Monday, February 20, 2006
UMD Movies Fail to Impress, Studios Slow Down Releases
Posted by Suhit Gupta in "NEWS" @ 07:00 AM
"When Sony announced that it would begin selling bundles of UMD movies, the situation behind-the-scenes became somewhat clear. It had been suspected for quite some time that Sony's aspirations for charging portly prices for diminutive discs would amount to yet another flash in Sony's pan, despite some initial successes. When they announced their new bundling plans, Sony was essentially signaling that their previous approach was in trouble. Now we know for certain. According to Variety Magazine, Studios aren't seeing the interest that they had hoped for, and now Paramount, Warner Home Entertainment, and even Sony itself are cutting back on releases. With the average release selling only 50,000 units, sales are beyond sluggish."
I believe I predicted it almost as soon as they announced the pricing model on UMDs. It basically costs the same amount as a DVD and is only viewable on the PSP. I just don't see how that is a sustainable model. If they sold an extra device (even for money) that would do some sort of conversion, even if it were converting it for Sony DVD Players, then at least I could justify going that way. But c'mon, now I would have to spend double the amount to own a movie, i.e. DVD and UMD. I've had a PSP for almost a year now (thanks to a wonderful graduation present from friends) and I don't own a single UMD movie for just that reason. Perhaps Sony needs to start a Netflix like model with UMDs?
I believe I predicted it almost as soon as they announced the pricing model on UMDs. It basically costs the same amount as a DVD and is only viewable on the PSP. I just don't see how that is a sustainable model. If they sold an extra device (even for money) that would do some sort of conversion, even if it were converting it for Sony DVD Players, then at least I could justify going that way. But c'mon, now I would have to spend double the amount to own a movie, i.e. DVD and UMD. I've had a PSP for almost a year now (thanks to a wonderful graduation present from friends) and I don't own a single UMD movie for just that reason. Perhaps Sony needs to start a Netflix like model with UMDs?
