UMD Video - Possible Comeback?

hanafuda · Jan 15, 2007

Being that I am such a raging Sony fanboy, I'm kinda surprised that it took me 2 years to get around to buying a PSP. Last month, I did, and I freakin' love it, but that is a different story.

Anyway, I figured that I wanted to see what a UMD video would be like, so I went crazy and picked one up: Superman - The Directors Cut. Well, why not? It was only 850 Yen (7 Dollars, 3 Pounds 50 Pence, etc etc).

OK, so aside from the piracy alternatives, this is a decent little format. Basically a mini DVD with all the functionality but without the bonus content as it won't fit on the 1.8 GB discs. For the price, I think it was well worth it.

This got me into thinking: what happened to UMD Video? Why has it bombed? Then I looked it up, and found that the low price releases (Superman is one of them) were released in Japan from September 2006, and since then the sale of UMD Videos in Japan has increased 10 times.

So, it seems that the price point of the original UMDs were the main factor for them not selling. Personally, I wouldn't pay 3,500 Yen or whatever for a UMD Video, but 850 Yen? Hell yes, I'm up for that.

Apparently this budget range hasn't been released anywhere outside of Japan yet, but could well be on the way. If so, do you think UMD Video can make a comeback?

TonK · Jan 15, 2007

recon_zero · Jan 15, 2007

This got me into thinking: what happened to UMD Video? Why has it bombed? Then I looked it up, and found that the low price releases (Superman is one of them) were released in Japan from September 2006, and since then the sale of UMD Videos in Japan has increased 10 times.

A protable video player, no stand alone player and no plans in making one.

UMD isn't coming back.

With H264 and several other codecs, and DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION, a movie could fit on 1 GB with decend resolution and great compression, there is no need for a propertiary format. Why not use MMC cards, or the Memory Sticks?

barf · Jan 15, 2007

I own 1, Kill Bill Vol 2, i bought a day of strike and i had to wait 2 hours for a train, and didn't feel like playing.

Anyway, the only advantages of the UMD-V were:
1) no waste of Memory Stick space
2) impossible to play full resolution mp4 videos otherwise

Nowadays, you can have usb host fs (and anyway memorystick prices fell) and with 3.03 OE-B you can play 480x270 mp4 AVC.

td741 · Jan 15, 2007

I "almost" bought some UMDs this weekend. Some movies where being cleared out at 5.99$CDN at futureshop. It's not worth it though, I can just rip my DVDs for viewing on portable systems.

kernow · Jan 15, 2007

I cracked the front of my psp woo , fell in my bag or something

I cared for about 30 seconds

wizkid007 · Jan 15, 2007

Its over. Even mushiki lost faith. (check poll)

And the poll should be in relation to the thread. I originally thought the poll was about the comeback of umd.

Which it is not.

Circa2113 · Jan 15, 2007

No, UMD was an absolute failure. (for movies anyway) Given the fact that it has been pulled from most stores, I see no plausible reason for a comeback.

Ripping DVDs to the PSP is just far more logical if you have the time/patience.

Lucent Beam · Jan 15, 2007

Nope,. never have and probably never will.

And as I watch movies on TV get advertised for DVD and Blu Ray and smile to myself as I think HD-DVD is left in the dust... I think of how so many movies for so long were advertised as being released for DVD and UMD and what a failure that was, and then I stop smiling.

Circa2113 · Jan 15, 2007

wizkid007 said:
And the poll should be in relation to the thread. I originally thought the poll was about the comeback of umd.

Which it is not.

Sorry for the double post, but I was thinking the same thing. I didn't vote for that reason.

Lastblade · Jan 15, 2007

With the latest custom firmware, unlocking the ability to run full res video from memory stick, I don't think there is a need for UMD movies anymore.

Mushiki · Jan 15, 2007

wizkid007 said:
Its over. Even mushiki lost faith. (check poll)

And the poll should be in relation to the thread. I originally thought the poll was about the comeback of umd.

Which it is not.

I have nothing against the media itself, 1.8GB is more than enough for portable games -- but, watching movies "on the go" was never interesting for me, I don't even watch movies on my macbook.

fenikso · Jan 15, 2007

I purchased a classic albums look into Pink Floyd's Darkside of The Moon. Before I ever purchased a PSP as a matter of fact. It was cheap and when I eventually purchased a PSP I was fairly impressed with the video quality.

If they were to be $10 or less for any release I would probably buy them fairly regularly.

