PSP’s movie-viewing feature days numbered?

There’s some rage against the machine — or at least one of its features.

Flow of movies in Universal Media Disc format has dramatically slowed down following disappointing sales and now has threatened the much-heralded Sony PSP’s feature. Two major studios have already completely stopped producing movies on UMD; a good number of other studios are expected to follow suit. Even retailers are shoving the items to a small corner of their store shelves; Wal-Mart is about to dump the category entirely.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has completely shunned the UMD-movie production; One high-ranking executive commented that the situation is awful and that “sales are near zilch. It’s another Sony bomb — like Blu-ray.”

Even Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment is said to be contemplating on aborting the UMD business. Spokeswoman Brenda Ciccone said that “We continue to evaluate the PSP platform for each title, and if it makes sense for business reasons and the target audience, we will release them,” adding that “Our focus right now is much more aimed at HD (high-definition) at the moment, though.”

Image Entertainment has confirmed that it is out, while other studios — including 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and Buena Vista Home Entertainment — is perceived to be on their way there.

“No one’s watching movies on PSP,” said the president of one of the six major studios’ home entertainment divisions. “It’s a game player, period.”

The speculated reason behind the said immediate decline in sales is the dubious marketing moves by the studios themselves. The initial sales were really strong, producers, perhaps sensing a gold-rush equal to 1849, then began to release too many movies, too fast. This somehow affected the consumers’ interest as they start to veer away from the UMD’s — talk about maximum overload. It didn’t help that Apple’s video iPod took the limelight.

Sony, thru Sony Pictures Home Entertainment president Benjamin Feingold, is still optimistic about their hand-held movie-watching feature, revealing that plans of making the PSP connectable to TV sets for big-screen viewing (I thought there were other gadgets specifically made for that, like let’s say, THE DVD PLAYER?!) are being finalized to draw back the public’s interest.

“We’re hoping the format’s going to be reinvigorated with next-generation capability that may include living-room or normal television playback,” he added. I believe there’s a word for that, quixotic, you can even say, desperate.
There’s some rage against the machine — or at least one of its features.

Flow of movies in Universal Media Disc format has dramatically slowed down following disappointing sales and now has threatened the much-heralded Sony PSP’s feature. Two major studios have already completely stopped producing movies on UMD; a good number of other studios are expected to follow suit. Even retailers are shoving the items to a small corner of their store shelves; Wal-Mart is about to dump the category entirely.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has completely shunned the UMD-movie production; One high-ranking executive commented that the situation is awful and that “sales are near zilch. It’s another Sony bomb — like Blu-ray.”

Even Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment is said to be contemplating on aborting the UMD business. Spokeswoman Brenda Ciccone said that “We continue to evaluate the PSP platform for each title, and if it makes sense for business reasons and the target audience, we will release them,” adding that “Our focus right now is much more aimed at HD (high-definition) at the moment, though.”

Image Entertainment has confirmed that it is out, while other studios — including 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and Buena Vista Home Entertainment — is perceived to be on their way there.

“No one’s watching movies on PSP,” said the president of one of the six major studios’ home entertainment divisions. “It’s a game player, period.”

The speculated reason behind the said immediate decline in sales is the dubious marketing moves by the studios themselves. The initial sales were really strong, producers, perhaps sensing a gold-rush equal to 1849, then began to release too many movies, too fast. This somehow affected the consumers’ interest as they start to veer away from the UMD’s — talk about maximum overload. It didn’t help that Apple’s video iPod took the limelight.

Sony, thru Sony Pictures Home Entertainment president Benjamin Feingold, is still optimistic about their hand-held movie-watching feature, revealing that plans of making the PSP connectable to TV sets for big-screen viewing (I thought there were other gadgets specifically made for that, like let’s say, THE DVD PLAYER?!) are being finalized to draw back the public’s interest.

“We’re hoping the format’s going to be reinvigorated with next-generation capability that may include living-room or normal television playback,” he added. I believe there’s a word for that, quixotic, you can even say, desperate.