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Sony Cutting Back on UMD Sales
Karsten writes "An article in Variety claims that Sony is cutting back on UMD releases. While comedies are doing well, other genres simply aren't getting much traction." From the article: "Some have reasoned that sales may have slowed recently because of a shortage of new titles in the last month and because users may be illegally copying films from DVDs onto a memory chip the PSPs can read. Sony is hoping to combat online piracy starting in March when it begins selling movies online via its Connect digital media store. Users will be able to download a pic and watch it on PSP without a disc."
Ahemm, wouldn't copying your DVD to work on another device be a clear example of fair use? You can tell it's fair use because what the company would like you to do--buy a whole new copy of something you already own--would be completely unfair.
This is what happens when you try to foist a new standard upon people that already have one. Minidiscs and Memory Stick, anyone? UMD is strike three, unless I am forgetting anything.
"comedies are doing well"
So does this officially mean UMD movies are a Joke
The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
As much fun as it is to watch a two-hour-long movie on a 480x272 screen on a battery that might die if you have to rewind too often, it's extremely aggravating to be pigeonholed into a single media viewing system. As for their complaints about copying DVDs to the memory stick: if they're DVDs I own, Sony hasn't lost any money from me. Yes, movie piracy is a problem, but many people can't be bothered to download a 700MB movie, compress it to PSP size with PSP codecs, then watch it in grainy, blurry pictures.
I am scientifically inaccurate.
Of course it couldn't have anything to do with people not wanting to buy the same movie twice at nearly the same price, once for home theater use and once for portable use?
The latest news about them bundling UMDs with DVDs is a step in the right direction, at least.
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
Whoever came up with this UMD idea should be shot. The world doesn't need Yet Another Fucking Incompatible Movie Format, especially not one that locks you into a Sony platform. Burn them, burn them all.
users may be illegally copying films from DVDs onto a memory chip the PSPs can read
If I own a DVD, and make a copy so that I can watch it on my PSP, I'm not breaking the law.
So what exactly would be your recommendation for distributing games for the PSP? DVD? UMD was for distributing games first, and Sony decided to release some movies on the same format.
Basically they are seeing a trend in what UMD movies sell better than others. Comedy for instance is more likely to be watched over and over, then say an action movie IMHO.
Maybe it's because people don't want to rebuy their movies -- yet again -- for yet another -- format that will be outdated in two years, just to watch it on a six inch screen.
I'm sorry, but "shortage of new titles" and "oh crap, teh warez!1" are even crappy excuses.
It's illegal to copy a DVD you OWN to a memory card to watch on another device?
The nail in the UMD coffin says, "Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo" right on it.
They knew what they were doing.. even included the software.. And, despite the fact that people are pirating movies with their memory sticks, a lot of them are copying movies or shows they already own. Then there's the whole issue that it requires far less battery power to read/display a movie off solid state memory than to spin a disc. So it's even more appealing to do so.
The real question is whether or not they will allow it to continue. Will there be a new firmware update that requires a license to play every movie? And beyond that, will they be producing any "killer apps" that make people want to buy the product that will install it? From what I've heard, the PSP has been distinctivly Gamecube about news lately. In other words, pretty well dead in the water. Very few titles. Not much to get excited over.
This sig isn't original enough, it's time to come up with something witty...
Interesting.. will Sony finally be able to save a failing media format?
Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
A lot of people have bought a UMD or two when they bought their PSPs or soon after, to try the format out, especially in the winter holiday season when there was extra bundling going on. But the average Joe is figuring out that these little discs are useless in anything but a PSP, and at prices similar to DVDs (or even higher), he might as well just buy the DVD.
One thing I can't explain at all is, how can you get really involved in a movie, or even a TV show, on such a small screen? Obviously people do, because Apple's selling a ton of TV content for its tiny-screened iPods, but it just doesn't work for me.
Yeah, of course your right and in any normal country you do have the right to make a copy for personal use. If you do not have that right then you do not live in a normal country and are a silly person who deserves sillyness.
Fight for your right to recode your own content for your own use!
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
maybe people realized that if you bought 2 you weren't getting a double...
