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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."

139 comments

  1. Yay! by beatdown · · Score: 0, Funny

    Porn on the subway!

  2. cool ? by mirko · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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.
    1. Re:cool ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Its better in that a mini tv set that has neither media card slot, not video decoder (e.g. for films)

      Its less good in that it has no TV tuner...

      It would let you record from TV, through to media PC, through to PSP. So record that late night show while you sleep, then watch while you commute...

    2. Re:cool ? by mirko · · Score: 1

      Wasn't it already possible with ?

      --
      Trolling using another account since 2005.
    3. Re:cool ? by DrEldarion · · Score: 2, Informative

      Easy answer: You can't play games on your "standard portable mini tv set"?

    4. Re:cool ? by buffer-overflowed · · Score: 1

      Possible, and cheaper(memory sticks are expensive!), with more storage I believe.

      --
      The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
    5. Re:cool ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      But without Gran Turismo and Metal Gear Acid, of course. I'll be buying a PSP primarily for the games, but all this other stuff is a nice added incentive. If I wasn't in a reasonably well-paid job and had been forced to limit myself to buying either the DS or the PSP (rather than both, which I plan to), it'd be a simple decision.

    6. Re:cool ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      have you ever considered moving out of your mothers basement?

    7. Re:cool ? by mirko · · Score: 1

      I'd use one of these while at the fitness, I cannot use my hands but I'd like a decent device to catch my attention.
      Of course if you want me to play games on it, I could use a palm or a wince machine or an ibook...
      I guess it would not be geeky it it were not programable.
      is the psp prgramable in itself or is it just a *TOY* ?

      --
      Trolling using another account since 2005.
    8. Re:cool ? by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "Easy answer: You can't play games on your "standard portable mini tv set"?"

      Right, but are you going to be doing much more than playing games on your PSP? At least on a practical level? A portable TV is "Turn on, watch". A PSP is "capture content, convert content, manage storage, transfer content."

      I'm still not sold on the idea of the PSP becoming a multi-media Walkman. (Heck, I want to get a PocketPC/Palm for this type of stuff, but I still can't work out a practical way of doing it.) Wake me when memory sticks handle a good deal more memory and there's an iTunes like service for video.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    9. Re:cool ? by FuzzyBad-Mofo · · Score: 1

      That's a great idea, empowering homebrew developers by making the PSP user-progammable. I suggest an easy to use scripting language that will allow even novice programmers to get results. Can you imagine running PHP on the PSP, without needing a PHD?

    10. Re:cool ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My mother is dead you bastard!

    11. Re:cool ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Norman bates? Is that you?

  3. PSPCasting... by mfh · · Score: 1, Troll

    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.
    1. Re:PSPCasting... by OAB_X · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Its like Podcasting, but your not broadcasting anything, your just playing videos, wheres the casting part of PSPcasting?

    2. Re:PSPCasting... by jechoe · · Score: 1, Funny

      How about PSP2P or P2PSP or PSP2PSP, then :).

      --
      Push the envelope. Watch it bend.
    3. Re:PSPCasting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Probably similar to a type cast in an object oriented language

    4. Re:PSPCasting... by kponto · · Score: 1

      Well, think about it. With podcasting, the person with the "pod" part isn't broadcasting anything, the "pod" is receiving media, or the broadcast. With PSPcasting, the PSP isn't braodcasting, it's on the receiving end of media, hence "PSPcasting". If it catches on, I'm sure we'll see actual video broadcasts for the PSP in the style of podcasts for mp3 players.

      --
      This too, will end.
  4. PSP video format by Jarlsberg · · Score: 2, Insightful

    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...

    1. Re:PSP video format by 0x461FAB0BD7D2 · · Score: 1

      Sorry, non-proprietary WMV?

    2. Re:PSP video format by Jarlsberg · · Score: 2
      Notice I put that last ;)

      I actually meant to write non-proprietary MPEG, and also WMV. If only it was possible to edit posts on Slashdot...

    3. Re:PSP video format by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      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...

      Umm out of all of those the only non-proprietary one is MPEG-2.

      The rest are all very proprietary. and as the other guy said, WMW, are you daft man. That is as proprietary as it gets.

