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PSP>PDA/MP3/Video player?
- Thread starter DCX
- Start date
Though we've had these threads before (many times), we like you, so we won't be too hard on you.
From personal experience, my PSP CANNOT compare to my iPod.
I have an iPod photo 60gb, and that goes for $450 now. Not including my games (of which I have 7), I spent close to $500 for my PSP and 1gb mem stick. 1 gb. To be fair, when I got the iPod, it retailed for $600 (I got it with a student discount, however.)
But I have SIXTY times the storage space for music or photos than the PSP. I haven't bothered with the movie playback in over month, now that the novelty has completely worn off. Poor video playback plus stripped down sound = no fun. I'm just waiting for the emu scene to conquer the firmware, that'll finally justify the purchsae of that 1gb mem stick.
I don't own a PDA or a portable DVD player, so I cannot speak of those.
From personal experience, my PSP CANNOT compare to my iPod.
I have an iPod photo 60gb, and that goes for $450 now. Not including my games (of which I have 7), I spent close to $500 for my PSP and 1gb mem stick. 1 gb. To be fair, when I got the iPod, it retailed for $600 (I got it with a student discount, however.)
But I have SIXTY times the storage space for music or photos than the PSP. I haven't bothered with the movie playback in over month, now that the novelty has completely worn off. Poor video playback plus stripped down sound = no fun. I'm just waiting for the emu scene to conquer the firmware, that'll finally justify the purchsae of that 1gb mem stick.
I don't own a PDA or a portable DVD player, so I cannot speak of those.
radioheadrule83
Banned
Creative have a Zen Vision on the way, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before iPods play video, and as you mentioned there are other options - PDAs etc. They will almost certainly all have better storage options when they come out...
but they're not out now. And PSP plays PS2 quality video games as well as music and video files.
If youre not in it for the games too I'd get something else. But it's an attractive proposition no? And if moneys burning a hole in the pocket, why not.
but they're not out now. And PSP plays PS2 quality video games as well as music and video files.
If youre not in it for the games too I'd get something else. But it's an attractive proposition no? And if moneys burning a hole in the pocket, why not.
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
For storage, PSP can't compete with dedicated A/V players with integrated hard disk. That much is obvious.
For quality, it's pretty much tops. No handheld video player or PDA has better screen, and it's audio quality is excellent (better than Ipod, and on-par with iRiver for example).
For quality, it's pretty much tops. No handheld video player or PDA has better screen, and it's audio quality is excellent (better than Ipod, and on-par with iRiver for example).
Well, I bought the PSP as a GAME player. I prefer handheld gaming, in general. I just spend so much time each week commuting... I also have no interest in PDAs. I don't need it as an organizer, and while some of the games PDAs have are somewhat attractive, (as is the emu scene), I'd rather have portable emu on my GBA and DS (as I'm doing now), and the PSP, as I hope to do in the future, once the damn thing is finally cracked.
But, I figured if I was going to get a PSP, I might as well get a mem stick that would allow me relatively unfettered access to it's portable media feature, primarily movie playback. I saw about 10 movies on my PSP (in bits, commuting to/from work/home/school), and now... well, all it did was rekindle my desire to watch DVDs at home! I literally haven't touched the PSP since late April, except to turn it on to download firmware updates and Wipeout Pure updates (which I haven't even played yet.) *shrugs*
But, I figured if I was going to get a PSP, I might as well get a mem stick that would allow me relatively unfettered access to it's portable media feature, primarily movie playback. I saw about 10 movies on my PSP (in bits, commuting to/from work/home/school), and now... well, all it did was rekindle my desire to watch DVDs at home! I literally haven't touched the PSP since late April, except to turn it on to download firmware updates and Wipeout Pure updates (which I haven't even played yet.) *shrugs*
I don't have a portable mp3 player, so I'm (occasionally) using my PSP instead. It's somewhat clumsy to carry in a pocket, but at least you get that handy little controller thing with ff/pause/alter volume buttons and so on (granted the mp3 feature would be useless without it). Since I've never had an iPod, I've never understood the need with having a massive amount of storing capacity. I just throw in a number of mp3s I wanna listen to on my PSP before leaving home; plug in the usb cable, drag 'n drop. Works for me.
I totally dig the video player feature on PSP. It has become my portable TV. I don't have a problem watching TV on a small screen (never cared for surround sound either), the portability makes up for it. It's been awesome to watch episodes of Lost at work or in bed before sleeping for example (since I don't have a TV in my bedroom). Easy to convert video files as well, using PSP video 9 I make a queue for files to convert and leave the computer on over night.
