Sony attempts to release at least 5 UMD movies each quarter, for less than $15 each

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 15th 2008 at 5:38PM }

Wait, Sony. Didn't we come to an agreement? We'd stop buying UMD movies and you'd stop making them. We thought that the introduction of the PSP Video Store at E3 would signal the final "official" death of UMD -- but in a showcase of true unyielding corporate stubborness, Sony still plans on continuing its support for the failed proprietary movie format. According to a report by Video Business, Sony plans on releasing 5-7 movies from various studios each quarter. Each movie would be $10-15, a significantly lower price than when UMD movies first launched on the system years ago.

"We want to provide a legal offering from the studios, ... and it's an easier conversation to have with them now," said John Koller, director of hardware marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America. According to Koller, "there's a lot of positive momentum with the PSP." But, will plans to continue UMD really meet any success? Only time will tell.

[Via Sony Insider]

Tags: sales, umd

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

gurbinder @ Aug 15th 2008 5:49PM

I doubt its gonna come back to life after its death unless they do crazy amounts of commercials showing umd version avialable beside the dvd and blueray and even then i doubt it will work out. Imagine a umd player instead of a dvd player, that would boost sales o_O

omgitsthepope @ Aug 15th 2008 5:50PM

they should just let it down i don't think its possible to work now with memory becoming cheaper and cheaper

omgitsthepope @ Aug 15th 2008 5:51PM

@ myself

meant let it die idk why i put down XP

Roto13 @ Aug 15th 2008 5:53PM

Stop, Sony. Just... just stop.

emirabal @ Aug 15th 2008 8:59PM

LOL, Just stop, i couldn't have said it better

dabamf @ Aug 15th 2008 6:02PM

I purchased "Spirits Within" and "Advent Children" on UMD in the recent B1G1 free sale on Amazon, but those are the only ones that I want...call it nostalgia I guess.

atastysammich @ Aug 15th 2008 6:06PM

Weren't they going to make standalone UMD players when the PSP was first out/in the works? At least they can still be glad they didn't go through with that.

strike @ Aug 15th 2008 6:13PM

I don't understand.....Why don't they just do it all through the new video store? I just dont understand.....

Well, I think they should stop or put in extras, otherwise it just wont work. I think there's a lot to work with, if they decided to put extras in.

Lars @ Aug 19th 2008 2:13PM

I don't understand why you'd want to fill up your PSP's memory stick with movies and have no room for anything else.

When I go on a trip (which is when I use the PSP for movies, of course), my memory stick is full of music and a couple games that are download-only.

I noticed the other day that there's still quite a bit of UMD movies at Best Buy. Releasing them for $15 is good, but I don't buy them unless they're $5-$10.

required @ Aug 15th 2008 6:50PM

Nearly all games ship on UMD. Having the opinion that the format is dying is a bunch of clicks past stupid.

aj @ Aug 15th 2008 10:37PM

The format isn't dying, it's just that watching a movie for two hours on a teeny tiny handheld unit is a bit silly, given that said handheld unit also plays games. It's no wonder people aren't snapping up UMD movies by the armload.

Don @ Aug 17th 2008 12:28AM

I once held my PSP up next to the distance I watch my 27" TV from, and they were both the same size screen. This "teeny screen" idea is what is really silly here.

I also play games on my TV, but surprisingly, I also watch movies on that too.

Christopher @ Aug 18th 2008 11:12AM

They mean UMD movies. Speaking of stupid?

omgitsthepope @ Aug 15th 2008 6:51PM

idk i'm kinda thinking it could work i mean if alot of them are 10 bucks with extras i mean now the psp has tv out too so it could actually work idk though

Joe @ Aug 15th 2008 7:31PM

For Ten bucks I would buy more I already got a big list believe it or not. Also to buy movies online is much. So I am all for this.

Jeremy @ Aug 15th 2008 8:21PM

The price is too high, but bear in mind, not everyone can use digital distribution. Quite a few people are still stuck on dialup, and even those that have broadband have to deal with things like caps. The only broadband I can get is Verizon Wireless, which speed caps me the next month if I go over 5 GBs in a month. Which of course I do, since 5 GBs is almost nothing.

But I'm stuck at a speed about 4 time dialup. Do I want to spend 20 hours downloading a movie? No. It took me 2 hours to download a XBLA game the other day and that was only 144 megs.

