PSP Video 9 - Playstation Portable Video Converter

[Chris Gohlke]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/746/psp_video_9' target='_blank'>http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/746/psp_video_9</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Already proving itself more versatile than the Apple iPod, Sony's new Playstation Portable (PSP) is gaining a large developer following. Previously we've seen video conversion apps from RnSK Softronics (iPSP) and Makayama (Mobile Media Maker) that transcode your PC's videos for playback on a PSP. Now, the developers of the insanely popular Videora BitTorrent application, have released PSP Video 9, an application that handles conversion and management tasks like the others, but now adds BitTorrent/RSS content gathering for what the developers call PSPcasting."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/PSPVIDEO.JPG" /><br /><br />I am already struggling to resist the urge to go buy a PSP. Stuff like this just makes it harder. Thankfully, the PSP uses memory stick, if it used CF or SD, I would not be able to stop myself.

[mcsouth]

Thanks for the link - I went and snagged a copy right away....

As you may guess, yes, I am on the reserve list at my local shop to get one of the first PSP's they get in - in fact, I am kind of ticked that they are not opening at midnight so that I can pick it up! As it is, I will have to head in at lunch time on Thursday to get my unit.

I can not honestly explain WHY I am spending my hard earned dollars on this unit - I generally won't pay $40 or $50 on PC games, so why did I just pay $50 for NFS-U2 on Sunday for my PSP? I have no words for it, but I have been lusting for this device in a distinctly unhealthy way since it was announced. I will probably pick up 1 or 2 more games when I pick it up on Thursday - at some point, I will realize that I could have bought a 6800GT vid card for my PC instead, or maybe even bought an entry level laptop.......but lust knows no logic!

If this is my midlife crisis comin' knockin', then I obviously screwed up, since my heart was set on a Porsche (my wife said that would be cheaper than a girlfriend!).

[Jason Dunn]

I find myself drawn to the PSP as well...moreso than any other Sony product I've ever seen. But I must resist...I MUST....because I refuse to every buy a Memory Stick. :x

[mcsouth]

I find myself drawn to the PSP as well...moreso than any other Sony product I've ever seen. But I must resist...I MUST....because I refuse to every buy a Memory Stick. :x

:lol: Yeah, I went through that incredible pain and agony also....and last night, I found myself pricing them out on eBay, NewEgg, etc. On top of that, I discovered that the Sony T1 camera also takes the Memory Stick Duo (just never really realized that before, I guess...), so all of a sudden, I am eyeing that camera up, and....I was thinking of getting a laptop for personal use, and the Sony Vaio Series always did appeal (well, some models, at least), and they have built-in Memory Stick slots, and.......OH NO.....I HAVE BEEN ASSIMILATED!!!!!!!!!

wE aRE sONY..rESISTANCE iS fUTILE!!!! :robot:

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Three things holding me back:

1) Proprietary media. UMD is such an irony. 8cm DVDs + SD card slot (or slots) would be amazing.

2) Lack of games. Sorry, but most Japanese games don't appeal to me. In particular what the Japanese pass off as a "RPG".

3) Price. For what it does, it's expensive! Along with the games too!

[Jonathon Watkins]

I have no problems holding off from most Sony products. Thier Memory Stick is cause enough. :twisted:

I have to say that GT4 on the P2S would be one reason to get a Sony branded product, but I can resist. :wink:

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Yea, I was thinking about that, but playing GT4 on a PSP kinda kills the experience..

[mcsouth]

Folks, I understand and agree - I never said my desire to get a PSP was logical...

I picked it up today, using my lunch hour to drive half an hour one way to pick the unit up. Got back to work, and immediately pulled it out and got it charging. Needless to say, when I fired it up for the first time a few hours later, I was stunned by the brilliance of the display. I would have to say that this is by far the best display I have ever seen on a handheld unit, although it probably isn't fair to compare against units that I have only 'demoed' in store lighting.

Usage is fairly straight forward - so far, I haven't had to crack the manual to figure out how to use the unit. Have watched the demo videos, which were somwhat lame, in my opinion - if you have 1.8GB to spare, why not use it with some game demoes, or more than just a few 20 second game ads?

Spiderman2 looks phenomenal on this display - even my wife was amazed at the visual quality of this unit. I did notice that with the volume maxed out, it was still hard to hear in the local McDonalds (the kids insisted on it for supper....) - this is definitely not a unit that several people could watch simultaneously if you are in a room with lots of ambient noise. Haven't pulled the earbuds out to try yet, but once I got home (quieter ambient), I didn't have any trouble playing NFS Underground. For a handheld unit, the graphics were pretty impressive, and the sound was great - I haven't verified this yet, but it sure sounds like this unit has stereo speakers!

Too soon to tell about battery life - after watching the demo videos numerous times with several different folks, in order to show the unit off, I have watched a bit of Spiderman2, and played NFS for about an hour - all this with the screen on max brightness. According to the unit readout, I am at 80% battery life right now, so would assume that the 3-5 hours of use between charges that reviews have indicated would seem to be accurate.

Ironically, I think this is the first time that I have ever been on the bleeding edge of a new product launch - I typically tend to sit back and let the smoke clear before stepping up to new devices. So far - no regrets about purchasing the unit, even with all of the proprietary MS Duo and UMD media. Will have to see if time tempers the initial excitement of this device.....

[josh007]

I can resist the new psp hype!!! Sure it will be a great product, but, I already own a ps2, and many games, so why by a portable game system and then pay a crap load more money for games??

Now, if microsoft made a handheld game system I would buy that, because it would praully be the most amazing thing ever!!! :twisted: