UMD Video (2004 - 2011) | Museum of Obsolete Media (original) (raw)
The Universal Media Disc (UMD) was an optical disc format introduced by Sony in 2004 for use on the PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld gaming and multimedia device, the only device that UMD was ever implemented on.
As well as video games for the PSP, discs were available containing full-length movies, television shows (including a number by the BBC in the United Kingdom) and music videos. DVD region coding was applied to movies and music videos, but not for video games.
The discs themselves had a capacity of up to 1.8 GB for the dual-layer version on a 64 mm read-only optical disc. Although the discs were housed in a protective casing, there was no shutter to prevent direct contact with the disc. While similar in appearance to the Sony MiniDisc, the two formats are incompatible and there was never a recordable version of UMD.
Disappointing sales of movies on UMD meant that by 2006, retailers and studios began to withdraw support for movies on UMD, and no more movies were released on UMD after 2011. New games continued to be distributed on UMD until 2014, when the PlayStation Portable was discontinued.