PerryD

I own well over 1000 DVDs, but with HD-DVD and Blu-Ray looming, I just don't want to invest that kind of money into a dying format. Renting the DVD will fill the need for now. Buying into UMD, on the other hand, provides access to the movie on trips, bus rides, and in hotels, without having to bring or use my laptop, or purchase a dedicated portable DVD player.

toddly6666

I still don't understand what's wrong with UMDs - UMDs are as cool as anything else! People who enjoy watching movies on portable laptops should like the PSP. These are the people that don't care that Terminator 2 should only be watched in a normal home theater with surround sound...I saw a guy in a suit dancing to a Music video/concert UMD playing on his PSP with the PSP in his hand and no headphones on the subway yesterday as if he was at a Phish concert. He must love that thing! There is nothing wrong with these UMDs! Who cares about extras on an UMD. Imagine sitting on an airplane and someone asks you, "what are you watching?" And you say, "I'm watching the outtakes of HITCH." You know how crazy that sounds? The PSP is a movie playing device. Go watch your extras on the normal DVD at home...

Here is what is exciting - UMDs are getting released in other countries. The new Hong Kong action movie "Initial D" is being released in Asia and in Chinatowns around USA. Im not sure if it plays on a USA-sold PSP. Are there going to be Region restrictions when other countries start releasing movies on UMDs. Aren't there Japanese movies released on UMD now and can USA PSPs play them??

sracer

That doesn't make any sense... to me anyways. UMD movies are at a premium and can only be played on PSPs. For the price of 4 UMD movies you can buy the smallest portable DVD player around (the size of a typical portable CD player) and have total access to your over 1000 DVDs.

sracer

Why? laptops playing DVDs are re-using existing technology (notebook PC and DVD media) for a new purpose (portable movie viewing). UMDs require purchasing a PSP and UMD movies. Buying a proprietary player and proprietary media, Sony loves you!

Gee, I thought the PSP was a game playing device.

It is a very simple concept... some of us would rather use what we already have (DVDs, or ripping DVDs to media files) and playing them on our EXISTING devices than spend MORE money on a proprietary game system and spend even MORE on movies in proprietary formats.

PerryD

How good are these $60 players (the price of 4 $15 UMD movies)? The cheapest ones I see online are $120 Coby players with a 5" screen. And how does the quality of the Coby screen compare to the Sony PSP?

I actually do have a 9" portable DVD player that I use for car trips for the kids to watch in the backseat, but it's not as fun as the PSP to carry around myself when I choose to bring one item with me on a bus or train trip, or in a waiting room.

My point a couple posts above is that with new day and date releases, I may choose to rent the DVD and buy the UMD. The obvious drawback is a limited selection, but I've been very impressed with the amount of support (around 100 movies in the first 6 months), more than enough choices to build a limited library of movies to fit my needs.

sracer

I've only seen UMD movies for $25, for a total of $100. And for $100, you get a portable DVD player with a screen that is better than the PSP (quality-wise).


The obvious drawback is buying a proprietary media for a proprietary player.
A few of us don't see the appeal of that.

jrobinson

That's probably because you are seeing them at their full retail price. I know I don't pay full retail for DVDs... or UMDs

DigIt

Yes, but then if you want to play games and surf the internet and look at photos and listen to mp3s and watch movies, you have to carry around two devices. For some, this is a deal breaker; they want it all.

Having used both a portable DVD player and a PSP, I would probably side with UMD because it is a simpler if more expensive solution. Regarding exclusive content - yeah, maybe that sucks but what do you expect from companies - they want to make money so they come up with ways to get you to buy more stuff. Some of us drink the kool-aid and some don't.

PixyJunket

Truth.