Videos for Japanese PSP Commercials

Visit the following site for the latest Videos for Japanese PSP Commercials

http://media.psp.ign.com/articles/568/568083/vids_1.html

Sony PSP - Hacks, Links, Games, Tools, Utilities

Other PSP hacks / cool stuff include:

• DVD-to-PSP Guide - transfer DVDs to your PSP


• eBook reader - how to read eBooks on the PSP


• Comics reader - Jake shows how to read comics on your PSP by transferring into JPG images.


• PSP IRC - IRC client for PHP; requires Wipeout Pure DNS mod


• PSP Icons - for Mac OS X and Windows XP


• How to Download audio (podcasts) into PSP using FeedDemon


• TivoToGo on PSP


• Manga on PSP


• Dead pixel checker for PSP


• < href="http://www.teamxlink.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9544&sid=ba0b8707ac5a8a4674e263c369a433d6">PSP / Mac integration - use Mac to play PSP games over the web


• Dissembling the PSP


• Create Sony PSP thumbnail files
  

Technorati Tags: sony, psp, sonypsp

How to do Web Browsing on your Sony PSP

What Sony didn't tell you

Summary:
As far as I can figure out, its NOT part of the firmware of the Sony PSP...But this can be made into a general purpose browser if you create a portal-like site to jumps to links. When you select "Go to home page" it returns you to the portal site (index.html). So thats an easy way out.
Yes you can use input (we googled stuff), when you enter a textbox and press X the PSP pops up the Keyboard API (remember there's alot of API to be taken advantage of with the PSP). After that its as simple as any other input on the PSP.

The way I loaded up my own "page" is by setting up my FreeBSD machine with some DNS entries that point ingame.scea.com and webcluster.scea.com and all NS's for scea.com to my internal LAN machine. So then I changed the PSP's NameServer settings to point to the server on my local LAN (FreeBSD machine). When the Wipeout client accesses http://ingame.scea.com/wipeout/index.html it gets my LOCAL file because of the DNS mapping. It's all pretty simple after that. I made a static page with a bunch of spring-board (or portal-like I guess) links to access from the PSP.



Browsing is simple enough, up and down to move from link to link. D-Pad only though. Also there is no cursor anywhere, and no title-bars. If there is no link in the nearest vicinity, the PSP just scrolls the page (awesome). Entering links is X, refresh page is. Again entering text into boxes pops up the API.

Just to note JavaScript works (Again API for Alert boxes, NEAT feature), Java is yet to be tested. Frames don't work.

Info: Once the network connection is established and the PSP gets an IP, it sends a request (specifically a GET for US_holding_page.jpg from http://ingame.scea.com/wipeout/index.html?serviceId=wipeoutpure_ingamesupport_main&hostId=ucus98612_wipeoutpure_psp_umd_1 &hostLanguage=en&pspId=&skin=Default) to http://ingame.scea.com/wipeout/index.html using User Agent "SCEJ PSP BROWSER 0102pspNavigator", its Wipeout's webbrowser but it looks as if it's a Sony (Sony Computer Entertainment Japan) piece of code, so this might be a standard browser we'll be seeing. PHP rendering works great, I browsed phpinfo(); and there's not much in there to gush about. Since there are no links on that page, the browser lets you scroll up, down, left and right freely.

Hopefully this helps your PSP Web Browsing needs!

Sony PSP Survival Guide (The Facts, Links, How-TOs... What you need to know)

The PSP's coming out on Thursday. Here's what you need to know. (props to Greg for sending me a PSP from Japan. Thanks dude!)

This document is a work in progress! Got something that should be added? E-Mail.



SEE ALSO: PSP Video: Need for Speed Underground (Rivals)
- PSP PlayStation Portable's OS Background Color Changes Monthly
- PSP Photos: In-Action (Music, Movies, TV)

AS SEEN ON DIGG:
http://digg.com/gaming/Sony_PSP_Survival_Guide_(The_Facts,_Links,_How-TOs...)

