PSPCasting
ChipGuy writes "Om Malik points out the launch of Sony PSP in US could actually turn Sony's fortunes around and thinks that new unqiue applications like Sajeeth Cherian's latest software, PSP Video 9, might be the real reason. Cherian created Videora bit torrent client's new hack, PSP Video 9. It takes any video and turns it into a format that PSP can read. So now you can download videos using Videora, and then convert them to PSP friendly format within a few seconds.He calls this PSP casting."
Porn on the subway!
Besides the geek factor, how would this be cooler than a standard portable mini tv set, especially given its price ?
Trolling using another account since 2005.
PSPCasting? Not sure about that. Sounds more like breaking the shackles of corporate anti-competition, to fix a product.
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
Sony's future prospects would be even more bright if the thing had supported non proprietary MPEG-2/DivX/Xvid and WMW from the get go...
Do you have to burn a mini CD-R / DVD+-R?
Or do you have to connect the PSP to your PC to upload it to it?
Or can you just save it to a memory stick and put in the PSP which will automatically recognize it and play it?
DEAD DEAD DEAD DELETE ME
Next: 'Blogcasting' (reading your fave blog on your cellphone), 'bookcasting' (Ebooks on your PSP), and so on.
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
castcasting (vb.) - The act of taking a word or acronym and appending "cast" or "casting" to the end to make it sound up-to-date and cool. See also "gategating".
Finally a way to spread the wisdom in my home movies to the whole world.
Now I'm off to register PSPorn.com
Sony's UMD format discs which they're using for the PSP can't be burned yet as far as I know. For now at least, music, movies and pictures can only be put on the memory stick via a card reader or by hooking your PSP up to your PC via USB and transferring it that way.
a) Do sony's fortune's need turning? Surely they are absolutely giant in quite a lot of markets thus aren't doing too badly for themselves b) From my experience, sony are a total pain with respect to formats and suchlike, the minidisc being a good example. is it really something geeks are going to embrace?
Mobile Cinema isn't going to work, I don't want to sound like Steve Jobs, but watching Jack Bauer say "Dammit" on a 4,5" screen is not quite as good as on a HDTV plasma(or something more modest), even though the screen is fabulous..
Ofcourse as a PornStation Portable it will do just fine..
UMD's are sony's proprietary media format, which as far as I know, is not going to be disclosed to the public. And, I understand that the memory sticks are bootable, so you just have to insert the memory stick into the PSP, hook up the USB plug, then you just upload whatever.
As a programmer I can give you the reason we don't add support for any of this stuff and instead developed (well... bought) a proprietary video playback codec. (Actimagine makes a great codec, easy to program with, but a bit expensive)
We hate our users, it is really that simple, we hate them and want them all to die.
Ok, all joking aside, we used Actimagine for one simple reason. To cut down compatibility issues. DO you realize that both Xvid and Divx are based on other codecs and are constantly evolving. What happens in a year or two when the codecs has become obsolete. We can't upgrade so we are stuck with either claiming support for obsolete codecs or never including them in the first place. From a PR standpoint it is better to be proprietary then to be outdated.
The only time portable video is useful is when you're away from home/your computer and you're not walking, driving, or otherwise in control of your motion. Obviously, by this set of criteria it makes sense to watch portable video on a train or bus, but since the average American is either driving, walking, or biking to and from home (a place with existing video sources) to work (a place with computers), it doesn't seem like there's much of a need for portable video. Now, I will say there are some places where portable video make sense-- like on a commuter train in Japan. I saw a guy watching TV on his phone just yesterday and thought, "Wow, that's pretty cool." But when does the average American ever have an opportunity to sit around like that while someone else is steering the vehicle? You can slap portable video onto a product people are already going to buy, like a cellphone, as an optional feature, but it doesn't make sense to make portable video the centerpiece of any technology destined for the US market.
I'm with Steve Jobs on this one-- there's no real demand for portable video in the US.
Forget about PSP Casting, what about PSP Camping?