-- it's ridiculous how many people misspell ridiculous... (damn, damn, damn...)
If I own a DVD, and make a copy so that I can watch it on my PSP, I'm not breaking the law.
In which country? Some major developed countries have enacted legislation that bans decryption of a copyrighted work not authorized by the work's copyright owner, even for purposes of uses that would otherwise be considered fair.
One thing that many folks are confused about is the legality of copying DVDs that you own.
To the best of my knowledge (not being a lawyer and all that), it's not legal right now - when you break the copy protection found on the greater majority of DVDs on the market, technically, you're breaking the law in the United States. The specific law being broken is the DMCA.
There are a couple of points to make:
1. They can screw right off with that law, I'm putting my movies where ever I damn well please.
2. There is a neat little exemption in the DMCA about devices that are obsolete. I hope these new High Def player break compatibility with the old formats (yeah, high hopes), because as soon as the tech is obsolete, we get to crack the encryption "legally". Frankly, DVDs are, and will be, "good enough" for me for quite some time.
The other thing to consider here is that UMDs and downloadable movies are essentially new ways to re-purchase content. This process isn't always bad, but in this -case- is very bad. Unlike the move to DVDs, Sony wants us to pay MORE for LESS quality... and pay multiple times.
Sony is trying pretty hard to un-do some damage that they've unintentionally done with the PSP. By providing users a capable media player that works with writable media, they've broken their business model. They've made customers happy, but happy doesn't buy corporate jets.
Video Game News, FAQs, etc
Just 6 days ago they were going to be packing them up with DVD's in combo packages...
/ 141251
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/02/10
Maybe someone forgot to do the math before sending out that first press release.
Just once I'd like to see the following claim:
"Our sales our down because our product just plain sucks. I wish we could blame the pirates, but that would be intellectually dishonest."
Widescale copyright infringement has been around for decades and has not had any noticeable negative effect on any media industry. Time to stop blaming others for your failures and start admitting that your products suck. Stop making everything proprietary!
Compact Disc was a Sony/Philips media format which emphatically did not fail in the marketplace. As Philips was not involved in MiniDisc, Betamax, or UMD, it would appear that Sony needs Philips.
So what exactly would be your recommendation for distributing games for the PSP?
Sony should distribute games as files on Memory Stick PRO Duo, transported over the Internet using a business model similar to Xbox Live Arcade, where independent developers can release a demo version for PC and then work with Sony to port it to PSP. But "the article" is about movies, that is, audiovisual works intended to be watched without interaction.
Then what would they sell?
Just wanted to say, as someone who's bought some content for his iPod (and converted most of the DVD's he owns to iPod format): I don't plan to watch them on the iPod. A standard cable, avalible at any electronics store (though the labels are wrong if you don't get it from Apple) will let you play it on just about any TV. That's where I watch videos.
A recent example: I was a chaperone for a church youth group overnight. By bringing my iPod, I had eight or so movies with me, in a form that fit in my pocket. We watched two. My fellow chaperone had brought three movies (which we didn't watch), which she then had to keep track of the whole video for. Mine were much easier to keep track of, and easier to play. (Since the DVD player at chuch is wierd, and not kept hooked up.)
To bring this back to topic: That's part of the problem with UMD's. All (as far as I'm aware) that I can watch them on are PSP's. The format doesn't truly gain me anything: The size means they are easier to carry, but also harder to keep track of, and I've lost the ablity to share the experience. What's the point? For about the same amount I can get a portable DVD player which is a little bigger, but plays a standard format, or an iPod which will take some conversion, but will play on a standard TV.
'Sensible' is a curse word.
"Some have reasoned that sales may have slowed recently because of a shortage of new titles in the last month and because users may be illegally copying films from DVDs onto a memory chip the PSPs can read."
Riiiight... So, copying a DVD to a PSP is illegal? Meh! They better get with the program, there is still such a thing as "fair use" (atleast outside the states).
Why should I pay premium for UMD just to get a lowerquality movie with no extras when I just as easily can take my favourite movie, process it and enjoy (well, as much as it can be enjoyed on a small screen with lots of ghosting).
If they had their way, my bought media would be hardlinked with just ONE device, which could only playback to ONE display, requiring the user to buy a copy of the movie for each playback device, and a playback device for each display.
If it ever gets to that stage, I guess it's time to start doing other things than watching bad hollywood flicks.
Irritated? Hell yeah! >(
Sony???
Is anybody still buying from them?
No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
I have a little writeup of this situation and some keys to the success of portable movies.
e -sales-dry-up.html
http://kamalot.blogspot.com/2006/02/portable-movi
Sony does not seem to think of the big picture.
Make the PS3 a Recorder
The PS3 will come with the ability to playback DVDs. Why not embed the ability to copy the contents of a DVD to a Memory Stick for viewing on the PSP? Sony could control the fair-rights copyright within the PS3 and PSP since they create the hardware for both. They could enforce that your are only allowed to copy the DVD to a PSP a set number of times, much like iTunes handles digitally rights managed music.
If people could buy a DVD and use the PS3 to watch it on their TV as well as use it to copy the DVD to the PSP, people would see a greater value in both the PSP and the PS3. It would solve the problem consumers have with buying two copies of the same movie, an understandable complaint.
I have to think the picture quality isn't all that great, especially if you're watching in a group on a larger size set. The sound is probably not as good as DVD, either. But you're right... it is a lot easier to keep track of than DVDs. So I like the device itself, but I'd probably rather transcode DVDs and DVR recordings down to fit, than buy content at that resolution.
The movie publishers just don't get it. Retailers will see a BIG boost in sales if the movies drop in price to about 50-75% the current price. I never bought 1 UMD for my PSP until about 2 weeks ago when Blockbuster had a sale and were selling selected UMD titles as "buy 2 for $20" CDN. You can't get any better than that. I picked up "Snatch" and "Cowboy Beebop: The Movie", and if they still have the sale on, I'm going to pick up a couple more. The lesson here is the that consumer may be willing to drop $20 US for a comedy title since a person can typically watch a comedy over and over again... the genre has a high replayability factory. But this isn't just a question of demographics and content, it's about the price too dummies.
I buy a ton of video from iTunes, but very rarly view it on anything other than my PowerBook.
I think Steve Jobs got it right when he said Laptops and TV's are the device of choice for viewing this type of content. Every once in a while I like the ability to watch content on my iPod video while on the subway, but other than that. Laptop.
The PSP UMD format is failling because it dosen't allow a user to view content over multiple devices. When will companies get that through their skull. I want choice. I want to buy and view content on my tv, laptop, mp3 player, or whatever device I choose.
They can also blame TiVo, which allows one to copy recorded programs to a networked PC where one can use programs like PSP Video 9 to convert and transfer shows to the PSP memory stick. I think that as memory stick capacity increases, this will become more common.
To the making of books there is no end, so let's get started
How is this any different from the legal activity of copying a CD to a tape to listen in the car?
I've hit Karma 50 and gotten a Score:5, Troll... I win!
Who'd have thought handheld video would never have caught on? Those handheld TVs that came out in the 80s were such a huge hit, you know. Everyone should want to watch their favorite movies on a 2-inch screen!
Let's think about this for a minute. The average movie is 90 minutes or longer. To watch a movie on a portable player, you'd have to be somewhere you can sit or stand for 90 minutes without distraction if you're really going to enjoy the movie.
As best I can figure it, there are only two places that a lot of people might remotely find this useful: public transportation and waiting in line. I've never lived anywhere that public transportation takes 90 minutes--Dallas to Fort Worth by train is something like an hour, that's my longest run--but I suppose you could watch half in the morning and half in the evening. I've also never seen lines that take 90 minutes outside of theme parks and concerts, where you're probably hanging out with friends and, you know, socializing.
This should surprise absolutely no one that UMD isn't performing as well as Sony had hoped. It's a neat little gimmick, but it's still a gimmick. Wal-Mart has an $80 6" DVD player listed on their website, and DVDs are selling under half the price of UMDs if you wait a few months for them to go on sale. The PSP isn't nearly as impressive to me as the GameBoy DS for gaming. The PSP simply isn't the "must have" item Sony billed it as.
