Film studios cut back on UMD titles

Hello everyone, here is a story i thought was funny seeing how i never really liked the idea od UMD and thought it was pointless. Even Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is cutting back.

In pre-Liberty City days, UMD movies were the shining star in the PSP library--in fact, at one point movies comprised almost 50% of all UMD sales. That success, however, has either not sustained or not increased enough to appease film studios. According to a report by Variety, key movie studios (Warner Home Video, Paramount, even Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) have announced that they will cut back on the number of films they release on the UMD format.

Many factors have contributed to this decision, most of all sales figures (" the average release posts sales closer to 40,000-50,000" ). Other factors include the sheer number of different formats available and soon-to-be-released disc options (DVD, UMD, HD-DVD, and the Sony-backed Blu-ray) that will dilute the market. Another reason cited is the inability to view UMD movies on a TV--a problem, says SCEA, that will be soon remedied by a new PSP adaptor.

The article notes that comedies are doing well, especially collections like Chappelle' s Show and Beavis & Butthead, but the weaker sales of dramas have led to the cancellation of a Goodfellas UMD. One of the problems we' ve noticed with UMD' s are the lack of special features compared to their DVD brethren. How do you feel about UMD, and what would encourage you to buy more discs?

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/02/16/film-studios-cut-back-on-umd-titles/#comments

there' s more - Sony plans to add UMD movies to DVD editions for a few bucks more.

Sony just suck when it comes to storage/media. Blu-Ray could end up flopping too!

I' ve always been one of the biggest advocates of UMD movies and I still consider it a viable format BUT Sony and other movie studios are incredibly retarded when it comes to UMD movie pricing.

$25.99 for most new releases, You f***ing Krazy Sony??

I won' t even buy DVDs that cost more than $21.99 so I sure as hell won' t be spending a little more than that on UMD movies.. All of my UMD movies were in the $13.99 - $17.99 range..

I personally think that $7.99 - $14.99 should be the magic price point of UMD movies depending on the age of the movie as well as whether its a Hollywood blockbuster type film or straight to video release.

Terry Bogard - currently the most Unhelpful member of the Kikizo forums.

UMD movies put me off buying the PSP in the first place. Firstly I dont want to buy two copies of the same movie as the article on the front page says. But also why would I want to watch movies on the bus, on such a small screen? I just cant enjoy a movie that way. It' s like why would I want to play Tomb Raider on my mobile phone? (The N-Gage should never have existed!)

So I might have bought a PSP for movies if there was an official cable for decent TV out so I had a choice, but I' m guessing that didnt happen due to quality and DVD sale issues. Those little speakers and stand you could get to turn it into a minature widescreen cinema made me laugh as well.

Incorporating internet into mobile devices for e-mail, movie and game trailers, mp games etc is ok, but theres no point trying to cram a square peg into a round hole. Imo, if the PSP had DS games or the DS had PSP design then either would have been more my taste.

So yea, I personally wouldn' t be sad to see UMDs go..

I like the UMDs. They are great entertainment if you' re on a long trip and you' re too tired to play a game. Watching UMDs is relaxing.
The screen is smaller than most portable DVDs but if you use headphones the experience is actually really good. And besides, it' s not supposed to be a portable cinema. The games for the PSP and the DS are as great as many console games even though the screen is smaller than a TV-set. So why can' t this be said about movies? I watch movies because they are entertaining, not because they look cool on big screens.
You can of course put ripped movies on a memory stick but with he UMDs you won' t have to go through the process of ripping and converting. And the option of watching with or without subtitles is good to as well as the extras.
If the prices were lower, I think the UMD format would have been a great success.

The thing is though that UMD' s cost more to produce than DVD' s. I thought they would have learned their lesson with mini-disc!

The reason N64 games cost so much, even late into their life was because they cost more to produce. If Sony or other companies reduce the cost of UMDs before they manage to drive manufacturing costs down they will lose money.

I think £10 ($17) is perfect for the format, but in the UK we have to pay £17.99 ($31) to £22.99 ($40) for a new release, with the occasional badly transferred anime movie with no extras costing us £10/£12. It' s rediculous!

Will they manage to drive the manufacturing costs down?
I mean if they give up on the format already then people won' t buy UMDs and that will make it very difficult to drive the costs down. What a waste of effort!
I think Sony should either put everything they' ve got on the UMDs, or nothing at all.

I dunno. I think UMD' s are nice but it was always going to be a risk!

Think about it this way. When feature length films are downloadable (like HL2 from Steam), in the next year or two (you better believe it), ...who' d going to pay over the odds for a UMD, when they can pay half that (maybe less) and have a digital copy to stick on their memory stick?!

sounds nice - but downloading an HD movie (30GB) is impossible for many - the internet isn' t ready.

