First computer ever?

[GeorgeC]

I guess PSP has more memory to store, what with the high-tech 3d graphics you'd see on a PlayStation, etc...

Sony just lowered the price of the core PSP to $169 which is something they should have done months ago. This is the no-frills pack which basically includes just the system plus a 32 MB card which is worthless...

You really do need the AC adapter (for recharging the battery and playing longer RPG-style games) and a larger memory card for the system. (512 MB memory card MINIMUM... 1 GB or 2 GB is much better.) A USB cable for the PSP is a good idea, too, to transfer data between a computer and the system faster. Wireless on the PSP is a pain unless you know the password for your web connection. Just about any headset will do for the PSP and are generally more comfortable than the earbuds Sony packs in with the Value Pack. I personally have a pair of earphones that wrap around the BACK of my head so that I don't get an unwanted split in my hair. Much more comfortable than regular earphones to boot, too!

I think now that the core PSP is $30 cheaper it'll entice more people to buy one. Of course, when people find out it's probably CHEAPER STILL to get the Value Pack (with the bundled remote and earbuds) they might not be so happy with Sony after all!

The other thing Sony did recently (which was smart but alas TOO LATE) was lower the price range of movie UMDs to $9.99-$19.99... Again, too little, too late since most stores stopped carrying movie UMDs LAST YEAR!

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Memory cards are NOT cheap unless you're getting a generic for a digital camera. Camera memory cards are cheaper (surprise, surprise --! NOT REALLY) than the memory cards for EITHER the PSP, Wii, and PS3.

Where they're hammering people on the new systems is on the cost of the peripherals (extra controllers and memory cards). The money you have to pay for these starts at around $50 average which is ludicrous.

At least memory card prices are falling all the time. Last I checked, the cost of a 2 GB memory card for the PSP was CHEAPER than what I paid for a 1 GB card last year! I probably need to get a 2 GB card since the 1 GB can't hold much more than 2 movies when I compress them it. 1 GB cards are now around $40 and the 2 GB cards are $60 starting...

[ShyViolet]

Just out of curiosity: Can you download itunes on a PSP?

If you can, it might further motivate me to get it, as then I could choose from a much larger library of films rather than just PSP-only movies--itunes have all the "art-films" they're not going to put in a PSP movie section of the store....

[GeorgeC]

Just out of curiosity: Can you download itunes on a PSP?

If you can, it might further motivate me to get it, as then I could choose from a much larger library of films rather than just PSP-only movies--itunes have all the "art-films" they're not going to put in a PSP movie section of the store....

No, iTunes and PSP are not compatible.

I'm not sure what software base the PSP uses for its menu and drivers, but it's probably closer to the PC than Mac.

Let me clarfiy, though... The iTunes software is not compatible with the PSP BUT you can play mp3s and iPod-ready videos on the PSP!

Recent firmware updates (3.00+ and up) make the PSP way more compatible with various mp4 video formats. As long as you don't stray outside of the 320 X 240 or use exotic video compression, the videos play fine on the PSP. In fact, the PSP screen is WAY better than the iPod video screen. iPod video has higher memory compacity than the PSP at present (30 GB versus a maximum 4 GB for PSP), but I think the video and audio output on the PSP are better.

You're not limited movie-wise to either PSP movie UMDs or iTunes movies. As long as your computer has a DVD-ROM drive and the right software packages from DVD, you can rip any movie and compress it for storage on either the iPod or PSP. The higher the storage capacity of your memory card, obviously the more video content you can save on the card. Right now, 2 GB ($60 at Best Buy) is the practical limit until the 4 GB cards ($125-$130) go down in price.

I've only in the past 8 months had a computer capable of doing this and have only figured it out in the last month.

In a way, the situation is somewhat better on the Mac since Mac OS X uses Unix as its base and most Linux applications are ported easily to OS X. There are tons of Linux-derived freeware and shareware demos for Mac OS X now.

I'm not as sure about the Windows situation, but obviously if you have Linux on a PC I just gave you the answer about ripping and encoding DVD data...

[James]

Scans from a 1982 article in Popular Mechanics comparing the top 6 PCs!
http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/04/ ... computers/

[James]

Let me clarfiy, though... The iTunes software is not compatible with the PSP BUT you can play mp3s and iPod-ready videos on the PSP!

Very important to reiterate that! You can make video files that play on both! MP3s of course play on both.

Recent firmware updates (3.00+ and up) make the PSP way more compatible with various mp4 video formats. As long as you don't stray outside of the 320 X 240 or use exotic video compression, the videos play fine on the PSP.

The newest firmware FINALLY lets you used the full PSP resolution! So video can be created that look stunning to fill the full 480x272 screen - and look just as good as store bought UMDs.

In fact, the PSP screen is WAY better than the iPod video screen. iPod video has higher memory compacity than the PSP at present (30 GB versus a maximum 4 GB for PSP), but I think the video and audio output on the PSP are better.

PSP screen is obviously better, but audio is a wash. PSP gets downgraded for those crappy speakers, and because audio is so soft.

You're not limited movie-wise to either PSP movie UMDs or iTunes movies. As long as your computer has a DVD-ROM drive and the right software packages from DVD, you can rip any movie and compress it for storage on either the iPod or PSP.

I've been making vids for my PSP (and iPod) for over a year now, and other than the long encoding time it is pretty simple. Now with the increased screen resolution capability of the PSP I am going to have to go back and redo them all!

[GeorgeC]

It's not worth it to redo the PSP videos for 480 X 272... It just hogs up too much space on the memory card.

I was able to rip Rex St***** and get it to run fine from 320 X 180 resolution to preserve the widescreen aspect ratio of the short. The third time I tried to compress RS, it came out fine. My eventual file size was 62 MB for 3 minutes at 30 fps.

I TRIED 480 X 272 resolution for RS... However, I wasn't about to keep a 200+MB file on a 1 GB stick that didn't look significantly better than the 320 X 180 file I got to work fine. The 320 X 180 file zoomed up fine and looked almost as good as the 200+GB file.

Audio quality on the PSP is fine as long as you use either headphones OR external plug-in speakers. Of course those tiny speakers on the PSP are sh**, but the speakers on the Nintendo portables are sh**, too!

[ShyViolet]

Thanks for the info!!