Software Links...
- Windows Users: Engadget tells how to rip movies to your PSP. (Mac Users: I have a blurb about this below.)
- Win/Mac: iPSP syncs your Music/Photos/Video onto your PSP. However, the video feature didn't work for me, and I though the overall program was lousy. It got my music onto my PSP but most of it was corrupted. (that might have been my fault, though) Also, the interface kept glitching out. (Shareware, $20)
- Mac: PSPware is an AWESOME application for PSP-syncing on the Macintosh. It's like iPSP, but half the price and actually works.

- Win/Mac: XLink Kai lets you daisy chain your PSP through your PC or Mac's compatible wireless card and play online with others. Check it out.
- UPDATE: Here's a direct link to how to set this up on your Mac once you have it installed: http://www.teamxlink.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9544

- Windows: Here's an article with information about how to transfer your 'Tivo-To-Go' files to your PSP. Check it out.

- Engadget has some information on Web Browsing on your PSP. It seems the PSP OS (Firmware) has a built-in browser! Slick.

- Lt.Ping alerted me to his detailed WiFi Setup Guide for the PSP on the Playstation Forums. Check it out here.

Battery Life. The Sony PSP is rumored to have terrible battery life. However, Sony has taken steps to remedy this problem in their software. First, Wi-Fi can be toggled on and off, and also has a power-save mode. The screen auto-dims and turns off after a period of inactivity, as well. Also, the PSP can be put to sleep by casually switching the system off and on using the power switch... and you're brought right back to where you were before! (in a game, in the menus, etc.) To power the console off completely, hold the power switch for a second or two and the system should shut-off completely.

NOTE: All PSPs ship from the factory with an AC Adapter and rechargable battery, unless otherwise marked.

Memory Sticks. Since the system is ONLY being sold as a bundle right now, everybody gets a 32MB Memory Stick DUO Pro with their console. This is MORE than enough for Saved Games, and can even handle a few songs or pictures, but if you're hoping to put Movies or a few albums on your portable, you'll have to shop for a larger chip.

There's a base-price you pay for each chip, and the upgrade to a larger chip is usually worth it. 512MB chips are usually $75 to $120, which hold a fair-amount of Music, but probably less than a full movie with a few songs on the side. 1GB chips are hard to find and very expensive, generally costing from $150 (Sandisk) to $220 (Sony). Sandisk.com reports that they're backordered, as does SonyStyle.com. (however, my 1GB DUO Chip just shipped from SonyStyle so they must have gotten a shipment in recently. UPDATE: it just arrived!)

Controls. The buttons on this aren't stiff or anything like that, and easy to press. The "analog-stick" is kind of lame, though. I assumed it was a mini-joystick... but it's actually this little thing that slides around in only 2D. (left, right, up, and down... rather than at any angles as well) It's awkward and difficult to move. I prefer the D-Pad even in racing games.

The Screen. The 16:9 wide-screen (480x272) of the PSP is super-crisp. The PSP OS takes full advantage of it with its weaving animations and bright colors, and the game graphics are very detailed in most cases.

Wi-Fi. (Wireless) The only internet connectivity so-far for Software Updates to the PSP OS and Online Play is via Wi-Fi. I had no issues using this with both my Linksys WAP and Airport Extreme base stations. The PSP also has an AdHoc system built-in for multiplayer without a local-area wireless network. There is a physical switch on the left of the unit to turn Wi-Fi on and off.

Music/Audio. The PSP audio player is excellent. I consider it blend between an iPod Photo and an iPod Shuffle... in that there is album artwork displayed, yet due to size constraints it only holds a portion of your library. It also has a shuffle feature, and supports Playlists. The sound quality is satisfactory. The PSP also has a few different EQ settings that can be activated by pressing the 'Select' button... including Heavy, Unique, and Pops. The EQ can also be turned off using the 'Select' button by cycling through to the 'off' setting.