Unless Sony comes up with their own built in wirless system, like Amazon has with its Kindle, then digital distribution isn't read yet. Not completely.

(And let me just add, Verizon really stinks)

Wrathbringer @ Aug 15th 2008 11:26PM

Not only is there the whole broadband issue, there's also the problem that virtually no one else has access to the video store right now. AFAIK it's only the US and Japan that have it, with Europe coming next year and no news for us Canadians. It might not be that great of an idea in the States, but everywhere else I think it's a great idea.

I know I'd buy some UMD movies at that price, but I can't play them on my PSP since it's Japanese :/

MATT @ Aug 15th 2008 8:48PM

I have no interest in watching any video content on my PSP.

mercurywa @ Aug 16th 2008 12:57AM

Seconded, much in the same way I wouldn't buy a cellphone so that I could use it to play music, or (more fittingly) buy a laptop so I can watch DVDs.

Smokey @ Aug 16th 2008 4:20AM

Sounds pretty awesome to me, I dont think umd ever died really, I still buy regularly

drdre74 @ Aug 16th 2008 9:53AM

simple a waste of money if you as me. Why not upload UMD versions on the PSN? I;m sure that would work 100% better. Sony are some dumb bastards. Since the ps3 they have done alot of dumb marketing and this is just one more

TM @ Aug 15th 2008 10:22PM

UMD movies failed. I would use the PC store only

chimaera9 @ Aug 15th 2008 10:42PM

If the prices are kept low ($10 and under) I'll definitely keep buying movies on UMD. I have purchased movies through the PSN store, but they take up a lot of space on the memory cards. Memory cards are getting cheaper, but I like the little UMD's better for the price. Plus, I don't have to mess around with constantly moving movies back and forth from my PS3 to my PSP then to my PC later to store them so I have more room on the PSP mem card (since you can't put them back on the PS3.) With the movies I've bought for the PS3, HD space is an issue, too.

Virtuous @ Aug 15th 2008 11:14PM

If Sony wanted to revive the UMD movie market they should have acted sooner. The current slowdown in the DVD market doesn't bode well for UMD sales.

DarklighterPS3 @ Aug 15th 2008 11:42PM

I am glad that sony is still supporting the format.

Ever since I got PS3 I no longer buy DVD movies. As portable Blu Ray players either don't exist or are too expensive (suffice it to say I don't have one) I use my PSP as my movie player when I travel. I have a few UMD films and I want to be able to get a few more. I would love for films like Hellboy 2 and National Treasure 2 to hit the UMD format.

If UMD dies then I will need to reinvest in DVDs and buy a portable DVD player (and I have no desire to do so) or give up on watching movies when I travel. I know UMD will never be big but a few solid titles each year would be AWESOME.

Christopher @ Aug 18th 2008 11:14AM

But...a standard DVD holds more than UMD. I don't understand your logic here unless you mean UMD & PSP support higher quality compression, in which case you are correct.

h0mi @ Aug 15th 2008 11:50PM

UMD is a hard sell. Every store sells at least some DVDs for under $15, and many are just $3-7. Trying to get me to buy a UMD for $10 is going to be hard; it'd have to be something hard to find and more expensive on DVD.

AL @ Aug 16th 2008 3:17AM

I like that they are releasing them still. I am a collector and this is great news. And at 10 to 15 bucks each it's a bargain.

theclaw @ Aug 16th 2008 2:33AM

Sony has decided to keep supporting the format.

UMD may be forgotten by many. But it was not dead, is not dead, and has no sign of being dead soon.

Zippon @ Aug 16th 2008 4:10AM

Some of the comments on here are just plain dumb.

Watching movies in a portable format is not dead. How many bazillion people are downloading shows and movies like crazy onto their teeny, tiny iPod screens? (And by the same token, people love the idea of PSN downloads---you're still watching it on your PSP folks.)

The problem was with price. People didn't want to pay the same price for a UMD as they did for a full DVD. If the price comes down, then people might buy them. It's certainly worth a try, what with all the new hardware sales in the past year. A larger installed base means more sales potential for all things PSP.

