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Sony to Offer Downloadable Movies for PSP

Sony's new downloadable movie service, set for launch early next year, will provide digital downloads of films for playback on the PSP. Sony is in negotiations with several companies regarding service subscription, including Amazon.com and movie downloading sites MovieLink and CinemaNow.

According to a Financial Times report, movies will be downloaded first to a computer and then can be moved onto a memory stick. While it may sound like a hassle to move from computer to memory stick, it could ultimately make things easier for users, if all of their downloaded movies were to be stored locally for a quick and easy move to the PSP. Such a simple process seems unlikely, however, when piracy is taken into account--the major reason why many movie studios have hesitated to make their films available on iTunes.

Any restrictions on playback, DRM or details regarding pricing have yet to be announced.

Following what can only be described as a monumental failure for UMDs (Universal Media Discs, the proprietary format used by the PSP), it is not surprising to see Sony resort to another means for delivering content to PSP owners. While Microsoft's recent Video Marketplace hasn't gotten off to the start they had hoped for, Sony's download service may set the early groundwork for the PS3's movie download service. Hopefully, Sony is listening to complaints regarding the Video Marketplace and will allow for a single purchase to work on more than just the system on which it was purchased. Otherwise, it may run into the major problem UMDs suffered from--lack of playback support.

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