I'm not sure if this is just me or not, but my PSP shows a "Corrupted Data" file for each MP3 I add to my PSP. However, if I scroll past these, my Music is safely listed below and plays just fine. Very strange. (Hopefully there will be a software update to fix this.) UPDATE: This problem has been fixed as of Version 1.5.0. This software update was offered to Japanese PSPs on the US release date.

The PSP supports both MP3 and 'ATRAC3plus'... whatever that is. I haven't had anything to do with ATRAC3 since I had a MINIDISC Player a few years ago.

USB. While in USB mode, the PSP acts as a Storage Interface to its inserted DUO Pro Memory Stick (if available). This mounts a drive on your Mac, or adds a new drive into 'My Computer' on Windows. Always remember to 'disconnect hardware' (Windows) or 'eject' (Mac) the device before unplugging it or your stored data will be corrupted.

The PSP file structure is like this:
* '/PSP/GAME' -- For games stored on your memory card. (perhaps for downloads in the future? Not sure about this.)
* '/PSP/MUSIC' -- For music.
* '/PSP/PHOTO' -- For your pictures.
* '/PSP/SAVEDATA' -- For your saved games.
* '/MP_ROOT/101MNV01' -- For movies and video. (MPEG-4)

If these folders do not exist on your PSP's memory card, the easiest way to create them is to format the memory stick using the option in System Settings on the PSP itself. (with the card inserted) THIS WILL ERASE any saved games, music, movies, photos, software, etc., on the card (NOT your UMD discs), so if you don't want to do that just create the folders by hand. Even after formatting the card, the MP_ROOT folder for movies, and/or others, may still not exist and need to be created manually.

You can place files directly into these folders, OR create new folders inside these to group content together. However, folders inside folders inside folders, (example: '/PSP/PHOTO/MYVACATION/DAY3') will not be recognized.

The PSP does NOT come with a USB cable. I had an extra kickin' around so I just used that. The PSP has a typical Mini-USB connector on it, and should work with any standard USB to Mini-USB cable that may have come with a digital camera, cellphone, MP3 player, etc. Or, you can buy one from a computer store for less than $20. (estimate) The device DOES support USB2.0 for high-speed transfers with compatible machines.

Photos. Any JPEG images stored in the proper location (see above) can be viewed on the PSP. Unfortunately, it does not seem to support viewing photos fresh from digital cameras' memory chips... which I would have liked. There is also a slideshow option with adjustable speed, and photos can be zoomed.

Video. Although Sony will soon offer various UMD movie titles for purchase and direct use with the PSP... who wants to PAY for UMD movies of DVDs you already own!? Not me... screw that. As I linked above, Engadget has an article for converting your DVDs to PSP-compatible MPEG-4 files, but what about us Mac users? I have the solution for you here.

IMPORTANT: Regardless of whether you use a Mac or PC, you have to remember something: The PSP only seems to support videos in 320x240 dimension, which is NOT widescreen. However, if you squish a 16:9 picture (for example, from a widescreen DVD) to 320x240, there IS an option to stretch the image back out on the PSP. The quality is far from DVD, but it's not THAT bad. Anything that is not 320x240 will be recognized as "incompatible" by the PSP.

TIP: I generally like to sacrifice quality for more content, so setting the bitrate down as far as possible while still being able to see the picture will generally store about two megabytes for every minute of video (audio included). The setting varies from program to program, but with FFMpegX I just set the bitrate to 1kb/s and it seems to find the appropriate level automatically.

All PSP Videos must be named like M4VXXXXX.MP4 (replace the 'X's with random numbers)... and yes it has to be capitalized like that. The PSP will ignore all other files... including lowercase ones like '.mp4', which is stupid... but the way it is.

The PSP uses some strange XviD/MPEG-4/3GP/AAC combination for its video format. On the Mac, there are two different tools we can use to convert DVD's VOB files to these formats:
- FFMpegX
- and, altShiiva.