Personally, I thought I was over handheld movies. I'd had a Palm TX for years, and it is super-simple for me to rip DVD's I own onto it with decent quality. But I find I much prefer watching them on my PSP. It takes longer to load and run them, but sound and video quality are top-notch. And anybody comparing the experience to sitting on their couch in front of their big screen is a dope. It's all about portability. I like watching in bed, in the car, on a plane, etc. My plasma isn't visible from any of those locations. >;-P

strike @ Aug 16th 2008 7:01AM

I guess people do still buy UMD movies. And I thought it was dieing O___o Guess I was wrong.

Prices in the UK are pretty low, around 5 Pounds, I think

dr_wags @ Aug 16th 2008 10:42AM

I am very pleased that Sony will release new umds. I love watching them when I travel and taking my PSP camping and watching a movie at the end of the day. I hope they can manage to release from many different studios. I just got a umd copy of Batman Begins and I'd love to pair that with a copy of the Dark Knight.

IMO Sony is rocking on the PSP. Fanboys seem so pessimistic and have such unrealistic expectations. I love my PSP and I will definitely buy more umds (especially those at a reasonable price).

Makoto99 @ Aug 16th 2008 11:32AM

In other news, Sony has announced they'll release 8-10 BetaMax releases each quarter in an attempt to stimulate the untapped market there.

aj @ Aug 16th 2008 8:57PM

College kids are still buying records, so don't go laughing at the betamax revolution when it just might happen.

The Aggie CEO @ Aug 16th 2008 12:12PM

bah....this is dumb as hell......

I wouldnt buy UMD movies UNLESS they are like 5 for $10.......even then its questionable......

Duff_B @ Aug 16th 2008 3:46PM

I'm happy about this... Maybe now volumes 2, 3 and 4 will be released of Dungeons and Dragons the cartoon (since I have volume one all by itself). I do like the UMD format and have tons of the movies.

Zippon @ Aug 17th 2008 11:16AM

The D&D cartoon is out on UMD?!?! Where?! You must be outside the US, because I've never heard of that over here. That'd be sweet!

I just remembered another great use for UMD movies--lunch. When I'm running errand and have to eat out alone, I fire up an episode of Family Guy or Boondocks, prop the PSP up, and watch TV while I eat. Great way to pass the time. ^_^

Duff_B @ Aug 17th 2008 11:52AM

That's what I use them for, lunch time, or sitting on a plane or train - better quality than ripped DVDs too.

I'm in the UK and got D&D the cartoon, volume one, as an Xmas present last year. Unfortunately they haven't released any subsequent volumes...

nonos @ Aug 20th 2008 5:32PM

UMD can be shared with your friends, you can't lend or resale digital downloads... The small size of UMD make it ideal for the new ultra mobile laptops, I hope the new laptops will integrate UMD drives...

Sean Capisonda @ Aug 18th 2008 11:38AM

I for one when I actually pay money for a movie, I want the whole package. The case, package art, some special features and the ability to actually hold and see the actual medium it self. That's why I was never really big into digital downloads. Just storing the movie in your memory space just doesn't bode well with me. UMD's seemed to fit well for me, i was too lazy to convert movies from a dvd to psp friendly mp4, I didn't like actually paying for digital content, and those blu-ray's with psp copies just doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon.

So I for one am glad Sony is still supporting the UMD movies, with this annoucement, and by still putting UMD movies in the Madden and Ratchet bundles.

FYI, Sony Pictures are still releasing a select few new releases that fit the product market , and they are now even going into the back catalogue for appropriate content. And isn't this a continuation of SCEA looking to publish movies themselves...like they did with all that MTV content?

money_mike_preme @ Aug 17th 2008 3:17PM

I just like the fact that a company i really like is continuing to support features on there system. I mean i currently dont own any umd's and have owned a psp for a year now but love the fact that if i start watching movies again (too busy with work and play games more than watch movies right now...even blu-rays) i have an option of buying umd's for $10-15

Bibbly53 @ Aug 18th 2008 8:29PM

I saw Aqua Teen Hunger Force 4 on UMD once.

It's haunted me every since.

Why o why did I not buy that?! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Bibbly53 @ Aug 18th 2008 8:36PM

To add -

PSP sales react to PS3 sales which react to BluRay sales.

So why don't UMD's factor in as well? They do and are.
The visual quality is EXCEPTIONAL and with the right set of headphones or stereo extension +or- component out, oh boy...

UMD's rival DVD's and with auto full focus (a feature on some HD T.V.s such as PHILIPS plasma) looks ever still - EXCEPTIONAL!

Continue?!
Please!!!! [/jubilation]