    4. Re:PSP video format by Jarlsberg · · Score: 1
      Ok. Non proprietary MPEG-2 is one thing I want support for. The other is DivX. The third is Xvid. The fourth is WMV.

      This is really hard, isn't it? ;P

    5. Re:PSP video format by sh00z · · Score: 5, Informative

      I'm not sure what you mean by "proprietary" in this case, as the PSP uses MPEG-4, which is No more proprietary than MPEG-2, your counter-example.

    6. Re:PSP video format by rdc_uk · · Score: 1

      It wouldn't be a proper sony product if it wasn't folornly pushing its own, niche, format of doom.

      I mean, when they use the same formats as the whole rest of the world, just look what happens; __nobody__ buys Sony TVs, DVD players, CD Players etc, do they? And as for that "walkman" - see where playing standard Cassettes got them!!

    7. Re:PSP video format by Lumpy · · Score: 1

      Xvid yes, everything else IS a very proprietary format that requires paying a license per player/ device to use it.

      sony did not because they did not want to increase the cost of the device past the price point by paying for codec license fees.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    8. Re:PSP video format by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      there is no one true mpeg-4 format, it's a bucket of metric, whitworth, french, sae, and tanzanian 'coco' nutz.

    9. Re:PSP video format by kernelfoobar · · Score: 1

      [joke]Yeah, it's called 'Preview'[/joke].

      --
      Here we go again!
  5. After conversion....How do you get it on the PSP? by rubberbando · · Score: 2, Interesting

    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
  6. Casting? by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 5, Funny
    He calls this PSP casting.
    Is 'casting' the new hip catch-all phrase, after being made popular by the term 'pod-casting'?

    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...
    1. Re:Casting? by 0x461FAB0BD7D2 · · Score: 1

      FPCasting

      read all your favorite first posts ever, from your PDA

    2. Re:Casting? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or would bookcasting be bringing an acutal book someplace other then your office or home?

    3. Re:Casting? by akadruid · · Score: 2, Funny

      Combining existing dumb ideas with worse catchphrases and patenting the results has replaced innvotation, as shown by the 'plogging' story.

      Besides Ebooks on a PSP would be EPSPBookCasting or something. Patent that quick.

      Who wants to bet the next four stories will also feature this process? Here's my prediction:

      Gridlogging
      Nano-toasting
      WiFiSatMaxG Mobile
      FlashReceipeCasting

      I propose a name for this phenomenon:
      dotCatchphrasePatentAbuse

      --
      "Those who cast the votes decide nothing; those who count the votes decide everything." (attrib. Joseph Stalin)
    4. Re:Casting? by webagogue · · Score: 1

      As long as it is served via RSS (or its variants) I think you can add the "casting" suffix. Blogcasting? Maybe Textcasting.

      --

      Knowledge is valuable. Ignorance is dangerous. Censorship is unacceptable. http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10
    5. Re:Casting? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      iPSPSoundMaxFuryCasting XG Gold Edition.

      Extreme!

    6. Re:Casting? by chman · · Score: 2, Funny

      The Internet, to many people, holds some promise of being able to make absolutely anyone a world wide celebrity - that somehow a tiny idea can spread through the tangled maze of routers and fibre optics and afford its thinker-upper immortality. It probably started when everyone noticed just how much fucking money those Google guys made, or that kid that earned a metric fuckton playing Internet stock.
      Unfortunately, this mentality means that absolutely everyone throws around bullshit ideas. Also unfortunate is that any event within the Internet is desperately reported on by the mainstream media without it. So terms such as 'Podcasting' - which comes down to putting an MP3 on your iPod, as though that was some novel use for it - get seized upon and thought of as useful to society.

      Fuck it, I've got a new idea. I call it 'ShitZineing'. I came up with it when I used the Times Style section to wipe the excrement from my behind after I ran out of toilet paper. Obviously this idea can't take off without the iPod somehow being involved, so I figure I can Podcast a weekly show on the best pages to use from each week's Sunday magazines when you're out of TP and have a dire cling-on problem.
      There we are, throw that one out through the Blogosphere and come back to me with a big fat cheque when someone wants to make it commercially viable.

      --
      This comment was formatted for readability, but I forgot the line break tags
    7. Re:Casting? by Elranzer · · Score: 1

      I'm sure Sony can't wait for game-casting... sending out the roms for all the PSP games to your friends over broadband!

