"You can play that same rip on the PSP too, and it will look better on it than on any of the handheld devices you listed, due to it's really good screen. UMD video version will however look even better - very comparable to a DVD quality."
Very likely true. As for quality I would guess UMDs would be at least as good as a DIVx looks on my PC since they are larger than the average DIVx movie file, and all that space is likely encoded in such a way as to optimize the screen usage. And yeah, the video quality is not stellar on the J720 or the Mobilepro 780, the Zaurus is actually pretty good but you are right, the PSP is probably better.
Thing is I already have those devices, and CF cards, and SD cards, and a 2GB pcmcia HD for the Jornada. Even if I rip my DVD's to DIVx I'd still need to buy a PSP. I'd need to buy Memory Stick media as well.
As I've said in this and other posts (perhaps not explicitly though) the PSP is a pretty cool device, and I wouldn't mind having one. But as far as PMP's go there are much cheaper (and in many cases easier) ways to accomplish virtually the same thing (granted with lower playback quality).
All in all I guess I've really got nothing against the PSP itself (after all it is *primarily* a gaming console), but more the marketing of the UMDs and the UMD technology. Of course, Sony can do whatever they want, but I just think it's dumb to expect people to pay full price for what *I* would deem a crippled product, a digital movie that I can only play on 1 device that is not even the primary device most people watch movies on.
IMHO...
If, as said by me and others, the UMD movies are relatively inexpensive the PSP+UMD route becomes rather attractive. If I could hook a PSP up to a TV or buy a little box that played UMDs to my TV it/they would be an excellent buy , if I could record my own movies on UMD and play them in addition to pressed content on the PSP/mythical-tv-box it would be a slam dunk.
But as it stands now you're absolutely right, you can take your own DVD's and rip out a DIVx file and call it macaroni (I think the quality difference is pretty relative considering the screen is only about four inches and will be contending with glare and be slightly unsteady if you're holding it in you hands). So why would I ever buy a UMD movie? It sounds like I could buy a DVD for about the same price (maybe even less) and with a little work subsequently be able to view the content on virtually any device of my choosing. Like I said, if Sony wants UMDs to gain success and be popular there's gotta be more in it for people than maybe 1 out of every 10 - 15 movies out there that can then only be played on the PSP.
I know, Iknow...Sony wants to protect their UMD game interests from piracy, I can respect that. But then why bother offering UMD movies at all ? Again Sony can do whatever they want, but to me it seems like a feeble and kinda pointless effort.
Of course, UMDs could just become the next "Laser disc". A realatively expensive niche market that never caught on mainstream but had reasonable support by those who chose to adopt it and pay for it until something out and out BETTER came along (I could be wrong, and am open to comments if there is any way in which a Laserdisc is superior to a DVD). I suppose there could be money in that...
But hey, whatever. If people want to buy this/them/it and are happy with it, more power to them...
Just voicing my opinion, not trying to quash anyone elses...
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"You can play that same rip on the PSP too, and it will look better on it than on any of the handheld devices you listed, due to it's really good screen. UMD video version will however look even better - very comparable to a DVD quality."
Very likely true. As for quality I would guess UMDs would be at least as good as a DIVx looks on my PC since they are larger than the average DIVx movie file, and all that space is likely encoded in such a way as to optimize the screen usage. And yeah, the video quality is not stellar on the J720 or the Mobilepro 780, the Zaurus is actually pretty good but you are right, the PSP is probably better.
Thing is I already have those devices, and CF cards, and SD cards, and a 2GB pcmcia HD for the Jornada. Even if I rip my DVD's to DIVx I'd still need to buy a PSP. I'd need to buy Memory Stick media as well.
As I've said in this and other posts (perhaps not explicitly though) the PSP is a pretty cool device, and I wouldn't mind having one. But as far as PMP's go there are much cheaper (and in many cases easier) ways to accomplish virtually the same thing (granted with lower playback quality).
All in all I guess I've really got nothing against the PSP itself (after all it is *primarily* a gaming console), but more the marketing of the UMDs and the UMD technology. Of course, Sony can do whatever they want, but I just think it's dumb to expect people to pay full price for what *I* would deem a crippled product, a digital movie that I can only play on 1 device that is not even the primary device most people watch movies on.
IMHO...
If, as said by me and others, the UMD movies are relatively inexpensive the PSP+UMD route becomes rather attractive. If I could hook a PSP up to a TV or buy a little box that played UMDs to my TV it/they would be an excellent buy , if I could record my own movies on UMD and play them in addition to pressed content on the PSP/mythical-tv-box it would be a slam dunk.
But as it stands now you're absolutely right, you can take your own DVD's and rip out a DIVx file and call it macaroni (I think the quality difference is pretty relative considering the screen is only about four inches and will be contending with glare and be slightly unsteady if you're holding it in you hands). So why would I ever buy a UMD movie? It sounds like I could buy a DVD for about the same price (maybe even less) and with a little work subsequently be able to view the content on virtually any device of my choosing. Like I said, if Sony wants UMDs to gain success and be popular there's gotta be more in it for people than maybe 1 out of every 10 - 15 movies out there that can then only be played on the PSP.
I know, Iknow...Sony wants to protect their UMD game interests from piracy, I can respect that. But then why bother offering UMD movies at all ? Again Sony can do whatever they want, but to me it seems like a feeble and kinda pointless effort.
Of course, UMDs could just become the next "Laser disc". A realatively expensive niche market that never caught on mainstream but had reasonable support by those who chose to adopt it and pay for it until something out and out BETTER came along (I could be wrong, and am open to comments if there is any way in which a Laserdisc is superior to a DVD). I suppose there could be money in that...
But hey, whatever. If people want to buy this/them/it and are happy with it, more power to them...
Just voicing my opinion, not trying to quash anyone elses...