Warner On Board for UMD releases!!

[mckmas8808]

Warner Home Video announced on Monday that it will release movies and other content on the Universal Media Disc, making it the sixth and last of the major studios to release software for Sony's PlayStation Portable multimedia player.

The studio will release eight movies and one TV show on the 1.8 GB format disc, which plays exclusively on Sony's PSP videogame system. Warner's UMD rollout begins December 6 with "The Dukes of Hazzard," which comes out the same day as the DVD. Also available December 6: "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Volume 4" from Cartoon Network.
The second wave of UMD titles launches December 20, and will include new releases like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Batman Begins," "Constantine," "House of Wax" and catalog titles like "The Matrix," "Terminator 3," and "Enter the Dragon." New releases will retail for $30, while catalog titles will cost $20.

Unlike the early days of the DVD market, where it took nine months for the first DVD movie to top 100,000 units, roughly 10 UMD movies have already sold over 100,000 units. Sony forecasts hardware sales in the U.S. to reach 5 million by the end of the year, as consumers purchase PSP systems to play the new games.

When it comes down to an economic purchase, a consumer will buy a game and some movies," said Dan Silverberg, executive director of new business development at Disney's Buena Vista Home Entertainment. "We'll sell more movies down the line because our titles are $15 to $25, roughly half the price of a game."
Another factor that's a positive for UMD sales is that consumers are buying both DVD and UMD versions of hit films. The UMD market is not currently cannibalizing the DVD market. Silverberg said that presales testing for "Sin City," which has become one of the top-selling UMD films, found that 23% of respondents said they would buy both the UMD and DVD version of the movie.

According to The DVD Release Report, more than 300 nongame UMD titles have either been released or announced since the format's late-March 2005 launch.
Of the six majors, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has been the most prolific, with 51 UMD titles already released and another 14 in the pipeline. Buena Vista Home Entertainment has released or announced 30 titles, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has 23, Universal Studios Home Entertainment has 22 and Paramount Home Entertainment has 21.

This is great news for the PSP and future UMD movie releases. I really wanted to post this for two people indeed that still don't believe in the UMD movie format too much. You know who you are.

 

[PC-Engine]

Prerecorded MD caught on...for awhile.

 

[Guden Oden]

It's cool there's now widespread "support" for UMD (8 movies... wow! ), but they REALLY need to change their damn pricing strategy methinks. Why should I pay the same (or MORE) for a movie with much lower resolution and no surround sound compared to a standard DVD?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

It's cool there's now widespread "support" for UMD (8 movies... wow! ), but they REALLY need to change their damn pricing strategy methinks. Why should I pay the same (or MORE) for a movie with much lower resolution and no surround sound compared to a standard DVD?

I presume you're 8 figure is being sarcastic, but for facts sake Play.com list over 250 titles under UMD.
http://www.play.com/play247.asp?page=promo&r=PSP&title=0&id=1299&adudisc=y&who=&cpage=1&ob=rating&pa=promo

As for prices, as long as chumps buy thse thing at this price, they'll charge this price. Some people just have more money than sense it seems.

 

[Phil]

To be really honest - I could see myself picking up a UMD or two on really rare occasions - like before getting on a longer flight and seeing this or that UMD that I haven't seen yet. If randome purchases like these are enough to make it a successful product for Sony, why not?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

That to me is the ideal place to position UMDs - at airports or train stations and cash in on impulse buys.

 

[mckmas8808]

Why should I pay the same (or MORE) for a movie with much lower resolution and no surround sound compared to a standard DVD?

Well to be fair the UMD movies actually look better on the PSP than DVDs do at my house due to its small screen. So the lower resolution doesn't really matter much. I just brought the Dave Chappell Season 1 UMD. Man is that guy funny.

 

[Ty]

That to me is the ideal place to position UMDs - at airports or train stations and cash in on impulse buys.

Clever idea!

 

[mech]

To be really honest - I could see myself picking up a UMD or two on really rare occasions - like before getting on a longer flight and seeing this or that UMD that I haven't seen yet. If randome purchases like these are enough to make it a successful product for Sony, why not?

I'm the same - which is why it's so so dopey they've made the region locked. I imported my PSP and so have to buy US ones - but regardless, while travelling I would have loved to pick up some movies while I was on the go. Very stupid decision, hopefully the hackers find a way around it.

 

[Guden Oden]

I presume you're 8 figure is being sarcastic

Yeah, that was sort of the intention (the press release mentioned 8 titles being released). Still, the price is too much. I'd gladly buy some UMD movies at half of normal DVD price. At full (or more) DVD price, number of UMD movies I'll buy is a big fat ZERO. In that case I'd rather get the movie on DVD instead and simply not watch it on the go.

 

[Rys]

Or get the DVD, convert to PSP (takes no real effort) format and take it with you on a Memory Stick?

 

[Guden Oden]

Yea I suppose, but is the quality any damn good for a full-length feature if you compress it small enough to fit on a memory stick that doesn't cost a fortune?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I've seen 512 MB movies on PSP and they're very good. The screen ghosting is pretty bad on fast contrasty scenes though. Motion blur gone wild!

 

[mckmas8808]

Yeah, that was sort of the intention (the press release mentioned 8 titles being released). Still, the price is too much. I'd gladly buy some UMD movies at half of normal DVD price.

What is your sweet price point for UMDs? Mines is $9.99. I think when they hit that price UMDs will start to fly off the shelves.

 

[London Geezer]

What is your sweet price point for UMDs? Mines is $9.99. I think when they hit that price UMDs will start to fly off the shelves.

When?? IF!!

 

[mckmas8808]

When?? IF!!

What do you think that sweet price should be set at?

 

[ban25]

Yea I suppose, but is the quality any damn good for a full-length feature if you compress it small enough to fit on a memory stick that doesn't cost a fortune?

$65 for a 1 GB stick at newegg a fortune?

 

[mckmas8808]

$65 for a 1 GB stick at newegg a fortune?

Wow the prices are that low? In April I brought a 512MB pro duo for $74.99. Man prices are coming down. I bet by next Christmas 2 GB sticks will be less than $99.

 

[Guden Oden]

$65 for a 1 GB stick at newegg a fortune?

Only one problem tho, newegg doesn't ship to europe. Besides, we'd never get a price like that anyway, it'd be a hundred bucks easy for a gig, and I wouldn't call that cheap.

 

[Zaphod]

Besides, we'd never get a price like that anyway, it'd be a hundred bucks easy for a gig, and I wouldn't call that cheap.

Well, it's not all that different. You can get a SanDisk 1GB Memorystick Pro Duo for $75 + VAT in Sweden (748 SEK). The same card is $69.50 at Newegg.