    8. Re:Casting? by Tumbleweed · · Score: 1

      *snort* Puh-lease; I've been computer-casting for decades, you damned punks!

    9. Re:Casting? by aftk2 · · Score: 1

      Ugh...you could be more right than you know:

      All about screencasting (ugh)

      --
      concrete5: a cms made for marketing, but strong enough for geeks.
  7. Definition by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    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".

    1. Re:Definition by Zorilla · · Score: 1

      b) The act of emitting radio waves from a broken leg

      --

      It would be cool if it didn't suck.
    2. Re:Definition by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Example: "Castcasting is castcasted."

  8. Thank God by Ken@WearableTech · · Score: 4, Funny

    Finally a way to spread the wisdom in my home movies to the whole world.

    Now I'm off to register PSPorn.com

    1. Re:Thank God by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Remember Sony's attitude towards porn, and how successful Beta was because of it? :)

  9. Re:After conversion....How do you get it on the PS by The+Eagle+Maint · · Score: 2, Informative

    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.

  10. two things... by danbond_98 · · Score: 1

    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?

    1. Re:two things... by Albio · · Score: 1

      What didn't you like about the minidisc? The fact that the discs don't fit anywhere other than your minidisc player or that you had use ATRAC because Sony was avoiding mp3...

    2. Re:two things... by danbond_98 · · Score: 1

      it's the format. or more accurately the DRM that they included. recommended my father to purchase a himd minidisc recorder because of the ease of copying music from the minidisc recorder to the computer using USB. he is a piano teacher and musician, and likes to record what he does using a high quality microphone and his new minidisc recorder, but when we copied the music to the computer (which only, by the way, works with sonic stage) it wouldn't lets us burn audio cds. the song and dance required to get the music into a format to burn to cd was shocking. and this is not some hardware limitation, it's simply sony choosing not to let you burn to cd what you record with i microphone.

    3. Re:two things... by jawtheshark · · Score: 1
      What you describe is quite a niche problem. I have used MiniDisc for years and the *only* time it bit me was when a musician friend gave me a Audio-CD-R with a performance of his. I wanted to listen to it on my portable MiniDisc player since I didn't have a portable CD player anymore. Of course, it didn't want to copy such a Audio-CD-R to MiniDisc. (Allowing only "one digital copy") Apart from that: I only used MiniDisc to make mixes and to have a convenient format to carry my CD's around. (This was before portable MP3 players).

      It just did exactly that... with the additional advantage of it being usable to record stuff on the go. (Which I never did, but I do know some people that used it to record lectures)

      --
      Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
    4. Re:two things... by MilenCent · · Score: 1

      What you describe is quite a niche problem. I have used MiniDisc for years and the *only* time it bit me was when a musician friend gave me a Audio-CD-R with a performance of his.

      That's a pretty big niche, that channel by which much independent music is spread. Or rather, it may be a niche compared to consuming Brittany Spears CDs, but....

    5. Re:two things... by superpulpsicle · · Score: 1

      Sony's got a non-japanese chief Howard Stringer now. It's probably the boldest any company of that size can make. He's bringing corporate views from the outside, which explain more and more changes to come.

      You have to understand, for a Japanese company to break culture to do this, is like Americans letting a non-white individual to be president. Sony lost the mp3 player market, and all other electronics stuff is mediocre. PSP and PS2 is about the only ammo left.

    6. Re:two things... by jawtheshark · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Well, it is a niche. A small one: people that produce their music aren't that common. Besides, people that produce music try to get professional grade stuff and MiniDisc is consumer grade. It's that simple. MiniDisc was thought as a backup for Audio CD's or mixing stuff. More convenient format (before MP3).

      Besides, if my friend would have used a normal Data CD, like anyone would have, I could have copied it to MiniDisc without problems. Copying a MiniDisc itself has not much sense for music professionals, because it's not a master. I found that the DRM restrictions on MiniDisc were actually reasonable: one digtal copy. More than enough for *personal* use.

      I don't care about Britney and Co. Other music gernes still produce CD's that I can write to MiniDisc.

      My sister studies Audio-engineering. They are required to use MiniDisc for one reason: the DRM that comes with it. They are not allowed to use the recording material for their own uses, and thus the only way to take home their works is by MiniDisc. Listen: yes... copy no... Very reasonable.