120 characters for a sig? That's bloody useless.
"Some have reasoned that sales may have slowed recently because of a shortage of new titles in the last month and because users may be illegally copying films from DVDs onto a memory chip the PSPs can read." Maybe they have slowed because the consumer has finally realised that having to buy a movie on a new format is stupid, let alone one for a tiny screen. OR Maybe they have slowed because the savvy consumer is putting their pennies in a jar to save up for buying their blu ray collection. Thanks to Sony now they will be able to have movies such as "Big Momma's House" play on their normal tvs, their psps, and their high def tvs, with only having to buy the movie thrice! Thank you Sony.
So the nationwide trend is towards bigger and bigger home theaters and PSP movies are on a 480x272 screen. UMDs are the same price or higher than the price of regular DVDs (which actually have cross-hardware compatibility, unlike UMDs). Battery issues on the PSP may also contribute. There's also a lack of availability of good movies on UMD.
And, of course, Sony blames poor sales on piracy.
When will Sony et al realized that scapegoating piracy is not a panacea for their poor sales resulting from poor business decisions? You can't keep blaming your problems on your customers.
And Sony's idea of a PSP-to-TV adapter is like using a Band-Aid for a dismembered arm. It's a solution that doesn't really address the problem.
It's about time they stopped selling UMDs. After spending billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives on a wild search for UMDs in Iraq, you wouldn't want Sony just selling them in the shops, now would you?
First they stop selling games, now they stop selling UMDs. Oh well, at least the PSP still functions as a costly status symbol!
Heh, this is sorta OT, but wth right?
I'm always curious as to the origins of phrases, so I Yahoo!ed "'rule of thumb' origin" and found this on Wikipedia.
Quite interesting.
As an owner of a PSP, I can say I'm among the group that would rather rip a DVD and recode it for use on the PSP than spend the money on a UMD of it. I've already bought the DVD. I have done this with several movies in the past - when I'm traveling, it's easy entertainment. I can slap a couple movies onto my Memory Stick, and hey - there's 4 hours' worth of entertainment, and I still have games and room for some music.
For people who can't or would rather throw money at the problem, fine, let them. But they really shouldn't blame the fact that not all people have infinite cash to throw at re-buying the movies they already own on UMD. In the meantime, worry about getting more good games on the PSP - I have some money, and I'd rather spend it on good games than buying my movie collection all over again.
Sam: "That was needlessly cryptic."
Max: "I'd be peeing my pants if I wore any!"
That's WMDs, not UMDs.
The lessons of history teach us - if they teach us anything - that nobody learns the lessons that history teaches us.
UMD's cost $30, when you can buy a DVD at higher encoding quality for $12-18... and they wonder why no one wants to buy them??
Morons?
Even if they were evenly priced, why would I want to watch a movie on my tiny PSP screen?
Overlooking for a moment that no one really wants to watch a crappy movie on a 2" screen, have you noticed the prices for UMD titles? A new DVD at WalMart can be had for as little as $14. Older titles as little as $5. Compare that to a UMD disc which typically sells for about $25. I've seen Best Buy sell a newly released DVD for $15 while the UMD version is $30.
Now, I don't own a PSP and I haven't looked too hard at its specs for watching movies, but why would anyone choose the UMD format?
Ryosen
One man's "Troll, +1" is another man's "Insightful, +1".
The Funny thing is, that Sony could not do that, even if they wanted to. ecause they would bypassing a copy control mechanism which is against the DMCA.
Only if Sony doesn't own the copyright. Sony does own MGM and Columbia Pictures; giving PS3 owners the ability to reencode Sony movies to a Memory Stick could boost sales of Sony movies over the other five studios' movies.
It is disturbing to me that nowadays companies like Sony like to treat their customers like criminals, instead of people who keep them in business. Us end users, who pay for their digital products, are nothing but the necessary evil that needs to be tightly controlled, otherwise we will all just steal and trample on their rights. When did customer relations turn into a warfare about "their rights vs. our rights"? UMD was an idea born dead. Selling movies that usually to cost more than regular DVDs and can only be played on one device with a tiny screen? WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?!