It's also great as a viewer for fansubbed manga stuff. I could never sit in front of my computer reading those, PSP is the perfect solution. Only problem is the missing function to sort images. I hope homebrew coding comes through with a new image viewer complete with a sort feature.
I totally dig the video player feature on PSP. It has become my portable TV. I don't have a problem watching TV on a small screen (never cared for surround sound either), the portability makes up for it. It's been awesome to watch episodes of Lost at work or in bed before sleeping for example (since I don't have a TV in my bedroom). Easy to convert video files as well, using PSP video 9 I make a queue for files to convert and leave the computer on over night.
It's also great as a viewer for fansubbed manga stuff. I could never sit in front of my computer reading those, PSP is the perfect solution. Only problem is the missing function to sort images. I hope homebrew coding comes through with a new image viewer complete with a sort feature.
A PSP doesn't function much as a PDA.
Marconelly:
Marconelly:
Depends which aspect of the screen's quality is being evaluated. For PDA functions which can use a lot of text, a higher resolution screen like VGA can be important. Systems like the Dell Axims had already gone to that.
PDAs are great, but if you just need to keep track of contacts and appointments, you might be better off using your cell phone, especially if you can sync it with your PC. i know several people who have had PDAs or still have them, used them for the first month, then hardly ever touch them. Many just realized they didn't need to keep up with their contacts as much as they thought, especially when cell phones do such a great job.
Personal media players are great too, but how often are you going to be watching video on the go? Outside of the people who have daily train/bus rides, i don't see many adults really having a use for them. If you do go the PMP route, make sure it's something easily pocketable, and look into a model with a remote so that you can keep the unit in your pocket when you're listening to music.
Edit: Fixed a sentence fragment.
Personal media players are great too, but how often are you going to be watching video on the go? Outside of the people who have daily train/bus rides, i don't see many adults really having a use for them. If you do go the PMP route, make sure it's something easily pocketable, and look into a model with a remote so that you can keep the unit in your pocket when you're listening to music.
Edit: Fixed a sentence fragment.
I dunno where you got the idea that the PSP could do any sort of PDA stuff.
As for MP3/Video, it depends on your needs. Do you NEED your entire music collection at your fingertip when you listen to mp3s? Then no, get an iPod. Want to toss some albums so you have something to listen to when you don't feel like playing games? Then the PSP is great.
I don't really know enough about those other portable media players to compare the PSP to them. If you're serious about watching video you're going to have to drop another $100 on a 1GB memory stick. Right now you have to transcode your videos to MP4, something I doubt other media players require. On the other hand the UMD market is budding, with like 100 titles listed on Amazon.com.
If you're interested in the PSP just for multimedia stuff, you're wasting your time. They're great perks to a great system. Not really system sellers in themselves.
As for MP3/Video, it depends on your needs. Do you NEED your entire music collection at your fingertip when you listen to mp3s? Then no, get an iPod. Want to toss some albums so you have something to listen to when you don't feel like playing games? Then the PSP is great.
I don't really know enough about those other portable media players to compare the PSP to them. If you're serious about watching video you're going to have to drop another $100 on a 1GB memory stick. Right now you have to transcode your videos to MP4, something I doubt other media players require. On the other hand the UMD market is budding, with like 100 titles listed on Amazon.com.
If you're interested in the PSP just for multimedia stuff, you're wasting your time. They're great perks to a great system. Not really system sellers in themselves.
Smiles and Cries
Member
Wake me up when PSP starts doing well as a gaming machine
i keed
:runs!
i keed
:runs!
Shompola said:
I think it can do that. Place each album you want in a folder inside the MUSIC folder (only one folder deep inside it). Have the playlist inside that folder. So you have
MUSIC-
............Abba - abba.m3u
.......................dancingqueen.mp3
.......................waterloo.mp3
.............U2 - U2.m3u
.......................sunday.mp3
.......................vertigo.mp3
etc. Then each playlist will appear under Music, and you can skip between playlists using the group mode.
DCX said:
If you carry your SP already, consider a play-yan. SD adapter that sits in the cart slot and lets you play mp3s and videos on your SP. Just dump them on an SD card (plus SD cards are cheaper than memory stick duos)
As for PDA, yeah a cellphone is a good option. If you can get a series 60 symbian phone, they have good emulators and very good connectivity to sync your contacts/calendar etc, and they can pick up/send your email.
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
I can confirm you can do that without problem, just follow what mrklaw said above. Another little known thing, you can also have album art icons on every MP3 file and every folder - just embed them in the MP3 files using some ID3 tag editor.
For mp3 i dont think anything will beat the N91 when its out. No doubt there will be copycat devices.