      --
      Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
    7. Re:two things... by unclethursday · · Score: 1
      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

      Yes, Sony's fortunes do need turning. Go to the SEC and check out their annual filings for the past two years, you'll see they basically turned into a version of Microsoft, except not the type of Microsoft that makes billions in profit from a few divisions. Sony's Game Division is the only thing consistently making money right now; last fiscal year it was Sony Pictures and Sony Games that made a profit, nothing esle in the company did.

      Unfortunately for Sony, unline Microsoft--who makes billions on Windows and Office--they have been in the red for a few years now. Sony Games is the only division consistently making money, but it hasn't been enough to keep Sony from losing money, as an overall company, for the past few years straight.

      So, since the company is losing money right now, overall, and have been for a few years... I'd say, yes, they probably want a reversal of fortune right now.

    8. Re:two things... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My sister studies Audio-engineering. They are required to use MiniDisc for one reason: the DRM that comes with it. They are not allowed to use the recording material for their own uses, and thus the only way to take home their works is by MiniDisc. Listen: yes... copy no... Very reasonable.

      We have different definitions of reasonable, I suspect, but I won't go into that.

      I think in the future, perhaps the near future, non-studio content has the potential to pick up in a big way, and MiniDiscs, based on what I hear here, are not very useful for that.

      My opinion is based, I guess, on the idea that the "default" use for bits involves, intrinsically, copying them, and there's a powerful urge somewhere in my brain to tell the "primary" market can take a running jump for all I care. Me, I don't do a lot of listening to sound on the go except for podcasting types of things, so maybe that indicates something about my perspective. Which I suppose means it is a niche to some people, but not to me, and I suspect, to fewer people as time goes on, though of course that's just speculation at this point.

      There's probably more that can be said here, but it's not really a topic I'm that passionate about, again because I'm not a real music listener, and so I've just been hit by an attack of the Raging Apathies.

  11. Mobile Cinema by LittleGuernica · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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..

    1. Re:Mobile Cinema by baker_tony · · Score: 1

      Um, have you ever thought of watching last nights / mornings news/sports on your daily commute? What about simpsons/south park/etc, etc? Or do you live in America and don't know what transport to work without a car is ;-)

    2. Re:Mobile Cinema by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mobile cinema can take off if there is good enough technology to project the image to the eyes.

      I think /. had stories earlier about sunglasses which did this...

    3. Re:Mobile Cinema by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Mobile Cinema isn't going to work
      It'll work just fine whenever you are on the move. Back when I frequently made some frequent long-distance flights, I considered purchasing one of those portable DVD units which I previously had dismissed as 'utterly pointless' because of their small screen. But a couple of 12-hour flights with sucky in-flight movies and a boring/snoring fellow passenger changed my opinion of these units real quick!

      Besides, if you want a big screen you can always get one of those LCD glasses (Sony's GlassTron).
      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    4. Re:Mobile Cinema by Cyn · · Score: 1

      not all of us have our mommies driving us to school during our commute, some of us have to avoid the idiots that are freely given licenses.

      --
      cyn, free software and *nix operating systems enthusiast.
    5. Re:Mobile Cinema by DeepDarkSky · · Score: 1

      Oh, I disagree...when we can get HDTV resolutions on the PSP (with current resolution of 480x272 on a 4.6in screen = approx. 120dpi, HDTV resolution on the same size screen would require about 480dpi), then let's talk again. I'd like to see Jack Bauer on a tiny yet really crisp screen saying "dammit" at those resolutions.

    6. Re:Mobile Cinema by baker_tony · · Score: 1

      I'm surprised to see school age kids reading slashdot! Good on ya. What do you want to be when you grow up, a programmer?! Just as a warning, not all those fresh out of School programming jobs are the star studded affairs involving driving to work Jaguar's every day... you'll have to work a few years first :-)

    7. Re:Mobile Cinema by DarkZero · · Score: 1

      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..


      See, the porn thing is a good point, though. If you're a big fan of 24, then watching it on a PSP isn't going to be enough for you. For watching crap-that-I-sort-of-like shows (porn included), it's worth it, though. I wouldn't watch 24 or Battlestar Galactica on it, but would I watch Enterprise? Or Monk? Or any other show that I download and watch every once and awhile, but don't really follow religiously? Yeah.