Not yet, but PSP isn' t a HD capable device is it?!

But um... the UMD cases look good in the bookshelf once you have a couple of them... Memory Sticks aren' t that beautiful...
But if downloadable movies will defeat the UMD then the CD and the DVD should also go the same way.

ORIGINAL: ginjirou

But um... the UMD cases look good in the bookshelf once you have a couple of them... Memory Sticks aren' t that beautiful...
But if downloadable movies will defeat the UMD then the CD and the DVD should also go the same way.

It already is isn' t it? iTunes is uber popular and tons of stuff is downloadable; music (obviously), podcasts, radio show, tv shows...etc...

It' s only a mater of time (and not a long time either) before feature length movies are available to download. 360 will initially be able to download tv episodes but eventually will have full movies downloadable.

Steam showed it could be done for games, and Revolution' s retro games for the virtual console will be downloaded like that (shame you have to pay for them though...).

DVD and CDs' will never be completely wiped out though, but places like HMV are already offering digital tracks (WMA, MP3 etc) instore and are charged per song like iTunes does.

Ok. Damn... now I have to trade my bookshelves for a harddrive instead. Wohoo more space for the PS3!

LOL!

I hope a HDD comes as standard in with PS3. I expect Sony to offer multiple packages, but i wish they wouldn' t. I mean, i don' t mind paying £400 for the unit as long as it has a HDD and a wireless pad as standard (which it will).

I half actually hoped it would also play UMDs' , just so they' d be playable on something other than the PSP.

Maybe it will be possible to connect the PSP to a PS3 and look at UMDs on a TV. Is it possible with USB?

It would be possible through USB, but the main problem is getting the films to look good on a standard TV as the resolution is much lower. Interlacing at 480i (the easiest way) is out of the question as most people will have native res LCD or Plasma HD' s.

Sony will probably have to use the PS3' s power for video scalling in order to look good, but as anyone whose experienced will tell you, it' s not easy to do (and expensive). Plus it' s a different process from PS3 scaling it' s own video coming out of it' s graphics chip (more like how PC games do it.).

If Sony released a device that played UMD' s on PS3 I don' t think playback would all that great given their track record with PS2 playing DVD' s, or just look at the GameBoy Player, which shows what happens with an affordable way of displaying low res visuals on a TV the easy way.

UMD' s on a home TV is slightly pointless though when most people will have the DVD version, or if not that can usually be obtained very cheaply today. Though I would love to play Ridge Racers on my TV.

Not yet, but PSP isn' t a HD capable device is it?!

I misunderstood I guess.

I think you should stick with the DVD format for your TV.

I hate those boring DVD cases - I think that japanese gamecube games had the coolest boxes this time.

I hope N makes some cool ones for Revo.

BTW - those PSP cases are really cool :)

Whether or not it would be possible to watch a UMD on your TV via USB is unknown. They would have to update the firmware to allow the USB to be connected and live (because you have to activate it from te menu, it doesn' t connect automatically).

I doubt it though.

But you could watch whatever' s your doing (like watching a UMD) on your PSP, on your TV already with PSP2TV (unofficial product), shown here...



You can use a widescreen mode which on a 4:3 TV would give you black borders but would look perfect on a widescreen 16:9 TV. But UMDs' aren' t formatted in HD anyway, they' re specifically formatted for the PSP screen as far as resolution is concerned, ergo it would look horrible on anything but the smallest of TVs.

The biggest problem with PSP2TV is that it requires you to modify your actual PSP, because it doesn' t have a native video-out port.

It' s a step but a very small one, and not really worth thinking about.

It would have been better all round if they included a UMD drive in the PS3!

I' ve been meaning to get PSP2TV for months now but kept putting it off because I wasn' t sure which PSP to sacrifice - the U.S. unit that I use for movies, firmware updates, and games, OR the Japanese unit which still has firmware 1.0..

And now that Sony has announced their own adapter for the PSP, I' ll wait and see if that one is potentially better, quality-wise, than the PSP2TV... If it' s not then I' ll wind up getting both.

Terry Bogard - currently the most Unhelpful member of the Kikizo forums.

I' ve been meaning to get PSP2TV for months now but kept putting it off because I wasn' t sure which PSP to sacrifice - the U.S. unit that I use for movies, firmware updates, and games, OR the Japanese unit which still has firmware 1.0..

I got 2 too, for the same reason. 1 to play UMD' s and games that require the updated firmware and one to play emulators on. But i got both from Japan (well, lik-sang actually) because a) i wanted it before the UK got it (7 months before!) and b) because Japanese PSP are region 2 for films like the UK.

