As most of you know, "UMD" is the new home video format that's not necessarily for the home, since it works (exclusively, at least so far) on the Sony PSP portable video game system. It's not DVD, or compatible with DVD, but a unique format made just for playing games, listening to music, and watching movies on Sony's hot new system that's meant to compete with GameBoy, but so far seems to have more movies than videogames available for it, so it's doing a better job of competing with
the 3" Mini-DVD format than with GameBoy...in fact, the Mini-DVD market is all but gone already.
We've had some hot letters from some of our readers, though, telling us how we are wasting their time with UMD coverage. There is a segment among the TVShowsOnDVD site users that have no intention of getting a Sony PSP, and don't want us to bother them with news posts about a release in a format they couldn't care less about. There's no need to send in further e-mails about that: we hear you loud and clear!
Toward that end, Gord and I have decided to restrict UMD news for now, until we have a chance to re-code the site in a way that will allow our readers to pick and choose which home video formats they want to be notified about. You see, as other new home video formats come along (UMD, HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, and maybe even
one form or
another of Holographic Versatile Disc, or HVD...which I'm sure you'll hear more about in the next 12 months), we want to be able to accomodate the growing options among home video consumers that want to see their favorite TV Shows in the media of their choice. Stay tuned for word on what form that site change will take, and in the meantime rest assured that we will do two things to help those that don't want to hear about UMD: 1) whenever we *do* post news about a show being released in UMD format prior to the re-code, we will NOT spam you with e-mail...interested readers can just drop by the site and use the
Site Search function to look up "UMD" or "PSP", and that leads to... 2) All news stories posted to the site about non-DVD releases will clearly mention either "UMD" or "PSP" in the news story's title. So there's no chance that you'll accidentally click on a story about UMD...unless it's a story about a DVD and UMD release on the same day, like with
Creature Comforts recently. And that's not going to happen much, so no need for concern.
Now to make happy all of the
Lost fans with PSPs who came to this story for
Lost-on-UMD news: we have below a reprint of the cover and disc art for the upcoming release, and below that you'll find the text from the
Lost portion of Buena Vista's press release about their September wave of PSP releases. The press release includes full info about the extras, which expands on the information we
previously provided. Enjoy!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Buena Vista Home Entertainment Announces On Sony's PSP (PlayStation Portable)
LOST - The Series Pilot Episodes, Part I & II
(Available September 6)
BURBANK, Calif., July 8, 2005 - Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) will release exciting titles on the Universal Media Disc (UMD) video format that plays on the new PSP (PlayStation Portable) handheld entertainment system. Available on September 6:
LOST - THE SERIES PILOT EPISODES Part I & Part II ($19.99 SRP, $29.99 Canada). PSP sets a new standard as the first truly integrated portable entertainment system designed to provide consumers with a comprehensive entertainment experience and to support multiple lifestyle applications, including games, music, movies, communication, and wireless networking. The UMD is a newly developed compact, high capacity optical format that can store up to 1.8 GB of digital data on a 60mm disc -- or an entire feature film on a single UMD video. Movies on UMD will be produced in 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio and encoded using advanced AVC compression, which provides the type of picture quality consumers have come to expect from BVHE DVDs. For added protection, a lightweight disc sleeve is also utilized, along with advanced encryption technology for content security.
LOST - THE SERIES PILOT EPISODES: Part I and Part II
The stunning and dramatic pilot episodes of
LOST - the thrilling adventure phenomenon from Touchstone Television - comes to PSP this fall. Stranded on an island that holds many secrets, 48 people survive a plane crash and must band together if they hope to get home alive. Matthew Fox (
Party of Five) stars as Jack, the quick-thinking doctor and group leader. Broadcast on ABC,
LOST is one of the hottest shows on television. With PSP, fans can enjoy the excitement of
LOST's gripping two-part pilot episodes and also discover never-before-seen bonus features anytime, anywhere. The bonus features will take fans behind-the-scenes of the show and reveal even more about this entertainment phenomenon.
Bonus materials:
- The Genesis of LOST
Exclusive, in-depth behind-the-scenes looks at the making of the show
- Designing A Disaster
- Before They Were Lost
- The Art of Matthew Fox
- LOST at Comic-Con
"When we saw how amazing the UMD format is, we knew right away we had a perfect fit for Lost," said Bruce Gersh, ABC's Senior Vice President, Business Development for ABC Entertainment. "The show is both cutting edge and beautiful to watch, and now we have a portable platform that does it justice. We're excited to be able to give fans even more control of how and when they interact with the show, and we're including some great never-before-seen footage to make the experience even better." J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, who co-created
LOST, serve as executive producers along with Bryan Burk, Jack Bender and Carlton Cuse.
LOST, which is filmed entirely on location in Hawaii, is from Touchstone Television.
Stripped of everything, the 48 survivors scavenge what they can from the plane for their survival. Some panic. Some pin their hopes on rescue. A few find inner strength they never knew they had - like Kate (Evangeline Lilly, TV's
Kingdom Hospital), who, with no medical training, suddenly finds herself suturing the doctor's wounds. Hurley (Jorge Garcia, TV's
Becker) - a man with a warm sense of humor despite the desperate situation - does his best to keep his cool as he helps those around him to survive. Charlie (Dominic Monaghan,
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) is a faded rock star who harbors a painful secret. Sayid (Naveen Andrews,
Bride and Prejudice) is a Middle Eastern man who must wrestle with the racial profiling directed at him by some of his fellow survivors. Jin (Daniel Dae Kim, TV's
24) and Sun (Yunjin Kim,
Shiri) are a Korean couple whose traditions, values and language are foreign, causing much to get lost in the translation. Sawyer (Josh Holloway, TV's
Sabretooth) has an air of danger surrounding him, and his intense sense of mistrust for everyone around him could prove to be fatal to his fellow castaways. Michael (Harold Perrineau,
The Matrix series) has just gained custody of his nine-year old son, Walt (Malcolm David Kelley,
Antwone Fisher), after the death of his ex-wife - they are a father and son who don't even know each other. Locke (Terry O'Quinn, TV's
The West Wing) is a mysterious man who keeps to himself, and who harbors a deeper connection to the island than any of the others. Claire (Emile de Ravin, TV's
The Beastmaster) is pregnant. Self-centered Shannon (Maggie Grace, TV's
Cold Case) and her estranged controlling brother, Boone (Ian Somerhalder, TV's
Young Americans), constantly bicker and must learn to get along if they are to survive.
