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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."

5 of 61 comments (clear)

  1. 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 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.
    2. 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."
  2. 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.

  3. 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.