Sony samples movies on Memory Stick
PSP-friendly UMD replacement?
Sony is trialling the sale of movies on Memory Stick in a bid to rekindle the fading marketing for pre-recorded content formatted for its PlayStation Portable handheld games console.
The consumer electronics giant has announced a pair of "entertainment packs" which bundle, respectively, a 1GB and a 2GB Memory Stick Pro Duo with a copy of XXX: State of the Union, SWAT, The Grudge or Hitch.
In fact, the memory cards come with a DVD from which users can unlock and transfer a pre-ripped PSP-friendly copy of the movie of their choice. You can use the Memory Stick in any compatible device, but the video will only play on a PSP.
Buyers have until 31 October to unlock their free film - after that, the unlock code expires.
The two packs cost $60 and $100, respectively. You can buy Sony-branded Memory Stick Pro Duos for as little as $45, so the movie isn't perhaps quite as free as Sony maintains. The 2GB versions are a little less than $100. Non-Sony Memory Stick Pro Duos tend to be even cheaper still.
Sony's move follows apparently lacklustre demand for pre-recorded Universal Media Discs (UMDs), which proved relatively poor value in comparison with DVDs that can not only be ripped to a PSP-friendly format but also played on regular home entertainment equipment. ®
