Consumers can do a wide range of things, such as play video games or watch videos, on the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP). There are three main ways to watch videos on the PSP. Each option has advantages/disadvantages depending on the video that the user puts on the PSP.
Option One – Consumer Videos and Movies
One of the most available options is consumer videos and movies. Consumer videos and movies come in a UMD format and work directly with the PSP to provide real movies and videos that are designed to be played with the console. This is an option that is no longer offered because the newer PSPs cannot run UMD software. Other forms of storage media have replaced the technology used to run such software.
It is possible to purchase a UMD movie/video at a discount because of the decreased production of movies/videos with UMD titles. Movies with newer titles usually only cost a few dollars. Many reputable online retailers sell discounted used UMD movies that are generally in near mint condition.
Option Two – Downloaded Videos and Movies
There are a number of services that provide video and public domain movie downloads that the PSP can play. These services are usually free of charge and provide a massive selection of videos with formats that are compatible with the PSP. Some video download websites can even pull videos from popular sites such as YouTube or similar streaming video websites.
The process is simple and can be done with a service like KeepVid (http://keepvid.com), which simply asks users to provide the proper URL to the source video from YouTube or another streaming video location. The service then finds the direct link to the video and processes it in a way that downloads it into the necessary formats. The user should then click on the “run” button and choose the format for PSP videos (MP4). The file is collected and processed for direct download to the hard disk. There are usually two available options: High Quality at 480X360 pixels or High Definition at 1280×720 pixels. Video quality is chosen based on the amount of storage space on the PSP or memory card.
Note: For the connection to be made and video quality assessed and generated, the user must be running a Java compatible browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. The browser should also have the latest version of Java.
The files that are downloaded should be placed into the correct folder on the storage device or on the PSP. Services that offer the video downloads tend to be usable in the proper folders based on their quality output. Standard to high quality videos can be placed in the “MP_ROOT” folder under the appropriate folders of “100MNV01” for MP4 format and “100ANV01” for AVC format if necessary.
Properly named files, such as “M4Vxxxxx.MP4″ where the xxxxx is a number from 00001-99999, are designed to go into the 100MNV01 folder. Those with AVC formats are named “MAQxxxxx.MP4″ where xxxxx is a number between 00001-99999. This should be placed in the “100ANV01″ folder. Other options should be placed in their appropriate folders to be able to work correctly with the PSP. The options that are available on Sony devices can be placed in the proper “VIDEO” folder under the root folder.
Option Three – Converted Videos and Movies
There are a number of services that can convert videos. Sony offers a complete suite that provides all of the tools necessary to convert and place videos onto any type of PSP, even the PSP Go. The software is known as Media Go and is available at (http://us.playstation.com/mediamanager/). It is easy to use and straightforward. Media Go is completely free and provides access to any Sony products that support music, video, and photo content that can be converted and stored on the device. This is done through the program when the console or the storage device is connected to the computer via the appropriate ports.
Media Go software should be PSP owners’ first choice as it is the only supported option that the PSP’s manufacturer produces. Alternative options are available but may not be fully supported or offer the great advantages that the Media Go software provides. A PSP owner may not use the Media Go software because their operating system and the software are incompatible.
If a PC does not support the Media Go option, an option that is available as freeware is PSP Video 9 at (http://pspvideo9.com). Microsoft Windows Operating Systems and Mac OS X support it. This provides greater flexibility for video conversion, allowing more videos and movies to become compatible with the PSP. The software is very similar to the Media Go option from Sony but lacks a visually striking aesthetic. The software from PSP Video 9 has a variety of options to choose from and can convert nearly every type of media available into the PSP formats that are needed.
The one thing that alternative software users need to remember is the fact that the software may not provide the extra steps to get the video working on the PSP. Similar to downloaded videos and movies, converted files need to be placed in the appropriate folders via the following process:
Converted files need to be placed into the correct folder on the storage device or the PSP so that they can be played on the PSP. Software that converts video sources from unsupported formats tend to be usable in the proper folders based on their quality output. Standard to high quality video can be placed in the “MP_ROOT” folder under the appropriate folders of “100MNV01” for MP4 format and “100ANV01” for AVC format if necessary. Files properly named “M4Vxxxxx.MP4″ where xxxxx is a number from 00001-99999, are designed to go into the 100MNV01 folder while AVC files are named “MAQxxxxx.MP4″ where xxxxx is a number between 00001-99999 and should be placed into the “100ANV01″ folder. The videos that are created with options such as PSP Video 9 have several options that can be changed to determine the video format and output quality.