FFMpegX is harder to install, yet easier to use. altShiiva is very easy to install, yet its videos didn't work on my PSP. However, since altShiiva can produce the thumbnail files (.THM) that show up next to the movies on the PSP... I use FFMpegX for the flicks and altShiiva for the Pics.

Visit FFMpegX's PSP tutorial for more information:
http://homepage.mac.com/major4/psp.html

I'll admit that I had a lot of problems getting FFMpegX to read some of my Movies, and also to produce files that would actually work on the PSP. However, the trick is to convert whatever movie you're trying to use to DivX using Quicktime... THEN use FFMpegX to convert it to a PSP MP4. That worked great for me.

FFMpegX had no issues reading .VOB files I ripped from a DVD (with DVDBackup), and it converted them without issues. Remember, you HAVE to squish *all* video to 320x240 pixels... even if its 16:9. You can later choose to stretch the picture out on the PSP itself. (there's a display option)

Random, Games. Gran Turismo 4 PSP is coming out later this Spring, and Grand Theft Auto PSP in just a few weeks. The current launch titles are okay, but not great... as many are lousy, watered-down copies of PS2 titles like Tony Hawk's Underground 2. Hopefully this won't be the case for long. I'm satisfied with Need for Speed Underground 'Rivals' at the moment. The graphics are *excellent*.

UPDATE: Lumines is my new favorite game, and I don't think that's going to change. :) It's very similar to Tetris, but with DJs doing the music, a new method of clearing blocks (colors), and other cool stuff. Definitely check it out... you might get sick of it if you play it too much, but it'd be pretty hard since every single time you play it's a brand-new experience! Definitely worth buying... it's only like $40. (one of the cheaper PSP games, heh)

That's it for now. More will be added as information comes in. Got something else? E-Mail.

I want to watch some videos o­n my PSP, how to do it ?

Please Note that the smaller the memory stick, the smaller the videos have too be. You can fit a 90 minute movie o­n a 512mb stick.

You must format the memory stick before Starting!!

1. Make a new folder next to the psp folder called MP_ROOT. Then in the MP_ROOT folder make a folder called 100MNV01. You must type these in CAPITALS!
2. Now download C3gp converter from http://www.nurs.or.jp/~calcium/3gpp/
3. Install the downloaded software, and then whe the menu comes up with the weird characters, scroll to the bottom and click english in the drop down menu. Now click MODEL MP4 , FOR PSP
4. Now, click apply. Another box will appear. Press the select button and choose where you want your videos to go. Now click the drop down menu. In this menu you can choose what quality you want your PSP videos. I chose QVGA/29.97FPS/QB10STEREO/96KBPS
5.Now drag the videos you want to convert into the white box at the top of the window. I found that .avi videos always work. To convert your videos to AVI format you can download free converters here:- www.download.com
6. After you have converted your videos, they will go into the folder you selected. Go into this folder and drag the videos to the 100MNV01 folder. Please note o­nly the mp4 video is needed, there is no need for the THM folder.
7. After this, disconnect the usb cable, or put the memory stick into the PSP, scroll over to video and your video will be there.

What is SONY PSP - Play Station Portable

We were struck by the PSP’s remarkable similarity to the Sony HMP-A1 portable video player in terms of design. The PSP uses the same high gloss, smudge-prone case featuring a black and silver color scheme. The unit itself is slightly too big for the average pants pocket, but fits nicely in a suit coat’s inner pocket. The PSP uses Sony’s proprietary media format called the Universal Media Disc (UMD), which are inserted into a spring loaded compartment in the back of the unit. This might be annoying for case makers who want users to be able to play while in their case, while still being able to swap out games. The left side hides a Memory Stick Duo Pro slot, and a switch for turning the WLAN on or off manually. The Memory Stick Duo slot will accept the older MemoryStick Duos in addition to the new Pros, and it should be noted that any Duo can be converted into a regular Memory Stick by using an available Sony adapter. The top edge of the PSP has a USB mini port for PC connectivity. The power button is along the lower right side, and can be set to a ‘Hold’ position to deactivate the buttons when watching movies or listening to music. The in-line remote on the headphones will still function if the PSP is in Hold mode. The interesting thing is that all buttons on the surrounding edge are solely hardware focused.