You had/have Gradius III on your Jap PSP right?!

hey everyone sorry i haven' t responded in a while. Been busy.

Hey majik i saw you were hoping the PS3 comes with a HDD? Well according to this article and the link to Sony' s official Playstation site it says this.



http://www.joystiq.com/2006/02/15/official-sony-specs-ps3-hdd-sold-separately/

Also i am curious why would anyone want to see a UMD on a TV for? i think that is more pointless then the UMDs themselves. Why spend the extra money on a UMD when most people already have the movie on DVD? That part i never understood.

Why spend the extra money on a UMD when most people already have the movie on DVD? That part i never understood.

1. UMDs provide MUCH better visual quality than what' s possible with MP4 conversions so far.
2. Not everyone wants to sit and endure the MP4 encoding process, even if they have decent to a lot of know how on converting movies. I' m that way. I' d much rather spend up to $17 on a decent movie than waste my time ripping and converting.
3. If you plan on ripping and converting a bunch of movies at pretty good quality then you' ll need some large sized memory sticks to store them all OR you' ll have to keep swapping crap in and out...
4. The PSP is much more portable than portable DVD players. I can simply reach into my coat pocket and pull out my PSP anytime, anywhere. No inconvenience... Portability is the keyword. There are many who can' t enjoy movies on the go on such a small device and there are many others who can.

Terry Bogard - currently the most Unhelpful member of the Kikizo forums.

how often do you watch movies? You act like you can' t live without them and you watch them constantly. How many do you have? Also do you buy them on UMD when you already have them on DVD? How are UMD' s better quality? THe only thing i can think of is because it' s such a small screen that quality only appears good because it' s so small. HD-DVD will be out soon and on a BIG screen will provide MUCH better quality then UMD' s and DVD' s combined. Plus I work at Best Buy and UMD' s are hardly ever sold they just sit there and my co-workers think they are pointless. i have seen very portable DVD players and we sell cases for them that are comfortable to carry and like i said play DVD' s people already own and are cheaper them UMDs and have features UMD' s don' t have. ONe of the best reason why people buy DVD' s is for the extra features.

If UMD' s were as good as you say then why are the companies begining to slow and stop making them?

Also you shouldn' t really be ripping movies or encouraging it, first because it takes so damn long.

Maybe it' s just me but i don' t really see it neccessary to watch movies that often when i am out. I would rather play some quick games like mario kart, meteos, and coming soon WIFI tetris with all kinds of cool modes. I never see myself being somewhere where i have time to sit and watch a movie especially on a small screen if i did i would rather have a bigger screen portable DVD player and watch bloopers and behind the scenes etc.. without having to buy it again on UMD.

I am not trying to bash you or put you down i am just expressing my views and i never liked or cared about the idea of UMD' s to me it' s just a ploy for sony to try and push another format on us that will die off like the others.

how often do you watch movies?

I watch my UMD Video discs every other day..

You act like you can' t live without them and you watch them constantly.

See above ;).. You CAN live without handheld gaming devices, portable movies, and whatnot, doesn' t mean that you' ll want to

How many do you have?

22 UMD movies

Also do you buy them on UMD when you already have them on DVD?

I did for 2 DVD movies I have.. American Pie 2 and White Chicks. I enjoyed them a lot, have the DVDs and since the UMDs were about fifteen bucks, I snatched them up.. Like I said before, it has to be a decent movie and has to be reasonably priced.

MOST of the time I purchase UMD movies of stuff I' ve never seen, and yes, I purchase the UMD versions OVER the DVD versions.

How are UMD' s better quality? THe only thing i can think of is because it' s such a small screen that quality only appears good because it' s so small.

Remember, I compared UMDs to MP4.. I never once compared the visual quality of a UMD to a DVD.. MP4 is the video format the PSP supports. Your small screen example is flawed simply because you notice the degradation in the video quality of many MP4s. UMD videos look crystal clear.

HD-DVD will be out soon and on a BIG screen will provide MUCH better quality then UMD' s and DVD' s combined.

You' re forgetting the portability factor, which is one of the selling points of UMDs..

Plus I work at Best Buy and UMD' s are hardly ever sold they just sit there and my co-workers think they are pointless.

And the 2 stores I' ve checked: J & R Music World as well as Best Buy in New York City have healthy movie sales. In fact, I was laughing several months ago because it seemed as if people spent more time in the UMD Movie aisle than in the gaming aisles.. Only recently have I noticed the opposite happening at the aforementioned stores.

i have seen very portable DVD players and we sell cases for them that are comfortable to carry and like i said play DVD' s people already own and are cheaper them UMDs and have features UMD' s don' t have. ONe of the best reason why people buy DVD' s is for the extra features.