      If you're in a situation where you're out of the house for awhile and are in a situation where you can watch a half hour of TV, this is sort of useful. For the rest of us, who don't commute by train or anything like that, it's just a fun novelty.

    8. Re:Mobile Cinema by Elranzer · · Score: 1

      And how! That's why I took my Computer Science degree (graduated last year) and went into Real Estate!

    9. Re:Mobile Cinema by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who the hell is Jack Bauer and why would I want to see him say "Dammit", anywhere?

    10. Re:Mobile Cinema by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow! So you're a sellout and an asshole!

    11. Re:Mobile Cinema by forkazoo · · Score: 1

      Personally, I'm convinced that portable video won't catch on until I can get really cheap glasses. Ot's too damned inconvenient to drive with a PSP/porta-DVD.

    12. Re:Mobile Cinema by baker_tony · · Score: 1

      So you went through all those years of study and then went into a job that required none or it! Damn. Stick with IT for a while if you like it, if you're good, you make great money doing a job I imagine you would prefer?! Oh well.

  12. Re:After conversion....How do you get it on the PS by chimachima · · Score: 1

    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.

  13. The real answer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    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.

    1. Re:The real answer by Jarlsberg · · Score: 1
      Thanks for the answer. I suspected something like this. It's why I'm hesitant to buy DVD players that supports DivX et. al, and why I'm pretty happy with using my Xbox as a DivX/Xvid-player. The latter works as a computer and can be updated when new or improved codecs are available, while the former often can't be updated in an easy fashion, and so gets outdated.

      With regards to the PSP -- it's good that a tool to convert movies to Sony's format has come along. I don't know the details, but if it's possible to just copy a converted movie to a memory stick (Sony's expensive one, that is) and insert it into the PSP & play it, it's going to be widely used and *is* going to be a boon for Sony, whether they approve of it or not.

    2. Re:The real answer by Afrosheen · · Score: 1

      "What happens in a year or two when the codecs has become obsolete."

      Two words: programmable firmware. You store the base PSP OS on a memory stick-ish device embedded in the machine. You then issue firmware updates to users via snail mail or free from local retailers, on a standard PSP disc that's bootable. The PS2 did it, why not a portable?

    3. Re:The real answer by SuperRob · · Score: 1

      The firmware in the PSP is, in fact, user upgradeable. There is a function in the PSP which goes out to a website and will update the firmware if it finds a firmware file posted there. Sony accidentally posted a test file a while back which some people downloaded, and then ripped apart. Found all sorts of interesting things in there, possibly portents of future functions ...

      Anyway, updating the codecs is very likely possible, but it depends on what Sony decides to support (or what someone manages to hack into an unofficial firmware file).

    4. Re:The real answer by Afrosheen · · Score: 1

      You gotta realize, of course, that if Sony is allowing firmware upgrades, then each firmware is encoded with one of their keys somehow. It may take awhile to crack, or be completely uncrackable like the Quake3/Doom3 keys.

  14. Doesn't make sense for the US by earthbound+kid · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

    1. Re:Doesn't make sense for the US by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Heads Up: the "centerpiece" of the PSP is GAMES, not video.

      P.S. World != USA

    2. Re:Doesn't make sense for the US by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 1
      But when does the average American ever have an opportunity to sit around like that while someone else is steering the vehicle?
      What about the kids sitting in the back seat of that car? A portable video unit to keep them occupied during long trips would be nice. Why do you think some cars have an option to play DVDs in the navigation unit's drive on screens mounted on the back of the front headrests?
      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    3. Re:Doesn't make sense for the US by Corngood · · Score: 1

      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.

      How about:

      You can slap portable video onto a product people are already going to buy, like a Portable Playstation, as an optional feature, but it doesn't make sense to make portable video the centerpiece of any technology destined for the US market.

      How is it the centerpiece of the device?

    4. Re:Doesn't make sense for the US by earthbound+kid · · Score: 1

      You're right, the PSP will succeed on the strength of its video gaming ability, but when people talking about "PSPcasting" they make it seem like they've forgotten this. In the US at least "PSPcasting" is going to be a niche fad for the foreseeable future. The PSP will probably catch on for other purposes though.

    5. Re:Doesn't make sense for the US by Toddarooski · · Score: 1
      Maybe... although by the same logic one could also easily argue...

      The only time portable gaming 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 play portable games on a train or bus, but since the average American is either driving, walking, or biking to and from home (a place with existing gaming sources) to work (a place with computers), it doesn't seem like there's much of a need for portable games. Now, I will say there are some places where portable games make sense-- like on a commuter train in Japan. I saw a guy playing Tetris 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 games 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 game system the centerpiece of any technology destined for the US market.

      --

      "Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die!"

    6. Re:Doesn't make sense for the US by MyDixieWrecked · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "...like on a commuter train in Japan."

      um... what's wrong with commuter trains in the US? I, like thousands of americans, take the train to work daily, and ride subways quite often. When I'm by myself, I enjoy my PSP or my DS.

      let's not forget the countless people who take busses, too. Metropolitan areas are where iPods have extreme market saturation. Walking around NYC, you see more people with white earbuds than you see talking on cell phones. These are the areas where portable video will take off.

      Right when I got my PSP, I chucked a couple videos on it (namely 2 episodes of Naruto and a couple episodes of bangbros pr0n) and I take a gander at the videos when I'm bored.

      It's also cool to show off that you can have pr0n in such a small device.

      I'd be happier if my computer had USB2, though. it takes FOREVER to transfer the data to the memorystick. especially when transfering a 300mb vid. (I've got a 512mb card)

      regarding your steve jobs statement: I think it would be a good idea for apple to get into the portable video market, but it would have to be done right. Do we have the technology to make this device at a resonable cost today? I don't think so. But an ipod-sized device with a high-def, touch screen LCD that takes up the entire front panel to display the GUI that could play widescreen video as well as emulate the ipod's interface... that'd be the greatest thing in history. especially with something like an 80gb drive. I'd pay 600$ for one of them.

      --



      ...spike
      Ewwwwww, coconut...
    7. Re:Doesn't make sense for the US by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's why children have been and, perhaps, always will be the driving factor for portable gaming in the United States. They spend so much time being dragged to places where they don't want to be that dropping the money on a PSP and a couple UMD movies would be a small price to pay to keep them quiet for a little while.

    8. Re:Doesn't make sense for the US by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not all your fellow Americans drive our SUVs five feet to the mall, you know. Many of us actually live in urban areas (the scary places suburban kids like you never go to), and here, we use something called "mass transit", which is not just for poor people. Yes, maybe in Buttfuck, Idaho (or silicon valley, for that matter), no one will want portable video, but for me, in brooklyn, it will be awesome.

    9. Re:Doesn't make sense for the US by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I commute one hour by train every morning and afternoon and normally use that time to read slashdot or cnn on my Nokia 6600. I would love this feature on my mobile phone... After a day at work, I could watch the new episode of, say, CSI Miami and *poof* I would be home. Commuting gets pretty boring after a while...

  15. PSP Camping by stendec · · Score: 0, Troll

    Forget about PSP Casting, what about PSP Camping?

  16. let me get this straight by justforaday · · Score: 2, Interesting

    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.
    1. Re:let me get this straight by rdc_uk · · Score: 1

      Thats when you do this:

      Take video camera, make home movie.

      Load onto PC, encode for PSP.

      Host PSP-friendly file on internet.

      voila; PSP-casting...

    2. Re:let me get this straight by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The casting part is its integration with his other sw videora. Setup a list of shows in videora and download/conversion/transfer to psp is all taken care of.

    3. Re:let me get this straight by poot_rootbeer · · Score: 1

      Gotta agree with others -- where's the "casting" part here?

      My guess is that it's the other, entirely unrelated part, which consists of using an RSS plugin for a BitTorrent client to automatically locate and download video content.

  17. Re:After conversion....How do you get it on the PS by SirDrinksAlot · · Score: 4, Informative

    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

  18. Does make sense for the US by Mulletproof · · Score: 2, Insightful

    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
    1. Re:Does make sense for the US by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      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.