So, this is an app that converts video clips to mpeg4 and then copies them to whichever drive the PSP is mounted as? Gotta agree with others -- where's the "casting" part here?
I'll turn into a supernova and burn up everything. Well I'll turn into a black little hole and you'll turn into string.
You put everything on a Memory Stick Duo. Theres no way to write disks for it (yet?)
It uses a MPEG4 format for the videos too, its not some crazy proprietary format just a slightly modified version of mpeg4 IIRC. Makes it easy to transcode. This is why theres already so many converters to toss video onto PSPs
So is that why whenever those little Portable DVD players drop below $100 on sale at Walmart, they're usually sold out by the end of the day? There shouldn't be any question as to whether there is demand for portable video all over the place. There is. It's plainly obvious.
The real question is whether Sony is offering it in an attractive enough package for people to buy [i]this[/i] product. I'm gonna say the will be successful, but I don't think that success will hinge on it's ability to playback video, frankly. People aren't going to run to the stores and drop $250 just for the device's ability to play Spiderman 2 on the go. The price point is all wrong for that function alone, but combined with everything else the PSP does- along with the ipod like design and marketing focus -I don't think it'll have a problem selling whatsoever.
But why we're focusing solely on it's ability to play movies to sell units when that's barely half it's function is beyond me in the first place.
You need a FREE iPod Nano
If Sony had made the UMD writable .. they could have had a competitor to iPod with the PSP.
.. that a hundreds of songs! A person can carry around multiple UMDs on their keychain. But honestly you'd only need to carry around one because most people have a favorite 400 songs they like listening to at a time.
They could also sell writers if they had done this, although the preferable way would have been for the PSP to hook up to the PSP via USB and then do the writing itself.
1.8 Gigs in a UMD
Unfortunately Sony has become a really stupid company. They should dump their music and movie business so the electronics division can make products consumers want.
WHAT?
Real men don't need signitures!!!
Sony's console sales have actually been pretty healthy - its the other parts of their business that are shakey. They have sold 100 million PlayStations and 75 million Playsation 2s. The PS2 sales have dipped recently but thats to be expected. When the PS3 comes out it they will be the market leader again. But I don't think PSP casting will change the fortunes of Sony.
IIRC it's the same format used for mobile phones or Sony Clie devices. It uses the same converter programs at any rate.
This program is more or less just a stream-lined front-end for those other programs.
Can anyone tell me the details of this? Sorry I would RTFA, but I am weary of following strange links at work. What is the typical size for a video encoded in this format? For instance about how big would an hour show be (I know it depends on the quality, but work with me :P)? How much memory can the sticks hold and how much are they?
Thanks
What about watching streaming over Wifi? Set a server up at home, compile the good format And there u go... Everywhere with open wifi ( in holland almost anywhere..No1 knows about security ) Or isnt that possible? it sounds cool do...
I think you mis-spelled "Xtreme" there and it's bad grammar to only use one exclamation mark.
Unfortunately, Sony is also a media company and has large interests in protection of intellectual property (audio and video). The feature the PSP needs to be sucessful (the ability to view content you already own on your PSP) will probably not happen. The reason is simple, Sony wants to sell you yet another copy of your favorite movies. Until we as a society find a way allow people to buy content vs. media (which happen to have content on them) then the PSP will never be a major feather in Sony's hat. I was going to buy a PSP, but without the ability to convert DVD titles that I legally own into the PSP media (memory stick is too small and expensive for this purpose) I won't be buying one. Video clips on memory stick = Too Weak
Erm, you guys do know that Sony already has software available for the PSP that will convert any video file you can drag and drop onto it (Yes, DivX, XviD, etc.) into MPEG4 and put it on your PSP....and images as well....
It's called Image Converter. It's bundled with the PSP (At least the pack that comes with the memory stick gets a CD with it, otherwise it's free from Sony with registration). What's the point of this guy reinventing the wheel?
Info on the software is here:
http://forum.lik-sang.com/showthread.php?t=1929
It's an English version of 3GP Converter.
