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UMD Approved As An ECMA Standard

Posted by Zonk on from the maybe-someday-it-will-be-universal dept.

News for nerds writes "Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. announced today (press release) that the UMD (Universal Media Disc) optical-disc physical format which holds 1.8GB, used in Sony PSP, has been approved as a standard format by Ecma International, and would be submitted to ISO/IEC as well."

61 comments

  1. The signifigance of this is... by Minced · · Score: 1

    what exactly?

    1. Re:The signifigance of this is... by Spock+the+Baptist · · Score: 1

      The significance is that you can get 1.8 Gig on a disk with a diameter of less than 2.5 inches. That's roughly the diameter of a standard(US) 12 FL OZ soda can. Useful for small portable devices.

      --
      "Oh drat these computers, they're so naughty and so complex, I could pinch them." --Marvin the Martian
    2. Re:The signifigance of this is... by LKM · · Score: 1

      I think he meant the significance of UMD being approved as an ECMA standard.

    3. Re:The signifigance of this is... by cyrax777 · · Score: 1

      other companys making devices that can play back the movies?

    4. Re:The signifigance of this is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      standard != open/patent-free.
      See another ECMA standard, .NET, for an example.

    5. Re:The signifigance of this is... by some+guy+I+know · · Score: 1

      It means that UMDs won't affect your skin condition.

      Oh, sorry, I was thinking ECZEMA.

      --
      Those who sacrifice security to condemn liberty deserve to repeat history or something. - Benjamin Santayana
    6. Re:The signifigance of this is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Analysts say the latest approval will encourage movie distributors and music labels to publish titles more in UMD formats, which will help expand the installation base of PSP portable game consoles.

      The more you know..

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  2. That's 2.36 inches... by Spock+the+Baptist · · Score: 1

    The disk diameter is 60mm, or 2.36 inches.

    --
    "Oh drat these computers, they're so naughty and so complex, I could pinch them." --Marvin the Martian
  3. What's Holding UMD Back by Hobart · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Exhibit A - Tron for $13 on DVD
    Exhibit B - Tron for $26 on UMD
    Why are they expecting consumers to pay more for less?
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    o/~ Join us now and share the software ...
    1. Re:What's Holding UMD Back by pyrrhonist · · Score: 1, Funny
      Exhibit B - Tron for $26 on UMD
      Why are they expecting consumers to pay more for less?

      Yeah, for that price it better be big enough to derez someone, but convenient enough to carry on my back.

      END OF LINE.

      --
      Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.
    2. Re:What's Holding UMD Back by KillShill · · Score: 1

      because they have a big dick, and consumers have such small holes...

      --
      Science : Proprietary , Knowledge : Open Source
    3. Re:What's Holding UMD Back by Fat+Cow · · Score: 1

      it's more for different, not more for less. you can't watch a dvd on a portable psp-sized device.

      plus of course the price is based on volume, not just "size".

      i take you point though - it doesn't seem anything near good value to me

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      stay frosty and alert
    4. Re:What's Holding UMD Back by KDR_11k · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well, with movies a larger screen is desirable and a portable DVD player isn't THAT large, you won't whip it out for waiting in the supermarket queue as you would with a game device so the lower flexibility won't directly affect you. If you absolutely need a movie player this small you can use a flash card but seriously, when you have the time for watching a move you probably have the space to use a portable DVD player.
      Music players are smaller and have writable media anyway so you're not limited to the ten songs (eight of which are filler) the RIAA decided to grant you on the UMD.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    5. Re:What's Holding UMD Back by demi · · Score: 2, Interesting
      ...when you have the time for watching a move you probably have the space to use a portable DVD player.

      I don't understand this argument. I guess it might be true while you're watching the movie, but whatever player you're using doesn't magically appear in your hand when you're ready to use it, along with its discs. You have to carry it around, which is when the space is taken up.

      --
      demi
    6. Re:What's Holding UMD Back by NanoGator · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "Why are they expecting consumers to pay more for less?"

      A.) Prices will go down. DVDs started out at $30ish. Heck, I saw UMDs for $15 at Walmart yesterday.

      B.) It depends on if there really is a market for mobile movies.

