PSP movies expected to take off

Movies on the PSP are going to take off; at least that's what Home Media Retailing thinks. I think a majority of owners just doesn't see this happening. There are too many factors against this format.

Most obvious is the price. Looking at "Hitch,"which is mentioned in the article, the DVD is easily found for about $15. How much is the UMD? Just a bit less, about $13 if you look (and some are coming it at over $20). However, for the most part, it's around the same price and they release on the same day. Why would anyone pay the same price for a featureless disc that's only playable in one machine when for the same price you can nab a feature rich DVD? Those DVDs also have 5.1 audio (and better) and can be played on your TV at home, in a portable DVD player, or in a properly equipped PC.

The best thing about the UMD format is the picture quality, which is nothing short of amazing on the PSP. That's great, but why are companies cropping these movies to fit on the screen? The included disc that comes with the system is "Spiderman 2," cropped from 2.35:1 widescreen to fit on the screen. There's no reason for that, especially considering the trailers on that same UMD are in their proper ratio. It's funny to get a widescreen on this system and not have the movies use it properly.

Beyond those problems, the next biggest hurdle is the ability to play video on the PSP. With a decent size memory stick, people will simply download (or rip) the DVDs and plop them directly onto their system. If they're getting something free, it's unlikely they'll bother to worry about the slight drop in video quality. Until these discs start retailing for $5, don't expect them to fly off shelves.

Article Author: Matt Paprocki

Matt Paprocki is a 12-year movie and game critic. He currently freelances for Blu-ray review site DoBlu.com and video game site MultiPlayerGames.com.

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