I'm am buying my PSP based on the hopes that someday I'll be able to make my own UMD disks. I mean, I'm almost positive the movie market for the PSP will flat-out fail (Christmas might kick it up a little, but who wants to buy 2 copies of every movie?). I know the disks are 128 bit AES encrypted, but should the encryption get leaked (hopefully its the same used on memory sticks magic gate) then the data could be seen. I am not interested in game backups at all, I don't know if this board has rules about this. What I want to do is be able to burn movies/audio files to UMD disks, because buying a large memory stick and using it like that just isn't feasible. If you want to take 8-9 movies with you on a trip, you either buy several one gig memory sticks, bring a laptop and copy them over each time(but why watch a movie on PSP when you can watch a DVD on a laptop), or have multiple burned UMD disks from legitimate DVD's. Now to the hardware part, if you compare DVD disks and UMD disks, they have the same data density (based on dual layered UMD's and PSPs). They also use the same wavelength laser to read from them (660nm). In theory, a DVD should be able to be read by a psp. From the little I could find on the topic, apparently the data surface goes closer to the center of the disk on UMD's compared to DVD's. This is one thing that must be overcome. But, I think it is very feasible (if you can find a way to overcome this obstacle) to use DVD+-R disks in a UMD case. I don't know if the PSP will be able to read unencrypted data, but hopefully it can. Anyway, you only be able to use single layer dvd's (at least at first), because dual layer DVD+R disks wouldn't start on the second layer of the disk until it reached the end (and half of the disk is going to need to be trimmed. So my guess would be around 900 mb (though probably less just because of trimming) that could be fit on one of these monsters. If we can find a way to do this, it will greatly increase the usuability of the PSP, at least until and if sony decides to make a UMD burner. I just want to know what you all think of this, I would've posted on PS2Dev, but the two previous threads were locked because people started talking about game backups. Anyone else think this could work?
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DO TALK ABOUT GAME BACKUPS AT ALL! I'm not interested in game backups whatsoever and I don't want this thread closed!
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Homebrew Writeable UMD's
No.Anyone else think this could work?
While it does appear that a UMDs surface is a the same a dual-layer DVD, that's just the tip of the iceberg in terms of trying to burn your own UMDs.
Where do you think you are going to get blanks from? Where can you get "to-the-center" DVD blanks (ie. blanks without the hole in the middle)? Even if such a thing existed it wouldn't work. On CDRs (and DVDRs too I think, don't have a blank in front of me at work) there is a very short read-only section near the hole that contains, among other things, the disks serial number. Also, CDRs (and again, I think this applies to DVDRs too) have a spiral track pressed into them that the write head follows as it burns. So not only would you have to get a DVD blank with a totally different hole size, you'd also have to get it made with a totally different pressing mechanism that pressed this spiral track onto the UMD dimentions and with any special formatting that the UMD format requires (I'll check one of my games when I get home tonight to see if I can see a 'header' track).
Threre's also no guarantee that the laser in the PSP can read DVDR media. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the laser in the PSP is spec'ed at precisely what was needed and no more as any excess capability could have an impact on cost and/or battery life.
And this is just the physical. There's no publically known information about what filesystem UMD uses, if its sector formatting is the same as a DVD or completely different, how the encryption works, etc. In the same way that DVD is much more than an MPEG-2 file dropped on a UDF filesystem, a UMD is probably much more than an MPEG-4 file dropped on a UMD disk. There's probably all kinds of minimum requirements that must be be met with regards to menus, chaptering, etc.
Even if you did conquer all this, you'd still have to get a supply of the plastic shells for your burnt disks. I guess you could reuse the same one over and over as a caddy, but you're really cutting into the convenience factor of this whole idea.
Wouldn't it be much easier to just buy a cheap portable DVD player with built-in LCD screen? You'd get a bigger screen! Or perhaps one of the upcoming personal video player units with a built-in hard drive?
And before anyone mentions the possibility, Sony has already stated that they have no plans to create a writable UMD at this point. They are being VERY tight-fisted about the UMD format right now, despite promises to open it up to more manufacturers in the future. It really amazes me how Sony doesn't see the opportunity for tech licensing income by developing the UMD standard into a general-purpose drive standard. I'd love to see, in 5 years time, every device bigger than a pack of altoids have a 2G RW optical drive in it with media that costs dollars.
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bombadier337
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 7:33 am
Well how about this
There is no way of knowing whether or not Sony used a standard DVD to make the UMD's. That being said, would it somehow be possible to make the PSP start looking for a track further away from the center? The laser for reading UMD's and DVD's are the same, so that isn't a problem, but I don't know how likely it would be they used the standard DVD format.
But, if by chance Sony used a typical DVD format, I'd say theres a pretty good chance the PSP could use a DVD+-R disk. I have at least two DVD players from when DVD's were new(before DVD-RW), that can read DVD-R. I wish Sony would just open up the format, they could charge more for their proprietary burner, but it would definately sell well (both the PSP, the burner, and whatever UMD device might be out). That's just my $0.02
Also, I don't want to get a portable DVD player because trying to figure out the PSP is more rewarding, more fun, and because I don't care if I have a portable DVD player that much, so if I can make one out of another device that's just a bonus.
Also, if you don't think this is possible, what do you think is the chance we'll find a way to make our own UMD's in the future (including Sony deciding to release a burner)?
Just thought of this as well, what do you think would happen if a typical computer were to be fed the information off of a UMD that was encrypted. Now, if a UMD is in a nonstandard format, a typical computer DVD drive shouldn't be able to read it at all. But if it's in a standard format, shouldn't it be possible to extract an encrypted image of the disk from a DVD drive. I don't know how the whole extra room on the center would work out, that would probably screw it up (unless a DVD drive as some laser that was designed to go closer than it needs to or something, and whe u make the center hole larger you don't have to touch the recording surface). Once again, none of this is for game backup, it is simply to explore the device. I hate you Sony, this would be so much easier if the UMD had the same size center hole as a DVD!
There is no way of knowing whether or not Sony used a standard DVD to make the UMD's. That being said, would it somehow be possible to make the PSP start looking for a track further away from the center? The laser for reading UMD's and DVD's are the same, so that isn't a problem, but I don't know how likely it would be they used the standard DVD format.
But, if by chance Sony used a typical DVD format, I'd say theres a pretty good chance the PSP could use a DVD+-R disk. I have at least two DVD players from when DVD's were new(before DVD-RW), that can read DVD-R. I wish Sony would just open up the format, they could charge more for their proprietary burner, but it would definately sell well (both the PSP, the burner, and whatever UMD device might be out). That's just my $0.02
Also, I don't want to get a portable DVD player because trying to figure out the PSP is more rewarding, more fun, and because I don't care if I have a portable DVD player that much, so if I can make one out of another device that's just a bonus.
Also, if you don't think this is possible, what do you think is the chance we'll find a way to make our own UMD's in the future (including Sony deciding to release a burner)?
Just thought of this as well, what do you think would happen if a typical computer were to be fed the information off of a UMD that was encrypted. Now, if a UMD is in a nonstandard format, a typical computer DVD drive shouldn't be able to read it at all. But if it's in a standard format, shouldn't it be possible to extract an encrypted image of the disk from a DVD drive. I don't know how the whole extra room on the center would work out, that would probably screw it up (unless a DVD drive as some laser that was designed to go closer than it needs to or something, and whe u make the center hole larger you don't have to touch the recording surface). Once again, none of this is for game backup, it is simply to explore the device. I hate you Sony, this would be so much easier if the UMD had the same size center hole as a DVD!
" I hate you Sony, this would be so much easier if the UMD had the same size center hole as a DVD!"
Hah, that would really be stupid of them if they are trying to cut down on size :)
But nice wishful thinking...
Even if you could sand it down, yeah, how would you test it? How would you know if the PSP is reading it or not?
Hah, that would really be stupid of them if they are trying to cut down on size :)
But nice wishful thinking...
Even if you could sand it down, yeah, how would you test it? How would you know if the PSP is reading it or not?
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Guest
Locked.
There is no possible way to read, much less write homebrew UMD disks.
Not even close.
Sony gave ppl the ability to store movies on memory stick. 99.9% of people aren't going to go on a long trip where they need 8-9 of them for a PSP, and such people needing to expend an overwhelming of time and effort in comparison in order to crack the UMD format just doesn't sound right. Sounds contrived to me.
Whether its your intention or not, especially since it really isn't close to possible anyhow, the primary application for what you are asking is warez..
There is no possible way to read, much less write homebrew UMD disks.
Not even close.
Sony gave ppl the ability to store movies on memory stick. 99.9% of people aren't going to go on a long trip where they need 8-9 of them for a PSP, and such people needing to expend an overwhelming of time and effort in comparison in order to crack the UMD format just doesn't sound right. Sounds contrived to me.
Whether its your intention or not, especially since it really isn't close to possible anyhow, the primary application for what you are asking is warez..