      C.) We won't know if consumers really will adopt this or not for another year or two.

      I've yet to understand the sticker-shock reactions around here. You'd think a web-site populated by tech-heads would understand the whole concept of new things launching at high prices.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    7. Re:What's Holding UMD Back by KDR_11k · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I assumed that if you have to go somewhere and know that you'll have enough time to watch a movie you'll probably have a backpack, suitcase or other larger case. If you didn't know you're going to watch a movie and only have the pockets in your pants you're not very likely to carry a movie UMD with you anyway. When I stuff a game system into my pockets I don't carry any spare games.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    8. Re:What's Holding UMD Back by Zangief · · Score: 1

      They simply don't think too high of their consumers:

      A) When faced with the problem of the failing square button, Kutaragi just said that it didn't matter, because the PSP was "the most beautiful thing".

      B) Sony just refused to fix PSPs with dead pixels. They said it was just natural with that kind of screens.

      They know their customers can be trated like shit. So, why it is so that they expect you to pay more for a movie in UMD than the same movie in DVD?

      STOP. BUYING. SONY.

    9. Re:What's Holding UMD Back by superpulpsicle · · Score: 1

      If Sony absolutely TANK the price of UMD disks to half that of a regular DVD, it'll becoming a real contender. Until then, UMD continues to get bad press at record breaking level. And bad press is really hard to shake off.

    10. Re:What's Holding UMD Back by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "If Sony absolutely TANK the price of UMD disks to half that of a regular DVD, it'll becoming a real contender."

      Maybe, but in reality all it really needs to do is be a little cheaper than DVDs. Again, though, that depdends on if there is a mobile movie market.

      "Until then, UMD continues to get bad press at record breaking level. And bad press is really hard to shake off."

      Heh. I hate to break it to ya, but UMD isn't breaking any bad-press records. Slashdot's boo-hooing about it, but the PSP news sites aren't. Nobody cares. DVDs were overpriced, too, nobody's still whining about that. I doubt anybody remembers.

      For the record, I doubt UMDs will be all that successful. Not because they're too spendy, but because I don't think many people want to watch them on their PSPs for any price. What irks me about UMDs is similar to other complaints about them. 1.5 gigs or so there, but they aren't making them like DVDs, more like VHS both in terms of quality and in features. If I had a PSP (not bloodly likely until the price goes way down), sure, I might buy the occasional UMD. Maybe once per plane trip. I can't imagine starting a collection. Maybe if they sold porn for it, heh.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    11. Re:What's Holding UMD Back by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hate to burst your bubble, but UMDs are more than DVDs because DVDs have close to zero licensing cost per disc, whereas Sony works on a model that they produce all discs as a monopoly. The amount Sony gets per UMD ensures that they will never compare favourably to DVD at the checkout.

    12. Re:What's Holding UMD Back by greywire · · Score: 1
      I've yet to understand the sticker-shock reactions around here. You'd think a web-site populated by tech-heads would understand the whole concept of new things launching at high prices.


      We understand the concept when the "new thing" is actualy in some significant way "better" than what came before...

      UMD's aren't significantly better than, say, a 3" DVD, and suffer many drawbacks (can't get blanks, dont work in billions of DVD players, etc). Slightly higher density but totaly proprietary? No thanks. Double the price of a DVD for what, 1/4 the quality?

      What's going to happen when somebody announces a standardized 3" or 2.5" blue-ray or HD-DVD disk that holds 3 or 4 times as much data? Now that would be cool...
      --
      -- Senior Software Engineer, Attorney appearance services, locallawyerapp.com.
    13. Re:What's Holding UMD Back by Allison+Geode · · Score: 1

      you won't whip it out for waiting in the supermarket queue as you would with a game device so the lower flexibility won't directly affect you.

      wow, you're grocery store must SUCK if you have time to watch a movie in the checkout line. I mean, i barely have enough time to whip out my gameboy and play a few rounds of pokemon. i still fail to see the need for a movie player in a portable gaming device, especially since the true joy of a portable system is the ability to whip it out and play in quick spurts if necessary. if I'm going on a trip some place, and want to watch a movie, i'd rather have a full-fledged portable dvd player, too.