All system and universal buttons are along the bottom front edge. This includes Volume +/-, Home, Brightness, Sound, Select and Start. Home returns you to the PSP dashboard during game play or while watching movies. The brightness button toggles between 4 levels of brightness for the backlight. Holding down the Brightness button turns off the backlight, which is also turned off by inactivity after a user defined amount of time. The Sound button toggles between 5 equalizer modes – Heavy, Pops, Jazz, Unique, and Off. The equalizer is disabled during game play, and only is active when using headphones. Holding the Sound button down mutes the PSP during all modes.

The front of the unit sports a full PS2 style controller, including upper left and right triggers, and an analog thumb pad. The main attraction of the PSP is the large, beautiful display. This display is easily the best quality we have seen on almost any portable device, gaming or otherwise. It offers bright, vibrant colors, with no smearing of ghosting during game or action sequences. Situated on the bottom left and right are the stereo speakers, which are surprisingly clear for their size. Indicators for MemoryStick access, WLAN activity, Power status and Hold status are situated at the bottom left and right edges.

Sony USA is only selling the Value Pack, which contains a neoprene slip case, 32MB Memory Stick, power adapter, Spiderman 2 movie UMD, and cleaning cloth. The case is nearly useless for anything other than protecting the casing from scratches when it is thrown in another bag. There’s no room for any of the included peripherals or UMDs.

The bundled headphones with inline remote plug into the bottom left. The ear buds actually produce some very good sound. They’re a little harsh on the highs, but overall not bad at all for bundled gear. The cord is short, and intended to be used with the in-line remote

The PSP also comes with a wrist strap, which like the bundled headphones, is white for some reason no one really understands. All we could think was that it was a desperate attempt to piggy back on the fame of the iconic iPod headphones. But there is certain brilliance in that reasoning. The white cord is very noticeable, and we could easily see strangers striking up a conversation, one with an iPod, the other a PSP. “What’s on your iPod?” “Actually it’s a PSP.” Voila! Client driven marketing to the exact same segment Sony is targeting.

See page 2 at http://reviews.designtechnica.com/review2439_main12203_page2.html

Sony PSP - Review, Buy, Sell, Cheap, Japanese, USA

Somewhat regarded as the next Walkman, the Sony Playstation Portable gives a new face to mobile electronic devices. The PSP comes with a superb 4.3-inch LCD that is amazingly clear. I can assure you that the cost of this little device is less than what it costs Sony to manufacture them. Compare the PSP with any handheld device and you'll see what I mean. Pitted against a Pocket PC with roughly the same functionality and a 333MHz processor could easily cost double the ticket price for the Sony PSP. This strategy is common among consoles, when the Xbox was first released Microsoft realized a loss on every unit sold. But these losses are all made up on the back end by revenue from games and movies.

At this time of launch, the PSP only had a handful of game and movie titles available. Of which I've only tried Ridge Runner and Untold Legends. One being a first person track racing game and other a role playing type fantasy game. The graphics are spectacular and you can definitely tell the evolution in technology with all the options of what can be done in these newer games in comparison to the old game boy advance and other portable gaming devices. No longer are the portable games stripped down, they are all full featured games that are the equivalent of those on full sized consoles and PC's.

UMD media is the format used for movies and games on the PSP. Its like a miniature DVD, capable of holding a full game or a movie. UMD's have a storage capacity of 1.8 gigabytes, which is a pretty sizable amount considering CD's only hold 650-700 megabytes. But a full sized DVD can pack in 4.6 gigabytes of data, so this means they have to compress the movies down to fit on 1.8 gigs. Obviously on a 4.3 inch screen you wont notice a loss in picture quality. The other removable storage available is the Memory Stick PRO DUO. I have read of some people buying the adapter meant for a Cellular phone, plugging it into the MemoryStick port on the PSP and getting it to read other formats of MemorySticks!

