Boulevard Entertainment: UMD isn’t dead, just needs right price

PSP UMD not dead? - Image 1Don’t count your broken eggs until they actually break. Is that how the saying goes? Anyway, DVD Specialist Boulevard Entertainment says that the PSP’s UMD format isn’t dead, it just needs to be sold at the right price. Story in the full article.

PSP UMD not dead? - Image 1So the fat lady hasn’t sung yet for the PSP’s UMD format yet, despite some very public proclamations that it has joined the ranks of the dearly departed.

According to Boulevard Entertainment’s sales director Marc Goldberg, the UMD format could be revived if it was only sold at the right price – at least, for UMD movies.

According to Goldberg, Boulevard introduced new UMD movies and has introduced price cuts as well, both to good results. Goldberg has this to say when Boulevard introduced a GBP 5.99 (about US$ 11) price range in the UK:

Major High Street game retailers, traditional entertainment retailers, online retailers have all enjoyed incremental success with the format and are delighted with the results.

[…] When we went out to retailers with the initial concept of selling this product at these prices their were eyebrows raised, particularly as the PSP market seems relatively stagnant.

But coming from a film perspective we saw the value in UMD over and above getting involved in Blu-Ray for the time being. There are far more PSPs in the UK market than Blu-Ray capable machines, giving us a much bigger audience where we can offer them quality product at affordable pricing.

Since the success of the product in the market we have been commended by certain retailers for revitalising the PSP market.

Quite a statement to say that the UMD can compete – and actually go beyond – with the Blu-ray format. He was talking about the UK, but who knows? There’s a large enough install base in the US – and a recently booming one in Japan – so maybe some price cuts may indeed be what the UMD needs.


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Via MCV UK

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