Posted Jan 09, 2008 at 08:49PM by Ceasar S. Listed in: Blu-Ray, News Tags: DRM, Sony, Digital Rights Management, CES
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How it will work: Blu-ray PS3 to PSP transfers - Image 1 


BD Live was previously announced as Sony's newest web content shindig for its next-generation console lineup, but it only recently made waves at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) when one of its features - Blu-ray transfers from a Sony PlayStation 3 to a PlayStation Portable - made heads turn.

Initial info was scarce, however, so we scrounged up more details on Sony's plans for Blu-ray portability, plus some answers to some speculations brought forth by digital media "cloning". Thankfully though, we won't have to use our ridiculous doodles to show the transfer process visually because the process itself was documented from Sony's booth at CES 2008.

But first, let's try to nail the facts: a PSP-formatted Blu-ray movie will eat as much as 1 GB of memory space and will be encoded at the PSP's best quality thresholds - that's using the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC format. Transfers are currently limited via high-speed USB port transfers using a standard USB A-to-B male-male cord, but offer just 3 - 5 minutes of waiting time.

Many are hoping for WiFi support despite the obviously slower transfer speeds, however. Four-digit code authentication will be used for security purposes; this is the only notable speed-bump during the transfer demonstration, for the process is a simple select, copy, and play procedure.

How it will work: Blu-ray PS3 to PSP transfers - Image 1 How it will work: Blu-ray PS3 to PSP transfers - Image 2 How it will work: Blu-ray PS3 to PSP transfers - Image 3 How it will work: Blu-ray PS3 to PSP transfers - Image 4 
Plug the PS3 to a PSP, insert the Blu-ray disc, select the PSP movie, copy it over, and voila!

 
Sony's given the impression that the transfer feature should be compatible with all Blu-ray movies. The general idea, they said, is that the transfers are supposed to work with all Blu-ray movies - or at least, that's the hope. The company has also mentioned that low-resolution, portable versions of Blu-ray movies will only be readily available on-disc once Blu-ray 2.0 rolls out uniformly from both Blu-ray recording plants and movie publishers.

There's an uneasy air surrounding that idea, though, because Sony has stated that the process shouldn't store the movie on the PS3 hosting the transfer. Barring the possibility of on-the-fly conversions (standard conversions would need to store the movie's data), this mean that older and current Blu-ray movies are unlikely to be candidates for Blu-ray transfers to PSPs, unless Sony comes up with some workarounds.

Digital rights management is another issue raised by speculative parties. Sony expressed that they do have plans of controlling the movie transfers, although the exact number of how many copies can be made have not been divulged. What is sure is that Sony will come up with a final DRM plan, but that's yet to come.


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19 Comments


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   by mreverdred01 - 2008-01-09
 » Blu-ray vs DVD

Now that HD-DVD is on its last leg, it's really mostly Blu-ray vs DVD, and this gives them a little advantage. It seems like when trying to get movies onto a PSP, it will be much easier to copy and paste a Blu-ray movie from a PS3 to a PSP than to go either rip the movie off of a DVD with computer ripping software, save it to your computer, convert it, and then copy and paste it onto a PSP or search for a way to download the movie illegally off of the internet, deal with slow downloads, unzip it, convert it, and then copy and paste it onto a PSP.


   Re: crait - 2008-01-10
 » um.

It wouldn't be illigle downloading if you own a copy of the DVD already.
   by hollabackitsobi - 2008-01-09
 » Why the *****...

Did Sony wait YEARS to WAKE THE ***** UP and support their console? The PSP has/had so much potential. Almost three years in and now we get internet radio/Skype/ all this other *****? Finally. Well, at least I have CFW.

   by Matt-N - 2008-01-09
 » ...

Has anyone got any idea how long the conversion takes? I'm not sure if the '3 - 5 minutes of waiting time' is only the actual transfer.

Good news though!


   Re: Ceasar S. (QJ. NET Staff) - 2008-01-09
 » From what we understand...

3 - 5 minutes is the estimated time to transfer (ETT). From what we could gather, the Blu-ray disc used during the demo already had a lower-res version inside (as part of the new Blu-Ray 2.0).

All they had to do was transfer the video via USB after entering a four digit authentication code.

As for actual conversions, we're not sure if that exists just yet. Sony doesn't seem to want a copy of the movie stored locally on the PS3's drive, and the new Blu-ray 2.0 initiative might rule out the need to convert completely.

These details may change, though. Anyway, we'd all rather have them in official writing above all else, eh?


   Re: Matt-N - 2008-01-10
 » Thanks mate.

Thanks for the informative reply Ceasar :)

   Re: TPot - 2008-01-11
 » What has storing it on PS3 got to do with inline conversion?

Why not just mount the PSP as a "drive" for the PS3 and as it converts the movie it saves it straight to the PSP. Even simpler: Sony run design all the firmware... they can just write directly form the PS3 to the PSP filesystem. I don't understand why "not keeping a copy on the PS3" limits converting on the fly.
   by Korlithiel - 2008-01-09
 » Read it again

They said only newer Blu-Ray disks are likely to take part in this because the disks themselves will likely have the stripped down PSP version right there ready to transfer.

So unless Sony makes some sort of deal and sets up the software, only movies that aren't yet out will be viable for this.


   Re: Advertising -


   Re: crait - 2008-01-10
 » I'm thinking...

I'm thinking that newer dics will have the video already on there for PSP and older Blu-ray discs will have to convert the bigger version.
   by mr.x256 - 2008-01-09
 » Conversion?

I am wondering if it is a conversion.

I think that the BD's could easily hold a 1 GB low-res copy aswell as the real BD version. If this is true, all the PS3 does is copy the Low-res copy to the PSP and just writes an entry on the PS3 HDD stating the ammount of coppies made with that PS3. I am pretty sure that this method will work if all Blue Ray discs have a unique serial number.

But this is just my opinion.

   by mr.x256 - 2008-01-09
 » Quality

"H.264/MPEG-4 AVC format" is that "480 x 272" or "368 x 208"?


   Re: Ceasar S. (QJ. NET Staff) - 2008-01-09
 » It's not rock-solid but...

The term commonly being thrown around is "full resolution" which leads us to believe it might be 480x272.

No black bars either.
   by killalot100 - 2008-01-09
 » cool

the picture show that the size is at around 150 or maybe 160 cant tell but thats not bad of a size

   by Lethal_NFS - 2008-01-09
 » nasty

Anybody else notice how freakin nasty that PSP looked? lol


   Re: Binary - 2008-01-09
 » Lol

thats what happen when you watch too much porn and cream over the screen.
   by Silver-Tiger - 2008-01-10
 » ...

With movies 1GB heavy, the 16 GB Memory Stick Pro Duo makes much more sense.

   by CHUCKINGROCKSATSPACESHIPS - 2008-01-10
 » Bummer

I hope they would just allow us to copy them to the PS3's hard drive for real on the go multimedia experience.

   by Advertising -
   by Still A Hot Boy - 2008-01-10
 » Lawson

This is nice. finally a better quality movies.

   by home.grown.twinkie - 2008-01-12
 » you want the short answer?

you want the short answer?.......magic
=] hahahah....ahh....



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