PSP Firmware 3.30 out

[Arwin]

I downloaded it from the European Network Update, but can't install it yet because my battery is low and I'm at work. Not quite sure yet what new features, apart from more support for PS Network titles (i.e. ps1 games for psp), and maybe larger video file size supported. Also, some more icons available for RSS stuff.

I'll give more details when I can (i.e. have updated).

 

[Planet]

It's not video file size, that was virtually unlimited before. It's indeed resolution, the newer firmware finaly allows for MPEG4 AVC 720 * 480 (and of course 480 * 272, the native resolution), the same format the video UMD utilizes. Or utilized, i should say, because this sounds to me like Sony admitted video UMD is dead...

 

[DUALDISASTER]

It's not video file size, that was virtually unlimited before. It's indeed resolution, the newer firmware finaly allows for MPEG4 AVC 720 * 480 (and of course 480 * 272, the native resolution), the same format the video UMD utilizes. Or utilized, i should say, because this sounds to me like Sony admitted video UMD is dead...

Good. So i get they could make a PSP without that damn drive...

 

[Planet]

Hardly, as they are only just about to begin with e-distribution of games. And from there it is a long long way to acceptance by the consumer majority of a pure download model.

 

[Rys]

Hmm, a redesigned PSP with two MS Pro Duo slots, so you can have your existing storage and then another slot to load games from, bought as read-only (protected, one assumes) MS Pro Duo media, would be cool enough if UMD is going away.

 

[ban25]

Hmm, a redesigned PSP with two MS Pro Duo slots, so you can have your existing storage and then another slot to load games from, bought as read-only (protected, one assumes) MS Pro Duo media, would be cool enough if UMD is going away.

Not to mention pricey for ~2 GB of storage...

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I don't think download-only would be that much of a shock in this age of downloaded PC software and iTunes. Size would be an issue to begin with, but if Sony could provide a suitable shoping interface with download management, waiting a few hours to download a game wouldn't be too bad. If you set the PC downloading when you went to work, it'd be there when you got back, without you needing to detour to a store.

 

[zed]

yep UMD was a huge mistake ( what were sony thinking, i + im sure many other ppl knew it wouldnt take off )
a psp without a umd disk would be a lot smaller

It's not video file size, that was virtually unlimited before. It's indeed resolution, the newer firmware finaly allows for MPEG4 AVC 720 * 480 (and of course 480 * 272, the native resolution), the same format the video UMD utilizes. Or utilized, i should say, because this sounds to me like Sony admitted video UMD is dead

great stuff

 

[bobthebub]

yep UMD was a huge mistake ( what were sony thinking, i + im sure many other ppl knew it wouldnt take off )

Well, you say that but what were the alternatives, it's a powerful little machine and they needed a couple of gig capacity for games, roms that size are surely still expensive, if it launched today perhaps it would be a different story.

UMD Video pricing was a huge mistake (To me they should be priced at not much more than a DVD rental, practically throwaway items) and not launching affordable UMD writers was a mistake but that's a kind of different issue.

 

[ban25]

UMD is still important. I don't want to pay $50 just to store each $40 game I buy.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

yep UMD was a huge mistake ( what were sony thinking, i + im sure many other ppl knew it wouldnt take off )

As bobthebub says, what was the alternative? 1.5 GB Flash wasn't much of an option when PSP launched. Not even really if games were download only and the Flash was embedded. The problem with UMD was the stupid movie pricing and no TV out. I've seen DVDs ripped to a media PC, and the movie sans extras is often all of 4 GB. That's with MPEG2. 1.5 GB of AVC1 ought to be watchable. Add TV out on the PSP and use it as a UMD player on TV, and it'd have a huge amount of extra worth. And only sell the discs for $5 tops when someone already owns the DVD. As a film format, the price isn't warranted when people can rip their existing movies. To compete with that is hard.

As an actual storage medium, I don't think anything else was viable.

 

[zed]

As bobthebub says, what was the alternative? 1.5 GB Flash wasn't much of an option when PSP launched. Not even really if games were download only and the Flash was embedded. The problem with UMD was the stupid movie pricing and no TV out. I've seen DVDs ripped to a media PC, and the movie sans extras is often all of 4 GB. That's with MPEG2. 1.5 GB of AVC1 ought to be watchable. Add TV out on the PSP and use it as a UMD player on TV, and it'd have a huge amount of extra worth. And only sell the discs for $5 tops when someone already owns the DVD. As a film format, the price isn't warranted when people can rip their existing movies. To compete with that is hard.

As an actual storage medium, I don't think anything else was viable.

i do agree somewhat, though i disagree about the major problem with UMD, i believe was it made the psp much larger physically that it should of been (it struggles to fit in a pocket, unlike the nintendo ds ). personally they should of made games on a ROM memstick, sure it would of been f'in expensive in the start, but they would be reaping the benifits now + in the future (and also pushing downloadable games heavily which are nearly costfree)
ive gotta disagree about the tv-out though, i cant see the worth of that, u can buy portable dvd players for next to nothing (which i assume some have tv-outs) + would have better picture quality, dvds having ~8gb storage.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

i do agree somewhat, though i disagree about the major problem with UMD, i believe was it made the psp much larger physically that it should of been (it struggles to fit in a pocket, unlike the nintendo ds ).

The 4" screen is as much to blame as anything in that regard. The machine would always be as long as it is, and any thinner, it'd be just plain fragile. The only way round that I think is a clamshell design.

personally they should of made games on a ROM memstick, sure it would of been f'in expensive in the start, but they would be reaping the benifits now + in the future (and also pushing downloadable games heavily which are nearly costfree)

Expensive to the point no-one would buy it and it'd have no software developed for it, so by the time Flash was cheap enough to make it worth having, the platform would have died. Plus if the games are downloads only, why are stores going to sell PSPs? "Come buy this PSP from us. It cost $500 as it uses Flash storage, there's no games for it as no-one buys a $500 handheld, and once you ahve bought it, we're not going to make any profit from software for the platform. Hang on. Why not stock DS instead where we'll have an install base and games to sel them..."

ive gotta disagree about the tv-out though, i cant see the worth of that, u can buy portable dvd players for next to nothing (which i assume some have tv-outs) + would have better picture quality, dvds having ~8gb storage.

Quality wise, the difference might not be great. Though they have 8 GB storage, they don't use it. This is what surprised me. My friend has ripped 50 DVD movies to his MPC, and he was showing me that only half the disk is used. 4-5 GBs is the average for movies. Because that's at MPEG2, even though 1.5 GB is much less, using a more modern codec better suited to low bitrate movies, the difference should be minimal.

As for portable DVD players, if you have to carry one as well as your PSP, that's an extra device to lug around. If PSP had TV out for movies, it'd be one more reason to take it with you to your friend's house, or on holiday. Without TV out, it's only good for personal entertainment. Opening it to group experiences greatly increases value and exposure.