PSP is primarily a gameplayer but it has a nice large screen which is great for video. Nokia have a mobile coming out soon with a killer higher res screen than PSP but its a smaller screen in size. So i dont know how that will fare for video. Nokia already let you watch tv on current handsets. So funcitonailty wise they are already superior and easier to use.
No doubt there will be copycat devices. PSP is primarily a gameplayer but it has a nice large screen which is great for video. Nokia have a mobile coming out soon with a killer higher res screen than PSP but its a smaller screen in size. So i dont know how that will fare for video. Nokia already let you watch tv on current handsets. So funcitonailty wise they are already superior and easier to use.
The only hard drive-based PDA that i know of is Palm's recently-released LifeDrive.
It's got a 4GB hard drive and an SD slot for additional expansion/functionality. WiFi and Bluetooth are built in. The default program (a lite version of Pocket Tunes) isn't the best for MP3s when using other programs (there's occasional pops as it switches apps). i'm not sure if videos need to be reduced before they can be played on the device, although IIRC the default player plays most codecs, and whatever it can't handle can be viewed via freeware like MPlayer. It runs on Palm OS, which has never been strong with emulators, but has plenty of productivity apps, tons of apps, and a generally solid OS.
Nokia's got a cell phone with a hard drive due out later this year in the US. That's another option.
SD cards are cheaper than MS Duos and more useable in other devices, but in general are an expensive option if you're looking to store a ton of music on a device like a dedicated MP3 player with a hard drive would do.
It's got a 4GB hard drive and an SD slot for additional expansion/functionality. WiFi and Bluetooth are built in. The default program (a lite version of Pocket Tunes) isn't the best for MP3s when using other programs (there's occasional pops as it switches apps). i'm not sure if videos need to be reduced before they can be played on the device, although IIRC the default player plays most codecs, and whatever it can't handle can be viewed via freeware like MPlayer. It runs on Palm OS, which has never been strong with emulators, but has plenty of productivity apps, tons of apps, and a generally solid OS.
Nokia's got a cell phone with a hard drive due out later this year in the US. That's another option.
SD cards are cheaper than MS Duos and more useable in other devices, but in general are an expensive option if you're looking to store a ton of music on a device like a dedicated MP3 player with a hard drive would do.
Zer0 said:
I love my PSP. It's just got no content right now, nor any in the pipelines, and I'm disappointed.
Video playback is pretty damn flawed, what with the ghosting and color issues it has. UMD playback may be alright, but I'm not going to rebuy my movies on a shitty UMD when I already own them on DVD, and DVD rips don't play particularly well off a mem stick, no. You also have to bend over backwards to get movies to encode at a decent volume, and then hope that the audio doesn't distort from all the manipulation.
DCX said:
The Axim is a really fun toy to have for multimedia stuff and it can do so much more than a PSP (unless you want PS2 ports, if that is the case no contest). My sisters got a Dell Axim x50v for my graduation present and first I thought it was a little worthless, but now the little bugger seems so damned cool! First off, the screen is pretty damn sweet. I actually like it more than the PSP screen as it seems much brighter to me. Movies and tv shows look really awesome on this thing. I only have a 1gig SD card, but that is enough for me to carry around a few tv shows, a movie, and a ton of ebooks.
The ebook thing is the selling point to me. It is such a kickass way to spend a few minutes when I am at lunch or just chilling out before going to sleep. The only downside is it seems that a lot of books don't get released in the real format so you have to turn to shadier means to get them (which reallys sucks because I would totally shell out the 5-7 bucks most ebooks cost).
Axim can also turn into a GPS unit and is pretty much a portable computer if you want it to be (additional keyboard necessary if you really want to surf, chat, or type up papers). There are so many kickass free third party programs too. All I need now is a superior scheduling program to the one it comes with and I am all set.
The PocketMatrix forums are a good starting resource for programs, utilities, and information on the Dell Axim:
http://www.pocketmatrix.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=5
PowerVR's site has some downloadable demos to try out on a DELL Axim X50v:
http://www.powervr.com/Downloads/Demos/index.asp
http://www.pocketmatrix.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=5
PowerVR's site has some downloadable demos to try out on a DELL Axim X50v:
http://www.powervr.com/Downloads/Demos/index.asp
IMO the PSP only does one thing well and thats play videogames.
However it does many other things at an acceptable quality. Is it the best video player? No. Is it the best picture viewer? No. Is it the best MP3 player? No.
My point is that for what you pay its a great deal. For $250 I didn't expect it to be the top of the world in every category.
However it does many other things at an acceptable quality. Is it the best video player? No. Is it the best picture viewer? No. Is it the best MP3 player? No.
My point is that for what you pay its a great deal. For $250 I didn't expect it to be the top of the world in every category.