"You put everything on a Memory Stick Duo. Theres no way to write disks for it (yet?)"
In other words, it's just about as interesting as PocketPC-Casting.
"Derp de derp."
Sure, this works for now. But Sony had the forsight to make their system flash updatable through bios updates via a wireless network or gamepack. They could go the same route that Microsoft did with the X-Box and force firmware updates when you play new games or connect to Sony's network, effectively breaking the ability to play video off a memory stick.
Of course, there will always be "the scene" and people hacking the firmware, etc. But I would count on this ability to be broken at some point because Sony is too short sighted to use it as a marketing gimick.
Wise men say, "Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza."
Unless you've spent money on the PSP AND spent money on buying an especially big memory card for the videos, you can't really use this.
In preparation for my psp in a few days I have been converting some movies for use.
c onvert.txt
The movies need to copied correctly to a MM DUO (DUO!!! not non DUO) memory stick - the little UMD drive doesnt have a writeable format.
Ok so then you download dvd-decrypter (google) and there a few options for the conversion but I like Rapiz lite (google) its spansish just download and change the menu to english.
Ok a couple of faqs that help:
a good guide http://db.gamefaqs.com/portable/psp/file/psp_mp4_
OK use dvd decrypter to get the VOBs off your DVD - which you own - I do...im just not going to rebuy disks for the UMD format!
Run it thru rapiz...move to disk with existing file structure...
Both programs have a lot of settings - I had to tweak DVD decrypter to get really happy with the VOB - check their forums.
Anyways I have a few movies ready to go. I own them all so don't even look at me like that.
Enjoy - I think its going to be a hellauva device.
That, to me, is the real question. Seriously. If I know I can get Linux booting on this thing, I will buy one the day they come out. If I can't get Linux booting, forget it. I'm not a gamer, I have a discman for CDs, and a tv for movies.
But Linux, that's worth making it happen. I can set it up as a little kiosk system with the many PSP buttons set as navigational hotkeys. I see great possibilities; how about you guys?
And judging from the grandparent post's implied meaning, why would I want to be like someone who is proven wrong a lot of the time?
Question: Can you put text on to a Memory Stick Duo and then read on the PSP? Can this be another way to read eBooks?
Extremely well put. I hate the term "Podcast". It seems like people who use it are trying to hitch their stars to Apple's fortune and the popularity of the iPod, because they have doubts what they're doing can't make it on its own merits. Ok, it rhymes with "broadcast", which is worth about a half chuckle (but not as funny as Fen Lebalm's term "Broadcatch"). But it turns off people who aren't iPod fanatics, even though there's nothing about it that requires an iPod. It's like the "CDROM" industry focusing on the medium instead of the message. But the fact that Apple's so anti-free-speech is an even better reason not to use the term.
Are you going to change your ways and start calling it "Blogcasting", or are you going to continue to be a shill for Apple and Sony?
-Don
Take a look and feel free: http://www.PieMenu.com
OMG! Two more days!
<I> <CAN'T> <WAIT!!!> <head explodes>
Somehow I do not think you're going to be really watching any videos on the 32MB memory stick, which doubles as your game memory card, that comes with the PSP $250 pack. And the larger memory stick duo pros are not cheap.
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
Ok, it rhymes with "broadcast", which is worth about a half chuckle
It does? O_o
Is this some particular aspect of American pronounciation I'm unaware of?
The only thing it'd rhyme with for me would be something like "bodcast".
Personally I prefer using a PocketPC. I carry around an old Ipaq 3800, with a 512MB SD card. I can convert my videos to the proper dimensions/orientation using the Pocket DivX encoder, then dump then onto the card and play them with BetaPlayer. Anime, movies, TV shows... you name it, I've probably carried it in my pocket.
... weird.
No porn, though. Porn in public would just be
I am scientifically inaccurate.
I have a pretty new iPaq and the quality of the screen doesn't even compare.
Not to mention the PSP is widescreen.
But, f all that nonsense.
Let's play some games!