - every portable game system has it's own format.
Re:Biggest problem (Score:2)
UMD as a game-format isn't a bad idea - every portable game system has it's own format.
Except for those few PDAs that haven't already become smartphones. On a PDA, you can stick a game on CF or SD and run it.
however (Score:4, Funny)
Killier App of Movies/Video and the PSP (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Killier App of Movies/Video and the PSP (Score:2)
Don't blame UMD (Score:5, Insightful)
Crap stays crap. No matter how high the resolution.
Re:Don't blame UMD (Score:2)
Yeah, but if the resolution is high enough, you can sometimes see the steam coming off it...
Re:Don't blame UMD (Score:2)
Quite seriously. You can see it in every entertainment medium. Games came first. Rez rised, polycount rised, gameplay plummeted. Movies are following now. To be honest, an old black-and-white Hitchcock can be by far more entertaining and thrilling than a current action movie, loaded with explosions and stunts.
So far, I've been hard pressed to find a single movie within the last 10 years that didn't have a plot SO threadbare that you could see through it in minutes. The
Memory stick killed UMD for me... (Score:5, Insightful)
Blockbuster had UMD movies on sale not too long ago, but I just walked on by. I had them on all DVD anyway.
I DO live in Canada... (Score:2)
At some point we will have DMCA legislation, but format shifting DVD
Related news: 4GB Memory Stick Duo now available (Score:5, Informative)
Movies on memory cards don't have DVD-like menus like UMD movies do. However, I'm sure many users like the memory card's rewritability, PC compatibility, and ability to use existing DVDs to make PSP movies.
4GB Memory Stick Duo cards were released this month and Dell sells it for $136 (most sellers price it around $200). 2GB Memory Stick Duos have fallen to around $80-$90.
Also, the PSP displays photos and plays MP3 and AAC. UMD is not dead because they distribute their games on it. Remember, the PSP actually plays games, too.
Ditch UMD, add a hard drive... (Score:2)
Ok, so in reality the UMD is only there to stop piracy, but you could get a lot of UMD 1.8 GB films and games on a 60GB drive, then have some kind of iTunes-li
Mod -1, Stupidest Idea Ever (Score:2)
PSP firmware 2.70 vs. DS MAX Media Launcher (Score:2)
the PSP homebrew community
Firmware 2.01 through 2.60 requires an M-rated game with particularly explicit violence, which is likely banned (aka "refused classification") from sale or import in some markets, in order to crack it for homebrew use. Firmware 2.70 is not cracked at all. With the DS, on the other hand, all versions of its firmware are cracked with MAX Media Launcher ($25) plus GBA Movie Player ($25) plus any size CF card, and it's still cheaper than a PSP Value Pack.
I agree.. (Score:3, Interesting)
Well, only 512MB of space for one.. well they will release good movies on UMD then I can watch them on the move, I can't do that on an iPod *cue release of 5th Gen iPod*
Yea but I'm sure they're will be good games for PSP....
now I'm looking at not getting as good a loptop so I can enough cash left over to buy a new iPod.
UMD's just cost too much! Period! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:UMD's just cost too much! Period! (Score:2)
That's just one of many of the reasons for piracy.
UMD bundled with DVD's (Score:3, Interesting)
is there just isn't anything worth goddamn buying (Score:2)
What the fuck!
isn't worth worth a damn maybe but not isn't anything worth goddamn.
I'm not a religious nut, or a language nazi...
But when you start casually using this kind of thing in an article for no fucking good reason at all it's a sign of the endtimes.
The endtimes for slashdot that is. There's a method for moderating comments, but I think it's long past time that VA/slashdot gave us a means for moderating the god damned articles themselves
Re:Was it necessary to use the Lord's name in vane (Score:2, Insightful)
Even more generally... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:You have misinterpeted it (Score:3, Informative)
Rather they meant, don't do things in God's name that isn't in God's name.
You know... Like pass law's in the name of God. Wage a war in God's name. Tell everyone God told you to have them give you their money so you can wallow in women and wine when God really didn't tell you that. Things like that...
The phrase God damnit is more o
Re:Was it necessary to use the Lord's name in vane (Score:3, Insightful)
1. I'm not religious in any way, shape or form.
2. I curse like a sailor.
3. Other people cursing doesn't bother me.
4. I felt that 'goddamn' was inappropriate in the article summary. Probably because it was unnecessary.
5. (Not for you so much) It's VAIN. V-A-I-N.
Re:You shall not criticize the editors... (Score:2)
Re:Das pr0n? (Score:4, Funny)