Even the most portable DVD players aren' t as portable as the PSP.

If UMD' s were as good as you say then why are the companies begining to slow and stop making them?

Sales were incredibly strong in the beginning (U.S.) and now they' ve slowed down, it' s only natural. UMDs aren' t being discontinued, studios are slowing down on the amount of movies they flood the market with, cause if you' ve seen the store shelves, the amount of movies available are damn near insane.

Also you shouldn' t really be ripping movies or encouraging it, first because it takes so damn long.

Maybe you should tell that to Sony who sells software like Image Converter 2 that converts movies to the PSP format. Obviously they' re fine with it

Maybe it' s just me but i don' t really see it neccessary to watch movies that often when i am out.

For some people that travel A LOT, portable movies are a godsend..

I would rather play some quick games like mario kart, meteos, and coming soon WIFI tetris with all kinds of cool modes. I never see myself being somewhere where i have time to sit and watch a movie especially on a small screen if i did i would rather have a bigger screen portable DVD player and watch bloopers and behind the scenes etc.. without having to buy it again on UMD.

I enjoy playing games when I' m out as well, that' s the main appeal of handheld gaming devices. But sometimes the mood to play games only lasts for so long. When I used to travel often I' d drag my Dreamcast along with me and play it at whatever hotels I was staying at. And even though I had A LOT of games with me, at some point I kept wishing the Dreamcast could play movies as well. So when Sony came out with the PS2 later on, it was finally great to have both features in one device.. It' s great to be able to play games and then kickback with a movie where ever you are. And there are various types of videos you can watch, not just feature length films. Some stuff like the He-Man UMD collections and the Pride Fighting Championship stuff are great for short viewing sessions.

I know UMDs aren' t perfect, like I said BEFORE the PSP was even launched, Sony needs to rework their UMD pricing scheme since some of the movie prices are just insane. But regardless of that, I have a lot of love for those cute little movie discs.

When it comes down to it, just about all products have their supporters and their detractors. Neither is more right or wrong, it' s all about preferences. You hate UMDs and I love them and nothing is going to change our opinions on that matter

Terry Bogard - currently the most Unhelpful member of the Kikizo forums.

Goooooooooooooooooooo TERRY!!!!

EDIT: Yeah Phoenixxx it does look like the HDD will be sold seperately, which sucks maor ass. We' ll probably see two SKUs' like with 360. My guess is that it' s going to be optional because of the price of the machine, which i think is going to be EXPENSIVE!!!

ORIGINAL: Phoenixxx1974

how often do you watch movies? You act like you can' t live without them and you watch them constantly.

So you' re saying that everyone who' s got a DVD player and DVDs can' t live without watching DVDs? No? Then one should be able to like the UMDs as well.

There are portable DVD players that are almost as small as the PSP but they don' t come with the ability to play games or mp3 files now do they?

Lots of people who have long traveling distances loves to watch movies on the go. Games often require lots of concentration but watching a movie is just relaxing. Also, you don' t have to watch the entire movie at once. You can watch half of it on your way to work, and the rest on your way home.
Long live the UMDs!

I am not saying i hate UMDs i just think they are pointless and not cost efficient.

I have seen portable DVD player that play MP3 but it' s pretty useless since most people have MP3 players nowadays.

If i am traveling i would prefer to have a portable DVD player and watch my own DVDs (and save the money i would have spent on UMDs on games or new DVDs like boix sets of tv series like south park and simpsons and drawn together which are not on UMD) and if i wanted to play a game i would play my DS which has MUCH better games. Plus the DS can play Mpeg 4 movies and Mp3s as well with the play-yan and pretty soon the web browser and TV tuner.

I personally never liked the Idea of UMDs to me like i said it' s just Sony who is persistant on trying to make ONE successful format which they haven' t done yet. Every format they have created has died.

Hey if buying UMDs makes you happy so be it and i am happy for you to be happy but to me it' s just a waste of money to spend extra money to buy a movie you already own (which is more expensive then the DVD itself and no special features i know very few of the new ones might have a special feature or two but i am not impressed). I don' t see UMDs as being practical and economically feasible.

BY the way ginjirou i assume you are not driving to work like most people do? that would be dangerous to watch a movie while driving.

I also wouldn' t count on UMD' s living long, the sales like terry said have seriously declined and at my best buy they hardly ever sell. Plus that is thr point of this article to say that movie studios are slowing down and some may stop production of UMDs.

But hey as terry said there will always be people who love one thign and others who don' t. It won' t bother me when they die out and i will try and not say told you so hehe. The article is my subtle way of saying it hehe