UMD Still Kickin’ Despite Popular Belief
By Tetris Maximus - January 24th, 2008
The PSP’s proprietary movie media format is still alive and well.
Today Sony announced that it’s now offering MTV programming via the UMD (Universal Media Disc) for its PSP system. The shows available this week include “Jackass,” “Beavis & Butt-head,” and “Aeon Flux.”
“This collaboration with MTV is a key first step in meeting the needs of our consumers, who are utilizing PSP as a video player more than ever and are thirsting for more content, particularly short-form videos,” said Phil Rosenberg, senior vice president of sales and business development at SCEA. “MTV’s programming is hugely popular, and SCEA can utilize our internal resources to appropriately manage the publishing and distribution of these hit shows on UMD. This demonstrates our commitment to supporting the UMD video format by delivering what consumers want to watch at the right price. SCEA will continue to license movie, TV, and other video content, leveraging our sales and marketing strengths, as a strategic focus moving forward.”
The announcement is a little strange, to say the least. In an age of digital downloads and rampant TV show piracy (particularly for playing on portable electronics like the PSP), one has to wonder how well they’ll do. On the other hand, this is the MTV crowd, after all. The shows are short, accessible, and aimed directly at the PSP’s demographic. And MTV is no stranger to gaming. Let’s not forget the juggernaut that is Rock Band.
“We’re very happy to be working with SCEA to bring our content to the PSP,” said Paul DeGooyer, senior vice president of home entertainment, games and music for MTV Networks’ Music & Logo Group. “Our viewers consistently choose to experience our programming on a number of platforms, and the PSP is a particularly well-loved device among our audience. We’re very pleased that PSP users will be able to watch their favorite MTV shows when they are on the go – plus, the shows look fantastic on the PSP’s LCD screen.”
It wasn’t so long ago that UMD movies were marked down to below the $5 mark at various retail stores such as HMV. Can this influx of new UMD programming relevant to PSP owners help save the format? Only time will tell. One thing’s for certain, though. The PSP is gaining a lot of momentum with its most recent price cut. Apart from these MTV offerings, several recent movies are still seeing the UMD treatment. These include “Superbad,” “Resident Evil: Extinction,” and “Casino Royale.”
Here’s the full list of MTV shows now available in UMD format:
- “Beavis & Butt-head: The Mike Judge Collection,” Vol. 2 and 3
- “Jackass,” Vol. 2 and 3
- “Wildboyz,” Vol. 1 and 2
- “Viva La Bam,” Vol. 2, 3, and 4
- “Aeon Flux: The Complete Animated Collection” (2-disc set)
