SONY JUST KEEPS IT GOING
Sony has done it again. It seems like mere months after they wowed the consumer world with the HDR-HC1 high definition handycam camcorder, they are already giving us a new entry into this market, and this time with some advantages.
Sony confirmed the April release of its HDR-HC3E high-definition camcorder, a compact device that the company hopes will bring HD videography into the mainstream. In addition to recording in the high-quality but low-bandwidth and low-cost HDV format, the camcorder also can connect via HDMI directly to an HDTV for viewing or to a recording device for uncompressed high definition video recording.
That's what it says in an article on Gizmodo. Take special note of the uncompressed recording part. For those who seem to fear HDV recording, believing the quality will never hold up for serious film making, regardless of the fact that many have made and sold films shot on the much more inferior DV format, this option should appease them. Imagine, in a studio environment doing green screen work this just might be the ticket.
I've been saving up for some time with plans to get the HDR-HC1. I was even going to shoot my next set of anime training videos with it. Now it looks like this might be the thing to wait for. It even has a lower list price. On the other hand, what will this do to the HC1 price?
In other news, while far from a breaking story, Sony and other studios are cutting down on UMD sales for the PSP. They are quick to blame, as you might expect, piracy as the cause for the not so stellar performance of the format.
Sony will attempt to revitalize PSP movie sales by releasing bundled DVD/UMD titles. Unfortunately these dual-format released will be $28.95, still more expensive than just buying the DVD and ripping it to a memory stick. Also, Sony will be introducing the Connection digital media store for content downloading onto the PSP. This service will allow for movie downloads among other things and should be available next month.
That's what it says on on Gizmodo once again and it is on this that I want to comment. I am not going to get into format discussions and Sony bashing because of their proprietary format decisions. What I see as the real problem is a lack of understanding of what portable means to consumers. How portable does the device become if you have to carry a bag full of extras with you on a trip?
I actually have a couple of movies on UMD. I bought them solely for the purpose of studying how images were processed for the machine so that I can do my own show. The mistake here is that from the beginning, the thought should have been downloadable content stored directly to the machine, and that content should be easily accessible from anywhere. Think about why the iPod is so popular. The PSP still has the potential to be the end all be all portable entertainment device. The key lies in making it easier for the consumer, not harder, to do fun things with it!
1 Comments:
Well, I think the problem was that when SONY developed the PSP downloadable content was still the bogeyman (it is only just now becoming corporate acceptable, because of iTunes success). Furthermore, from a technical perpective, storage capacity via minidrives or loads of flash would have been not only significantly more expensive, but also perhaps a bigger drain on battery life? Anyway, it wasn't until the relatively recent economic success of Apple (driving down component costs and showing companies there is a huge legal market) that we have seen SONY in a precarious position portable-wise. They have the gaming advantage, but it is a tough 'race' twixt the iPod, PSP, and DS for your entertainment accessory. Cells are just too crippled.
Now they are considering a PSP with 8GB flash, but I wonder if they shouldn't just call it a day and switch to a non UMD HDD based PSP. Funnily enough then they'd have to convince game companies instead of movie and music ones that it's safe. This assumes they can get roughly the same battery life. UMD might wind up the minidisc of video, living on for a while but as a marginalized format. I wonder how the picture quality of a UMD would have held up had the PS3 included a UMD slot?
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