      Dude, you are trying to reason with an Apple fanboi. Do you really think you can have an insightful two way conversation with someone that has their head up someones ass and can't see anything else? Really, he even mentioned SJ by name in his post. Be prepared for one of the very predictable Apple fanboi recovery attempts that make up 99% of fanboi replies:
      - Ignore your post and wait for one of the fanboi moderators to mod it down as overrated.
      - Respond back with nothing technical and no references but mention style, coolness or some ease of use crap that no one in world can actually quantify and measure (I've personally used thousands of electronic devices but have not had a hard time with any of them, odd how the fanbois can't do the same).
      - Change the subject and claim no one needs this extra functionality because all everyone wants is something simple with a long battery life (considering iPod battery failures, I can understand why they think that way).

      I admire your attempt but many have failed before you.

  19. Music by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If Sony had made the UMD writable .. they could have had a competitor to iPod with the PSP.

    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 .. 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.

    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.

    1. Re:Music by Elranzer · · Score: 1

      If Sony made the UMD writable, then they'd be open to a bunch of pirated games. Using this proprietary disc is the same reason piracy doesn't exist in the Gamecube. Since the PS2 uses standard DVD, the system's games can be easily pirated. This is the second time Sony copied Nintendo, the first time being the controller (from the SNES).

      Kinda ironic that a prorietary disc is called "Universal".

    2. Re:Music by pnice · · Score: 1

      Using this proprietary disc is the same reason piracy doesn't exist in the Gamecube.

      I'm sure we've discussed this before but saying piracy doesn't exist in/on the Gamecube is a pretty false statement. Yes, it takes a little more effort to play a downloaded Gamecube game but I assure you people do it every day. It takes a copy of Phantasy Star Online and the broad band adapter connected to an ethernet card on your computer and you're pretty much good to go from there. It's an investment on about $70-$80 bucks and you can play all the Gamecube games you want for free. True, it's harder to do and not every game works perfect but if someone wants to play games for free band enough they'll find a way.

      What systems haven't had some form of piracy on them in the past ten or so years?

    3. Re:Music by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do the hard part in the title, and everyone will assume the content must fulfil it.

    4. Re:Music by nolife · · Score: 1

      Using this proprietary disc is the same reason piracy doesn't exist in the Gamecube.

      I wonder if Sega thought that too, think Dreamcast...

      --
      Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly.
    5. Re:Music by Senjutsu · · Score: 1

      I wonder if Sega thought that too, think Dreamcast...

      Sega was dumb enough to ship the Dreamcast with the ability to boot from a standard CD-R. This rendered irrelevant any security they might have gained from the GD-ROM format.

  20. Since when is WMV non-proprietary? by Conspire · · Score: 1

    WHAT?

    --
    Real men don't need signitures!!!
  21. Sony's fortunes don't need turning round by JaF893 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

  22. Re:After conversion....How do you get it on the PS by Hast · · Score: 1

    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.

  23. Details! by yammosk · · Score: 1

    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

  24. Streaming by icqboy1987 · · Score: 1

    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...

  25. Typo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think you mis-spelled "Xtreme" there and it's bad grammar to only use one exclamation mark.

  26. Holy Grail for the PSP? by dealexander · · Score: 2, Interesting

    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

    1. Re:Holy Grail for the PSP? by radish · · Score: 1

      The feature the PSP needs to be sucessful (the ability to view content you already own on your PSP) will probably not happen.

      Already has happened. I'm currently trying to "catch up" with Alias (only discovered it recently) so I bought all the box sets. Now I'm watching them every day on my commute to/from work, on my PSP. It's really easy to rip & convert, I even get it in widescreen as originally intended. A 512 mb card can easily hold 2 episodes with excellent quality. I really don't see your problem.

      --

      ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"

    2. Re:Holy Grail for the PSP? by nitehorse · · Score: 1

      What software are you using for the ripping & converting?

      (feel free to email me instead of following up here, I'm really curious about this as I'm looking for excuses to buy a PSP and this would totally close the deal for me)

    3. Re:Holy Grail for the PSP? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have a PSP & a 512mb card for it. Ive managed to fit 3 films onto the same 512 card from divx files. No hassles, no problems and the quality is really good too. Looks like you might just be buying a PSP after all then.
      Sony provide the software to put videos onto it. They arent hiding anything. Transfering videos/mp3/jpgs/etc onto the machine are one of its main selling points. As the memory cards are bound to get a lot cheaper (with every other kid having one), you cant go wrong.