Built into the PSP is full capability of connecting to a Wireless Access Point. You can assign static IP address or have it pull one down from your Wireless 802.11b/g router. I did notice that it isnt able to connect using WPA-PSK, only WEP (wired equivalent privacy) or WAP's configured in permiscuous mode with no security. Aside from that, anyone in the same range as your WAP can join in with their PSP playing the same game or you can join over the internet. Another thing that is unknown to many is that the PSP is capable of browsing the web! Its sort of a hidden feature of one of the games and you sort of got to do some hacking to get it to work but it is possible. Meaning that eventually they could probably release some kind of mainstream browsing software for the PSP. This opens up all kinds of possibilities, especially if it is able to support JAVA. Customized applications, business apps, or whatever you can be hit over the internet.

With the built in USB port, the possibility of having a mouse and keyboard along with unlimited options on external devices exist. The only thing that I don't see is external video output. Maybe one of the ports is capable of transfering what is displayed on the built in screen, but if one exists I'm not aware of it. I would love to be incorrect on this. From the looks of it, the PSP has a ton of room for expansion accessories. This little gem packs in a lot of value, definitely worth every nickel!

Sony PSP will ruin wireless LAN security in the home

Sony PSP will ruin wireless LAN security in the home

Just when we thought that we were beginning to make progress in the area of wireless LAN security with WPA and 802.11i ratification, Sony comes out with their new PSP (Play Station Portable) that will force homes to remain wide open to hackers. It’s bad enough for a company to neglect patching older products, but it’s absolutely inexcusable that the new 2005 Sony PSP will be unleashed upon the masses with defective Wi-Fi equipment. Since WEP was found to be completely broken five years ago, the Wi-Fi Alliance in 2003 mandated that all Wi-Fi products comply with the new WPA standard and use the new TKIP encryption algorithm yet Sony somehow feels exempt from this responsibility.

Although Sony isn’t the only company this year to release a new consumer product that only supports WEP encryption, they are going to be one of the biggest culprits because of the number of PSPs that will be sold. Because of their leadership status, they have a duty to build products that don’t endanger their customers cyber safety. The Sony PSP will be an extremely popular device that will introduce the notebook-less masses to Wi-Fi networking and they’re all going to want to use the PSP on their home wireless LAN. Unfortunately, PSP owners would have to lower their wireless security settings to support the PSP and endanger every computer connected to their home network.

Sony needs to rectify the situation as soon as possible by retrofitting all new PSPs off the factory floor with WPA capability and offer a free upgrade to the PSPs that are already out in the wild. Until they do so, I’m going to keep pointing to Sony as one of the biggest impediments to good wireless LAN security. Any company that endangers their customers computers or home networks with such blatant neglect should either patch the problem immediately or be liable for any damages that their customers suffer.

Sony PSP UK release slips to August

Sony PSP UK release slips to August?

Amazon.co.uk still lists the UK debut of the Sony PlayStation as 24 June 2005, but that date was called into question today. If High Street retailer Dixons' PSP pre-order service is anything to go by, the eagerly anticipated handheld console will not appear here until August.

The Dixons service, launched today, is offering up to two PSPs per person for £179 a pop. The pre-order page on the company's web site lists 1 August 2005 as the "estimated" release date.

The PSP was originally to have made its European debut in March, though the release was put back to allow Sony to increase the number of consoles it had allocated to the US launch, which took place on 24 March.
By then, Sony had already admitted that the European release date had slipped, though at the time, it said the delay was more a matter of "a few months rather than a few weeks". The

day before, Amazon.co.uk had update its PSP ETA to June, having already moved it from March to April.
Dixons' date suggests the wait will be even longer, right out into Q3. High Street games retailer GAME recently said in its latest financial outlook that it expects the PSP to appear in the second half of the year.

And "publishing sources" cited by GamesIndustry.biz have also claimed Sony is pondering an August release.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe was unavailable for comment. ®