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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.
"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
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...
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.
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
I don't think we have the DMCA in Europe (yet!?) and so I'm not breaking the law.
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!
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.
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.
Fair use isn't an exhaustive list of allowed uses. It is possible that given the nature of the copy (single copy for personal use), and the effect on the market (is it reasonable that someone should have to pay twice for the same movie?).
The media cartels don't bother prosecuting over small scale issues like this, and without a court ruling on the matter, any statement that something is, or is not fair use is merely an opinion.
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?
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!"
You are allowed to copy music only because of the AHRA. There is no similar law allowing the copying of movies.
Wrong, but thank you for playing. Fair use is embodied in USC Title 17 sect. 107[1]. Title 17 is where copyrights are defined. Title 17 refeers to all copyrightable works, therefore, it follows that sect. 107 applies to all copyrighted works.
The sticky point is that Title 17 sect. 107 never actually mentions personal backups specifically. However, the fourth part of the test provided in the law:
(4)the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
Would generally seem to allow a personal backup, as this will not have an effect on the "potential market" for a work. Also, since a personal backup is a noncommercial use, the onus will be on the plantiff to show that this personal use does, in fact, damage their potential market.
As always: I am not a lawyer, but I play one on Slashdot.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Laziness is the father.
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