    14. Re:What's Holding UMD Back by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "We understand the concept when the "new thing" is actualy in some significant way "better" than what came before..."

      It is, it's a lot smaller. A PSP, for example, is a LOT more portable than a portable DVD player. I agree, it's a crappy medium for standard playback on a TV. For a portable media, other than being a little pricey, it's fine.

      "Double the price of a DVD for what, 1/4 the quality?"

      Again, it's a lot smaller. A lot of people just don't seem to get this. (Which is fine, that says to me the market here isn't so interesting. I don't think UMDs will be all that successful, just not for the reasons you're citing.) This thing will actually fit in your front pocket. Other discs will fit in your other pocket. For somebody who really wants to watch movies on the go, the PSP is nearly perfect. At least from a 'form' point of view.

      "What's going to happen when somebody announces a standardized 3" or 2.5" blue-ray or HD-DVD disk that holds 3 or 4 times as much data? Now that would be cool..."

      Sad thing is, they don't even need to do that. 1.8 gigs is plenty. The movies aren't small because of disc limitations, it's so they work perfectly with the PSP display. That's an unfortunate side effect. If they optimized it for TV display, then it'd look 'crunched' on the PSP. They optimized it for the PSP, but it wouldn't look its best on TV.

      I'm annoyed about the lack of features. As I said before, they have enough room. If they used something like XVid, for example, they'd be able to put 3 full-length movies at roughly DVD quality on one disc. They don't have much excuse for not putting extras there.

      It all depends on how bad people want mobile movies. Obviously, you don't care as much. It's only interesting to you if you can buy one copy of movies instead of two. In other words, mobility isn't your cup of tea. You wouldn't be a target customer for this. I'll be honest, I share your view. If I had a PSP, it'd be for gaming. I do like the idea of buying the occasional UMD for it (i.e. just before a plane trip...) but I don't see myself making monthly or weekly trips for discs. Why? Because I mainly want to watch on my TV.

      I don't think we entirely disagree. Mainly what I'm nitpicking is that it isn't the technical specs that are the problem. If I still had my old job where I'd travel for a couple of weeks at a time, I'd probably have a PSP by now. (Although I'd probably just get a large memory stick instead of UMDs... hehe.)

      --
      "Derp de derp."
  4. Hooray by Winterblink · · Score: 2, Funny

    Maybe now the U in UMD might carry some significance, because right now it might as well be PMD for Proprietary Media Disc.

    --
    "I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
    -Hoban Washburn
    1. Re:Hooray by wheany · · Score: 1

      Well, the V in DVD hasn't really come true yet either. I've only been able to watch movies, play music and store data on the discs. I was looking for more Versatility, like chopping wood or frying eggs or something.

  5. The ECMA standardizing affects this.. how by btgreat · · Score: 1

    What exactly does standardizing this format do that wasn't already done? It appears that the PSP has been selling games perfectly fine while the disk was unstandardized. Does anyone have any insight as to what this organization can do?

    1. Re:The ECMA standardizing affects this.. how by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What good is having it declared a standard if only one company is allowed to make them? Isn't the pretty much the very definition of propritary and the polar opposite of a standard which everyone can use?

    2. Re:The ECMA standardizing affects this.. how by KDR_11k · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It creates demand for UMD burners.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  6. WTF is UMD? by Mensa+Babe · · Score: 4, Informative

    The Universal Media Disc (UMD) is an optical disc medium developed by Sony for use on the PlayStation Portable. It can hold 1.8 gigabytes of data, which can include games, movies, or music.

    Unlike the Minidisc, another proprietary Sony-developed format, blank media will not be commercially available, in order to avoid piracy. However, there has been recent discussion about the UMD movie and music formats being opened by Sony, although it is not clear if this will result in the development of UMD "burners" (through CD or DVD burners). Sony has said that it intends to keep the game-formatted UMD specifications to itself, in order to avoid competition (and presumably to profit from licensing fees).

    It has recently been found out that if the disc is removed from its casing and shaved down to fit into the mini DVD slot in a DVD drive that it will register on your computer. However, no files are shown if the game disc has been written on.

