The countdown is on - 4 more days till the PSP is released here in Canada. Of course, there have been lots of reviews about what an outstanding gaming device the PSP is. On the movie front however, people have been critical, not so much about its ability (apparently movies look outstanding on its great screen) but on the selection. So it's nice to see that Disney is planning to release several titles for starters as well. My daughter has already told me, "Dad, you gotta get Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl!" I'm sure that Disney and other studios will also release additional titles, but this is the snag that I see. For someone who owns a movie on DVD, are they going to drop another $20 or $25 to get the UMD version for the PSP? It's hard to say. I think its enough of a hurdle however that it could hamper the UMD format from taking off. So here's what I would do, if I was Sony. I'd release DVD movies for the standard price and I'd release a different version of the same DVD film with the smaller UMD version in the box as well for not double the price, but more than the standard DVD cost. For example:
- Pirates of the Caribbean on DVD - $22
- Pirates of the Caribbean on UMD - $22
- Pirates of the Caribbean DVD/UMD Combo $30
To me this would be compelling. If it was a movie I thought I'd watch on the go, I'd go for the combo bundle. Or if it was a movie I love, but already have on DVD, well, then I'd spring for the UMD version. This give the consumer choice and more importantly allows movie studios to say "Hey, we understand...you've bought the content once, so we won't charge you full pop for the same content, again."
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