PSP to support MPEG-4 movie playback

TOKYO--According to a recent update on the official PSP Web site, the new handheld will be able to both download movie files and play them back on the fly. The site further reveals that the PSP will have the ability to play back MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) files, which the site abbreviates as MP4.

Users will be able to download MP4 files to the Memory Stick Duo, similarly to how MP3 audio files can be downloaded to the same piece of hardware. Of course, one issue to contend with is that the MP4 format, as much as it is a standard ISO format, isn't widely supported yet. Users will need to find a converter if they want to view their already existing movie files on the PSP.

For its part, Sony will be supplying Windows-based software, called Image Converter 2, that will facilitate the conversion, although a separate purchase of the program will be required. A trial version of the converter will be released the day after the PSP's Japanese launch on December 13. (Consumers only interested in viewing their home videos, take note: Sony's DSC-M1 Cybershot digital camera records files in MP4 format.)

The exact details on how to download music or movie data onto the PSP and its memory stick will be disclosed in the near future on a dedicated Web page.

As for the availability of commercial movies in UMD format, Sony has yet to announce a lineup, and it is currently unknown if any titles will be released at the PSP's launch.