And here I thought PSP meant Paint Shop Pro.
Not even close!!
PSP = Play Station Portable
UMD = Universal Media Disc

Sorry Bob but you're on your own this time :-)

Mike

I originally heard that Sony was the ONLY creator of UMDs.

Then I read that the porn industry has latched onto the format, so I would doubt that Sony would provide wholesale backing of that.

I'll be curious for the response(s) to this thread.

EDIT: A quick google clarified the issue. Sony controls the proprietary gaming content, but can't limit video:

http://www.cooltechzone.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1443

Ah yes, "Is that a pornograph in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?"

PSP = Portable Sony Pornograph?

Maybe Sony have got smarter after the porn industry killed Beta for them.

If you want to get your own video onto the PSP, the best way is thru the memory stick. The PSP actually is MPG4 format, but there are some specific ways to do it including creating some specific root folders on the memory stick. If you don't do that, the PSP will not recognize the video. Do a web search and you'll find the instructions. I tried it a few weeks ago using a downloaded free MPG4 encoder. It was actually pretty simple and I transferred about 2-3 minutes of video I had edfited in Vegas. The picture on this little machine is stunning and the widescreen format makes it seem even bigger. I can see a real potential use for this gadget if I can ever get it away from my 12 year old son. The UMD's could probably be done the same way, but getting the blanks and the carrier might prove problematic. That's why the memory stick is the best way to go for now.

Here are all the instructions:

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000980024404/

Bob,

I'm intrigued!

How did the Porn Industry kill BETA?

Andy

VHS was cheaper, and no one seemed to think quality was important as long as the video was cheap to produce.

I was a pup when the format wars started, so from what you are saying:

VHS was cheaper, but Beta was better quality?

Have I got that right?

A

Wolfbass, yes, so they say. Beta was already dying out when i started getting into home video. When i got a job at a video rental store we stocked a few Beta tapes along with VHS because we had a few die-hard Beta customers. I did a few side by side comparisons and, while it's true that Beta had a few technical merits above VHS, in practical application none of us could really see any difference.

I think one of the main reasons that VHS won was that JVC got Phillips, GE, RCA, Sylvania, and Panasonic to blitz the market with enough VHS to bring the prices down through volume. VHS also introduced the "toys" such as slow and single frame advance in the low end consumer units first and this dazzled the customers. Other than that, i don't think that VHS was inherently enough cheaper than Beta to account for the difference. Then again, Beta wasn't enough better to keep people away from VHS. It was all marketing and SONY lost.

And this fall it all becomes moot here anyway when North America's largest retailers discontinue VHS sales.

My last client conversation regarding VHS was about 6 months ago. I was asked the pricing on about 2 dozen VHS cassettes and a couple of DVDs. The client said they only ordered 2 DVDs because they couldn't afford to pay higher prices for all the copies. I told her that i charge a couple bucks less for DVDs because they're easier and faster and cheaper for me to produce. She immediately changed the order to all DVDs instead. I haven't had anyone even ask me about VHS since then.

Ummm, how did we get on this topic again? ;)

Bob, if you have to show clients examples at events or dinners, PSP with a memory stick is a nice touch right now. We were intertaining a client at the NBA playoffs and they ask a question about special effects. We had a couple of examples on memory sticks, so I pulled out a PSP, plugin in the memory stick, the client watched the example during a foul shot.

Don't take this as gospel ( what a phrase to use in this context) but I believe the issue was that Beta tapes were only 60 minutes and that wasn't enough for, well you know what.
Of course pornography predates the arrival of the VCR, there used to be quite a thriving industry using 16mm and 8mm film, I've transfered one such movie from about the 1930s for an elderly client, I think it was produced in Switzerland, pretty tame by todays standards but unlike much of the junk today it did have a storyline.
But here's a puzzle, why do we call them 'blue' movies? Back in the 19th century yellow was the color of porn and the Chinese still call them 'yellow' movies.

Apart from picture quality, I think the next big plus of Beta was that when you hit Record, it started recording almost immediately. None of the 1.5 second spool up delay you get with VHS. And my first Sony Beta had SlowMo, reverse, frame by frame shuttle and frame accurate Pause.

I use my PSP for previewing all the time - using a memory stick. It is pretty quick and accessible. You can either use Nero Recode or PSPVideo 9. The PSP requires a specifc MPEG 4 SP formatted stream. Sony are due to release an update in the next few days support h.264 on memory stick. Have a look at IGN for a preview.

We did find this:
http://www.pspvideo9.com/
It's free although a donation would be appreciated.
Bob.