PSP Backups and Memory question.

[chewie8008]

Ok, I read through the first DVD to PSP guide using PSP Video 9. I see how to do it, however I don't currently own a PSP and am considering buying one. I'm not sure how the memory/storage works with the PSP...

I called Electronics Boutique and the guy said that the PSP doesn't have any sort of built in memory, HDD or whatever. So you have to get memory cards. What I got from the DVD to PSP guide it's transfering directly to the PSP via USB cable. So do you have to buy a massive memory card or do you have to buy that freakin' $150 30GB HDD they sell? I assume there's no way to fit a 4-6GB standard DVD file onto the miniDVD-Rs(They only hold like 650MB, right?).

Just don't see it being worth $150 for a HDD...

Also, on average how much space do most games require? I know sports games are going to take up way more than a normal game. But just trying to get an idea of what size memory card I need to save gaming files? And are both game files and media files stored on the same memory cards?

Does the PSP only take the Duo Pro sticks? And does it take any brand duo pro, or are those Sony specific?

Any information would be appreciated. Thanks!

[chewie8008]

Ok....nevermind I guess.

[Ai Haibara]

Give it time. This is a public forum, so it may take a while for someone with any sort of knowledge about your question to reply - even a week or more.

As far as I've seen, the hard drives designed for use with the PSP are not recommended; they reportedly had a number of issues and - I'm not sure about this - were discontinued. I had a discussion a while back on these forums with someone who couldn't get his PSP to recognize his drive at all, if I remember correctly.

Yes, if you want to do any kind of video work on the PSP, you'll have to invest in a large Memory Stick - probably 1GB or higher. Don't worry; you don't fit DVD data as-is onto a Memory Stick. You convert it into a compressed MP4 container at certain resolutions.

I'm not sure about game-save data; I think it averages about 200k, but I could be wrong. You can also download demo games for the PSP which will differ in size... anywhere from 3-5MB to 50 or more, I believe.
If "PSP Backups" in the title of this post refers to actual backed-up PSP games, I don't know anything about that - and it most likely goes against forum rules as well.

[chewie8008]

Ok, I see. That sounds about right. I was referring to backup copies of DVDs that I already own, not the games. I was thinking of getting a 1-2 GB card anyways. So i'll just buy it and kinda learn as I go. The speical DVDs that play on the PSP kinda seem like a waste to me.

Thanks for the information!

[Ai Haibara]

Glad I could be of (some) help.

The UMD Movie discs are more or less being phased out, I think. I'm not sure of Sony or any other (UMD Movie-producing) company's official stance on them, but they generally didn't sell very well and are mostly just gathering dust on store shelves, if they're still on display. Some stores have marked them down to move them off the shelves.

The format had a few problems, such as prices being about as much as a regular DVD but having less content at a lower resolution than the equivalent DVD (less episodes, no/fewer extras, etc.), which of course was only usable if you had a PSP.

[kiwisholland]

I am in the same boat as chewie8008. I am thinking about buying a PSP for an upcoming trip.

I plan to buy a 4gb Memory Stick, and I am wondering how long the average movie file will be after converted to a PSP compliant file?

Can I expect to fit 2 or 3 movies plus about 2 GB of mp3 files on one 4 GB card? How large are the game files?

If the UMD is going the way of the Beta format, I wonder if games and movies will be downloadable for this device, and what the file sizes will be.

THANKS.

[kiwisholland]

Sorry for double

[ipgpe13]

As an example, right now I have Revenge of the Sith converted from my DVD on my PSP in the AVC PSP format: Video AVC 384 kbps, Audio AAC 48 kbps, Sampling 48 kHz, size 461 MB.

I also have game saves for over a dozen different games and game demos. The game save and profile files are between 150 to about 700 kb.

I have a 4 gig, card now which I traveled with recently and never had to switch it out. Carried a couple of full length movies, a number or half hour TV shows and anime, all my game saves and about half a dozen or more CD's worth of mp3s.

[Ai Haibara]

If the UMD is going the way of the Beta format, I wonder if games and movies will be downloadable for this device, and what the file sizes will be.

UMD movies are still being released, sort of... but I think mainly just by Sony. If a movie you want is available on UMD, though, you might be able to find it for $5-10 in a store that's still carrying them. I think Suncoast is still charging close to original retail prices for them, though. (Haven't checked, lately. Not that I ever wanted to get a UMD movie, but still... )

You can download demos of PSP games, and - through a roundabout process - play small Flash games on the PSP. Regular game UMDs aren't likely to be going away anytime soon, so don't worry about that.

You shouldn't have any problems with a 1 or 4GB Memory Stick (or higher), though I think one of the last few firmware updates was required to get the PSP to properly recognize 4GB Sticks or higher.

[kiwisholland]

Thanks for all the input!

I bought two 2GB cards from circuitcity.com @ $45 each, and I got 25 CD's, plus a little less than a half a gig of free space for saves for the 4 games I bought on one disc.

I have transferred a one hour HBO comedy show and a one hour VHI show (that I edited with Womble minus commercials) from my ReplayTV on the second card, plus I am currently transferring a personally owned comedy DVD as we speak. So far I have used about 60% of the second 2GB card. We'll see what I get. I tried some tips as far as quality settings on PSP Video 9, and found I couldn't live with the quality, so I went higher.

To me, flash memory is relatively cheap.

Its the 13 hours in a box with fake air that is expensive to me (see below), I want to enjoy that time.

I found great tips for this on line, and again, I want to thank everyone here for starting me off in the right direction.

I will post my final results here with more specific details shortly.

I am going on vacation on 12/25 and the first flight is 13.5 hours. I bought the PSP for games (I love my Xbox 360 at home), but the potential for more media is great!