Universal Media Disc

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Universal Media Disc
Media type Optical disc
Capacity 900 MB (single layer), 1.8 GB (dual layer)
Developed by Sony
Usage Games, movies, music
Optical media types
Standards
Further reading
The front and rear view of a UMD
The front and rear view of a UMD

The Universal Media Disc (UMD) is an optical disc medium developed by Sony for use on the PlayStation Portable. It can hold up to 1.8 gigabytes of data. It is the first optical disc format to be used for a handheld video game system.

Contents

[edit] Overview

[edit] Specifications

ECMA-365: Data Interchange on 60 mm Read-Only ODC – Capacity: 1.8 GB (UMD)[1]

  • Dimensions: approx. 65 mm (W) × 64 mm (D) × 4.2 mm (H)
  • Maximum capacity: 1.80 GB (dual layer), 900 MB (single-layer)
  • Laser wavelength: 660 nm (red laser)
  • Encryption: AES 128-bit

[edit] Regions

DVD region coding has been applied to most UMD movies and music, although all games, with the exception of Battlezone, do not enforce regional lockout, making them, in effect, region free.

  • Region 0: Worldwide (in-flight-movies, cinemas, ferries, etc.)
  • Region 1: United States, Canada, U.S. territories, Latin America
  • Region 2: European Union, Japan, Middle East, Egypt, South Africa, Greenland, French territories
  • Region 3: Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong,
  • Region 4: Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands
  • Region 5: Russia, Eastern Europe, Pakistan, India, the majority of Africa, North Korea, Mongolia
  • Region 6: Mainland China

[edit] Piracy

In an effort to combat piracy and maintain exclusive control, the UMD format is proprietary, and neither blank media nor media writers are available to the public.

[edit] Applications

The primary application for UMD discs is as a storage medium for PSP games, although the format is also used for the storage of motion pictures, and to a lesser degree, television shows for playback on the PSP. The video is encoded in the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC format, with the audio in ATRAC3plus.

The BBC released a number of its TV titles on UMD in the UK, including The Office, The Mighty Boosh, Doctor Who and Little Britain.

Some adult films have been released on UMD in Japan.[2] Sony does not officially approve of such content. A top level Sony executive called this development as being "highly undesirable".

[edit] Circumvention

Despite Sony's efforts, the UMD format has been cracked. Using a combination of insecure firmware and reverse engineering, the Sony PSP will run a variety of homebrew games, and backup ISO images. Each disc uses a file system whose format follows the ISO 9660 standard. The ISO image can then be stored on a Memory Stick, and run via a special disc emulator program, such as Devhook, or launched in the XMB with a custom firmware.

[edit] Future provisions

According to the official ECMA specification Sony designed the UMD to support two possible future enhancements and products.[1]

1. Protective Shutter: Similar to the MiniDisc and floppy disc, this protective shutter will shield the inner disc from accidental contact. These disks if ever produced will still be compatible with some legacy UMD devices, including the PSP-1000 series. However they would not be compatible with the PSP-2000 series.

2. Auto-Loading: UMDs were designed for possible future slot loading devices with Auto-Loading mechanisms. These would be very similar to the auto-loading mechanism used in slot loading MiniDisc home and car decks. It would also be similar to the VHS U-Matic auto-loading mechanism. Unlike the current clamshell loading design the PSP uses, a slot loading device using an Auto-Loading mechanism would be motorized and completely automatic. You would insert the disc into the device slot, similar to the way you insert a VHS cassette into a VCR, and as you begin to insert it, the motorized mechanism would then then take over and completely draw the disc inside the drive, and complete the loading process. The disc would also be ejected fully automatically by the motorized mechanism, like a VCR. This would also mean that power would be required in order to insert or eject a disc.

[edit] Criticism

Although the UMD discs offer large capacity and the capability to store quality audio/video content, the format's proprietary nature and the lack of writers and blank media have spawned criticisms. Comparisons to Sony's MiniDisc format have brought forth further criticisms; for instance, the sliding shield which prevents direct disc contact on MiniDiscs is absent from all UMDs released to date, though it is an option according to the ECMA specification.[1]

For security reasons, and to protect DVD sales, Sony had no plans to support UMD playback on normal televisions.[3] The PSP-1000 series cannot output to a TV set without either a third-party modification that requires the removal of the faceplate among other hardware modifications, or a device such as the Nyko PSP-to-TV adapter that uses a CCD camera to display the PSP screen on a TV using RCA connectors. It has yet to be seen if such products will help poor UMD movie sales. This feature has now been added to the newer PSP-2000 model series, which can output at a resolution of 480p using proprietary component cables (sold separately).

The smaller capacity of the UMD discs necessitates that bonus content from DVD releases be removed in large part or entirely before the movie is released on UMD for PSP playback. This has made the UMD movie releases a difficult sell in the face of affordable portable DVD players that can output to TV sets and can play the full-featured DVD releases. UMD movie pricing was also originally higher than DVD pricing, although UMDs have largely fallen to a more reasonable price. Due to the slow sales of UMD movies, some retailers, such as Tower Records, began offering incentives on UMD purchases, such as “buy one, get one free” deals.

In February 2006, Paramount Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video, and even Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced that they were cutting back releases for the PSP, citing disappointing sales of about 50,000 per title.[4] In March 2006, Reuters reported that Wal-Mart was considering abandoning sales of the format, and that Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Image Entertainment had ceased production.[5][6] Other studios have reportedly terminated their production to the format as well.

In mid-2006, Target began pulling UMDs from shelves and replacing them with a section of independent movies selected by the Independent Film Channel.[7] While not yet effective at all stores, the response from the corporation was that the UMDs will be shipped back to distribution centers to fulfill online orders through the Target website.[8] PSP games on UMD discs will be unaffected by this change and will still be carried by all Target stores.

In 2007 Target Stores began putting UMD Movies back on shelves. Target features most current movies available, including the new TV on UMD.

In September 2006, a lower pricing on 22 movies led to a tenfold increase of sales in Japan, suggesting one of the main causes of slow sales was the high price tag.[9]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Ecma International (June 2005). Data Interchange on 60 mm Read-Only ODC—Capacity: 1,8 Gbytes (UMD) (PDF).
  2. ^ PSP procures porn in Japan. GameSpot.com (June 2, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-07-20.
  3. ^ Taylor, Jim; Johnson, Mark R.; Crawford, Charles G. [2006]. DVD Demystified, third edition, McGraw-Hill: New York, 9:71. 
  4. ^ Michael Kwan (February 17, 2006). Sony PSP UMD movie sales not so hot. mobilemag.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-20.
  5. ^ Thomas K. Arnold (March 30, 2006). Sony's Universal Media Disc facing last rites. Reuters. Retrieved on 2007-07-20. (Archive)
  6. ^ UMD about to be ditched by Wal-Mart?. Engadget (March 30, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-07-20.
  7. ^ Target Rep Confirms: UMDs "Discontinued" Nationwide. GamePro.com (July 19, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-07-20.
  8. ^ Target shifts UMD space to DVD. Video Business (July 20, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-07-20.
  9. ^ UMD price drop leads to sales jump in Japan. Engadget (September 7, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-07-20.

[edit] External links