PSP video download service a big risk for Sony?

The other day’s brief report about the coming video download service for the PSP is getting hotter, with various gaming sites pumping opinions and reports into it. As if to join the wild and yet-to-be-named circus, Sony-owned site, PSP Connect, recently re-launched and added some PSP content as well as free short video downloads into their site (which you can check out through the Read link below).

Given all these, we all know that this is only the beginning. Now, we couldn’t help but wonder if Sony should just stop right about now. By that, we meant stick with the free short video downloads. Everybody remembers UMD movies and everybody knows they didn’t quite take off.

Why? Honestly, who among us is willing to buy a movie that is formatted to play just on our handhelds? Economics dictates that high supply and low demand equals higher prices. Also, the previous report mentioned that a 4GB Sony memory stick has the capacity to store 10 feature films.

I hate to turn this into a “classroom experience” for everyone as it is already your Christmas break, but 10 feature films compressed in 4GB? A good movie formatted into a DVD is around 8GB. A VCD quality of the same movie, on the other hand, is around 650MB. So, is it safe to assume that the quality of these so-called feature films can be anticipated using these same computations? If it is, then how terrible that quality is!

Before you get angry, please understand that I’m just trying to speculate here. It is good that the PSP can be used other than just  playing games. What I’m just saying is that the UMD movies failed before therefore a movie service is a lot of risk. Maybe, Sony should consider lowering the price (they haven’t announced anything yet) or even make it free. Invent something. Play jazz!

What do you think? Speak your piece now as we don’t want you to get caught off guard when the service arrives first quarter of 2007.

The other day’s brief report about the coming video download service for the PSP is getting hotter, with various gaming sites pumping opinions and reports into it. As if to join the wild and yet-to-be-named circus, Sony-owned site, PSP Connect, recently re-launched and added some PSP content as well as free short video downloads into their site (which you can check out through the Read link below).

Given all these, we all know that this is only the beginning. Now, we couldn’t help but wonder if Sony should just stop right about now. By that, we meant stick with the free short video downloads. Everybody remembers UMD movies and everybody knows they didn’t quite take off.

Why? Honestly, who among us is willing to buy a movie that is formatted to play just on our handhelds? Economics dictates that high supply and low demand equals higher prices. Also, the previous report mentioned that a 4GB Sony memory stick has the capacity to store 10 feature films.

I hate to turn this into a “classroom experience” for everyone as it is already your Christmas break, but 10 feature films compressed in 4GB? A good movie formatted into a DVD is around 8GB. A VCD quality of the same movie, on the other hand, is around 650MB. So, is it safe to assume that the quality of these so-called feature films can be anticipated using these same computations? If it is, then how terrible that quality is!

Before you get angry, please understand that I’m just trying to speculate here. It is good that the PSP can be used other than just  playing games. What I’m just saying is that the UMD movies failed before therefore a movie service is a lot of risk. Maybe, Sony should consider lowering the price (they haven’t announced anything yet) or even make it free. Invent something. Play jazz!

What do you think? Speak your piece now as we don’t want you to get caught off guard when the service arrives first quarter of 2007.