Recent news of Hollywood studios pulling back their support of Sony,s UMD format for PSP movies has been addressed by Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing at Sony. The failing proprietary movie disk format has had Sony trying to boost sales by offering special bundles which offer standard DVD movies and the UMD version at a reduced price. The UMD format continues to lose support in the movie industry as a viable format.
However, in remarks made to United Press International, Dille explained the downturn in UMD movies as a result of Hollywood not understanding the intend audience-the PSP user. “SCEA has been providing the Hollywood studios with data on the PSP consumer, both from a demographic and psychographic point of view, in an effort for them to better tailor their product offering to this new and emerging market.
"As such, we have seen studios cutting back on releasing their full content on UMD, as unlike the DVD market, the PSP consumer is targeted. We are committed to helping the studios better understand our product and our consumer, and will continue to educate them as we evolve and enhance the functionality of the PSP.”
However, the reason for sluggish sales may be really connected to the relatively high price of UMD movies, as has been verified through various consumer surveys. The proprietary format of Sony,s UMD also prevents consumers from using it as a recording medium for personal use. To date, there are no UMD recorders, blank disks or other playback devices outside of the PSP. This lockout of the UMD format, for consumer use, may have also contributed to the UMD,s decline in popularity.