Ajax · Jan 15, 2007

For some reason, I bought Halloween on UMD once. My girlfriend gave me so much shit for it that I never bought another one. :lolz:

I think UMD vids are kinda cool, but almost anything available on UMD is available on DVD for cheaper.

qube · Jan 15, 2007

Didn't vote since the poll question doesn't match the thread. But to clarify, I have never bought a UMD disc (not even the Sakura Taisen Movie for $5 bucks on sale), and it can't make a "comeback" since it was never successful in the first place.

P.S. - hanafudaX is the worst kind of fanboy.

hanafuda · Jan 15, 2007

wizkid007 said:
And the poll should be in relation to the thread.
Which it is not.

The poll is in relation to the thread.

Regarding whether a comeback is possible or not with budget priced discs, I wanted to get a bit of discussion going.

As for ripping DVDs and putting them on memory sticks, for me personally I don't have the time to be bothered, and my memory stick is only 1GB, which already has about 300MB used up by R TYPES.

I can't see me ever buying loads of UMD Videos, but if you are off travelling somewhere it is a pretty nice little portable movie experience. If a bunch more come out for 850 Yen, I'll probably pick up a couple. I may even grab Superman II on the way home from work today. Haven't seen it for years, and Terence Stamp kicks ass (see avatar).

Gameoz · Jan 15, 2007

I no longer own a PSP but I don't see UMD movies making a come back. At one point I was interested in a couple but the price was too high for a portable movie.

I mean, portable DVD players are so cheap now days and the screens are much bigger, there is really no need for movies on the PSP.

I am sure at some point I will pick up a PSP again. However, even if PSP movies were much much cheaper than DVDs, I still don't think I would pick one up.

FLaurence · Jan 15, 2007

I’m not a PSP owner, so I could not vote on the poll. And there is not even a remote chance that UMD, as a format for movies and other non-interactive entertainment, will be successful in the future. Sony really dropped the ball on the actual name of the UMD media as well. What, if anything, is universal about it? I’m sure there’s some logic behind it but it is definitely not immediately apparent.

BIG · Jan 15, 2007

Gameoz said:
I no longer own a PSP but I don't see UMD movies making a come back. At one point I was interested in a couple but the price was too high for a portable movie.

I mean, portable DVD players are so cheap now days and the screens are much bigger, there is really no need for movies on the PSP.

I am sure at some point I will pick up a PSP again. However, even if PSP movies were much much cheaper than DVDs, I still don't think I would pick one up.

A simple 'NO' would do just fine.

lol

B-

galfordo · Jan 15, 2007

Definitely.

nGage will also be making a huge comeback, and will eventually destroy the DS.

Check out this pwn4g3:

darkkrisp · Jan 15, 2007

I would buy more if the price was right. they studios got greedy on this. Who in the hell would pay for a movie that is only playable on one player and has no special features and costs more then its dvd counter part?

The video quality is great and if the price was about $5-8 I would have almost all my dvd's on UMD.

Lagduf · Jan 15, 2007

Don't own a PSP, but i remember looking at UMD movies shortly after this system came out and being put off by the (relatively) high price.

If I did have a psp (I dont think it's a bad system, just more then I want to pay for a handheld) I would purchase this UMD film: Predator.

Predator owns on all format.

UMD will not make a comeback.

Gameoz · Jan 15, 2007

BIG said:
A simple 'NO' would do just fine.

lol

B-

You do realize that only one person gave a simple "no". Everyone else felt the need to comment on it.

Here you go, my final answer.

NO.

Eldios · Jan 15, 2007

Yes I have purchased a UMD video, but my answer is No as for it making a comeback.

Sony had their chance when they first released them, but they screwed up. When the UMD's first came out they were really popular, but at $25 a pop, once the novelty wore off, so did the demand. Once the wide screen ipod video gets released it will be the final nail in the coffin for UMD movies. Maybe if Sony priced them competitively from the beginning, or packaged them together with Sony pictures DVDs it would have taken off, but not many people are going to buy the same movie twice. That being said, the movies did look great on the little screen.

kernow · Jan 16, 2007

Lagduf said:
Don't own a PSP, but i remember looking at UMD movies shortly after this system came out and being put off by the (relatively) high price.

If I did have a psp (I dont think it's a bad system, just more then I want to pay for a handheld) I would purchase this UMD film: Predator.

Predator owns on all format.

UMD will not make a comeback.

lol cheapass

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