    * Dimensions: Approx. 65 mm (W) x 64 mm (D) x 4.2 mm (H)
    * Diameter: 60 mm
    * Maximum Capacity: 1.80GB (Single-sided, dual layer)
    * Laser wavelength: 660 nm (Red laser)
    * Encryption: AES 128-bit

    Picture 1

    Picture 2.

    More info.

    Editors: please add this links to the story. Thank you.

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    Karma: Positive (probably because of superiour intellect)
    1. Re:WTF is UMD? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did you mean to mispel "Superior"?

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    2. Re:WTF is UMD? by jkmiecik · · Score: 1

      Someone revoke her MENSA membership. You're talking to the editors in comments? Even better, you're telling them to fix something?

      Please seek help.

    3. Re:WTF is UMD? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not to mention this isn't I2 or Wiki. When did MENSA start letting women in? Surely they all know they're only good for working in the kitchen.

    4. Re:WTF is UMD? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If your karma is positive because of your intellect, then I must be your intellectual god. Haw.

    5. Re:WTF is UMD? by doctormetal · · Score: 1
      Unlike the Minidisc, another proprietary Sony-developed format, blank media will not be commercially available, in order to avoid piracy

      If it is not commercially available it is not possible to create the disc contents. You probably mean they don't want to sell the empty discs to end users.
    6. Re:WTF is UMD? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, I thought it was Ueapons of Mass Destruction...

  7. Too small by XBL · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Not the physical size, but the storage capacity. Leave it to PSP and let's come up with something better. How about a 3 inch double-density DVD product? Would be about 2.8 Gig. And it's already standardized.

    1. Re:Too small by XBL · · Score: 1

      By double-density, I meant dual-layer. Oops, these are not floppies :-)

    2. Re:Too small by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      That's the medium the Gamecube uses, a portable Gamecube would be a wet dream for many Nintendo fanboys.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    3. Re:Too small by Guppy06 · · Score: 1

      "And it's already standardized."

      And that's exactly why they're not using it. Sony Studios or any other MPAA member doesn't want to sell movies on a medium that can be easily reproduced.

      I'd say one of the reasons we're seeing such a big push for a new HD-DVD standard is the fact that we now have dual-layer DVD-Rs on the market.

  8. Wrong 'Universal' by Aero+Leviathan · · Score: 3, Informative

    It's not [Universal [Media Disc]], it's [[Universal Media] Disc].

    It's named because it can contain a relatively wide variety of types of media (audio, video, games); not because the number of devices it can be played in (for now, only the PSP).

    Ambiguity of the English language. Gotta love it.

    --
    ~ Aero
    1. Re:Wrong 'Universal' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Isn't all digital storage 'universal' in the way you describe it? I can put text, image, sound, video, etc. on a CD; the same holds for floppies, (Sony) memory sticks, etc.

    2. Re:Wrong 'Universal' by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Yes, most media are more compact than Compact Disks, 3.5" floppies aren't exactly floppy (which is why they are called stiffies in some parts of the world), etc. Would you prefer "Optical Medium #021" or something?

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    3. Re:Wrong 'Universal' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe it's ([Universal] [Media Disk]). That, or the name is as redudent as a RAID.

    4. Re:Wrong 'Universal' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Yes, most media are more compact than Compact Disks, 3.5" floppies aren't exactly floppy (which is why they are called stiffies in some parts of the world), etc. Would you prefer "Optical Medium #021" or something?

      The point is that CDs were more compact than the medium they replaced (LPs); DVDs were digital and more versatile than the media they replaced (Laserdisc, VHS, and some uses of CDs). UMD is not more "universal" than the media it's trying to compete with. That's the problem.

    5. Re:Wrong 'Universal' by justforaday · · Score: 1

      The name works purely because Universal Studios has released a few things on UMD. Nuff said...

      --
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    6. Re:Wrong 'Universal' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe its a bit of wishful thinking on the part of sony..

      "Universal".. Just like the amount of PSPs in circulation.

    7. Re:Wrong 'Universal' by jizmonkey · · Score: 1
      3.5" floppies aren't exactly floppy (which is why they are called stiffies in some parts of the world)

      I'm pretty sure it's because the DISC (i.e. the cookie, the magnetic medium) is floppy. Hard disk platters are made of aluminum, now glass, decidedly unfloppy media.