    4. Re:Holy Grail for the PSP? by radish · · Score: 1

      Ripping is with your ripper of choice (I use DVD decrypter to rip each episode into a seperate VOB file). There are a number of conversion tools available, personally I use Rapiz which is kinda hacky (and potentially license violating) but it works well. There are a number of other products, some free, some not. Rapiz is mainly based on 3GP so if you google that you should get a lot of info.

      --

      ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"

  27. Hardly a "new unqiue application" by Gravaton · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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

    1. Re:Hardly a "new unqiue application" by Abnormal+Coward · · Score: 1

      the videora app is "re-invite" the wheel, since you can use Azureus + RSSFeed plugin to do something very similiar to what they application does :P

    2. Re:Hardly a "new unqiue application" by Lynxara · · Score: 1

      Image Converter is known to have some problems with certain file types (QuickTime), and some reports from Engadget have suggested that Image Converter needlessly bloats encode size.

      I haven't tried PSP Video 9 out yet, but it's nice to have some options, and integration with Videora will probably be the selling point for the BitTorrent fiends. For me, it helps that I can use PSP Video 9 with the weird unregisterable import PSP I had to snap up for work.

    3. Re:Hardly a "new unqiue application" by rprince · · Score: 1

      Image Converter 2 limits your converting options a little. The converters based on ffmpeg allow you to convert at higher bitrates and use non-standard resolutions (within a limit).

  28. Basically... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's an English version of 3GP Converter.

  29. Re:After conversion....How do you get it on the PS by NanoGator · · Score: 1

    "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."
  30. Sure, this works for now... by ProppaT · · Score: 2, Interesting

    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."
    1. Re:Sure, this works for now... by A+Drake+Man · · Score: 1

      As the post right above you states, SONY has written software that does the same thing these programs do, create MPEG4 standard video (H.263 codec) for play on the PSP. If their Image Converter software isn't a gimmick for "watch videos on the go with your PSP!" then I don't know what is!

    2. Re:Sure, this works for now... by SuperRob · · Score: 1

      That's not going to happen. How do I know? Because Sony just released versions of their PSX DVR in Japan that specifically allow you to write programs you've recorded to Memory Stick Duo for use in the PSP. Sounds like a pretty solid admission that this was planned and that they plan to support it going forward.

  31. Not useful by GFLPraxis · · Score: 1

    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.

    1. Re:Not useful by HTTP+Error+403+403.9 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Let's see a 512MB Pro Duo Memory stick can be bought for $75 or less (about the cost of 1 and a half PSP games).

      I converted a 22 minute episode of The Daily Show to PSP format MP4 using ffmpegx (Mac OS X). The file size was less than 50 MB. This works out great for my 25 minute bus ride to work.

      --
      I'm not a Troll, it's reverse psychology.
  32. here is how it works by agtwilight · · Score: 1

    In preparation for my psp in a few days I have been converting some movies for use.

    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_c onvert.txt

    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.

    1. Re:here is how it works by vision33r · · Score: 1

      However, the maximum video resolution over Memory stick is limited compared to the maximum video resolution over UMD. Sony crippled the MS video playback just to make us buy UMD movies or find mods to remove that limit. Watched the Demo Disc Vol 1, the video quality is simply amazing, trumps on the PDAs out there including the Creative Media Center.

  33. Yeah But Does It Run Linux? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    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?

    1. Re:Yeah But Does It Run Linux? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wish there was a "-1:Complete fucking idiot" mod.

    2. Re:Yeah But Does It Run Linux? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Me too. I'd be using it on you, you ignorant prick.

  34. And who the hell is Steve Jobbs? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    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?

  35. Re:After conversion....How do you get it on the PS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    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?

  36. Same as podcast, but without the misleading brand by SimHacker · · Score: 1
    "Better Bad News is a blogcast. That's the same as podcast, but without the misleading brand name."

    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
  37. Can't believe it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    OMG! Two more days!

    <I> <CAN'T> <WAIT!!!> <head explodes>

  38. Well more than $250 by mcc · · Score: 1

    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.

  39. Re:Same as podcast, but without the misleading bra by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    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".

  40. This seems a bit... weird. by millennial · · Score: 1

    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.

    No porn, though. Porn in public would just be ... weird.

    --
    I am scientifically inaccurate.
  41. Pocket PC doesn't compare by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    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!