      Also, the 8" and 5.25" discs that preceded the 3.5" floppy had flexible jackets, so the whole thing was pretty floppy, as you might recall.

      --
      With great power comes great fan noise.
  9. another.... by KillShill · · Score: 1

    DRM-encumbered format.

    let me be the first to say "fuck off and die"

    --
    Science : Proprietary , Knowledge : Open Source
    1. Re:another.... by CokoBWare · · Score: 2, Informative

      Don't forget that when you read the press release, the footnotes clearly state there was _no_ approval of the logical layers of the UMD standard (which includes the security - read DRM - features of the format).

  10. Remember the reason UMD is being accepted... by kc32 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Sony is allowing porn on it.

    1. Re:Remember the reason UMD is being accepted... by bugbeak · · Score: 2, Informative

      You thought you were joking, weren't you... Click.

      Click.

  11. I kid you not by porkchop_d_clown · · Score: 3, Informative

    I got snail spam from RadioShack yesterday hawking a personal DVD player the size of a DVD case and it's on sale for $99 I honestly think UMD is another dead-end format.

    --
    Clear, Dark Skies
  12. Betamax! by tepples · · Score: 1

    "Universal".. Just like the amount of PSPs in circulation.

    Universal, more like a movie studio that hasn't put out any UMD Videos yet. In fact, wasn't it Universal that was Sony's opponent in the landmark Betamax case?

  13. The UMD by Sv-Manowar · · Score: 1

    It seems as if the UMD will stay Sony only, at the moment. As in, not many other manufacturers and distributors will pick it up unless Sony offers them incentives to do so.

    Unless Sony make it clear what the UMD can do for other companies, their product will not become as popular as it potentially could

    --
    Business Voyeur
  14. From the Forbes article... by Khuffie · · Score: 1
    Sony Computer had shipped 2.97 mln PSP units by the end of March, and 5.70 mln units of game software for PSPs. This number is far below that of the sales of Nintendo Co Ltd's Nintendo DS portable game consoles, which reached 5.27 mln units over the same period.

    Does no one see anything fishy in those statistics? The PSP shipped on March 24th in the US, while the DS shipped in November. So of course the DS will have a better install base.

    In any case, I've heard a lot of whining hear about hte fact that the disc isn't "Universal", as in other companies can use it. Doesn't the fact that it's been standardized, and will be further standardized by the ISO, make it more universal?

    1. Re:From the Forbes article... by TheoB · · Score: 1
      It says that the DS tracked more total units sold "over the same period," that is to say, excluding those sold before the PSP launched.

      I haven't double-checked the numbers elsewhere to see if that is indeed true, but presuming Forbes did its homework, that's a perfectly reasonable measure of how Nintendo is kicking Sony's ass 'round the playground. More touchscreen road-drawing games for everyone!

    2. Re:From the Forbes article... by Khuffie · · Score: 1

      What period? They don't specify a period, merely state that "by the end of March", which one can only assume is from the systems launch (and the numbers seem just about right for that period). And considering that the PSP was only launched for a week during that period in the US, I'd say the numbers are a little bit skewed there.

    3. Re:From the Forbes article... by TheoB · · Score: 1

      Mind, I could be wrong... http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/04/28/ds_psp_sal es/

  15. Why? by NidStyles · · Score: 0

    We scrafice 2.9GB just to have a smaller form factor.... I'd rather carry SDIOs instead. At least I know I can use that with my PDA, and the computers at home.

    --
    Yes, I said it.
  16. Is this good or bad for the PSP? by DuckofDeath87 · · Score: 1

    Since it is now a standard, doesn't this mean that it will just let other companies make portable (and non-portable) movie players that use it?

    Therefore the people that would get a PSP just for the movies would just get a cheaper device that does not play game?

    Then again I suppose why would you buy a moive player when for a little more money you can get a good video game player too?

    I just dont see how sony will benifit from the UMD standard. Unless you somehow have to pay sony to make a UMD player/maker.

    On a sidenote, does this mean that we will soon see writable UMD media in stores?

  17. Wrong about Wrong Universal. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, Universal in UMD means everyone in the universe, not just humans, will be using this format. Quite a dream, but, who knows...