Sony Announces PSP Podcasting Support

Features

• Two-paned view lets users see media on a PC and PSP system at the same time
• Automatic file format conversion
• CD extraction — transfer CDs to the PSP system
• Podcast and video blog support — download and encode feeds for PSP playback
• Customizable compression options for music, movies, and images

The software lets users take full advantage of the PSP system's ability to display various types of multimedia content by leveraging its capabilities as a portable music device, digital photo album, and movie viewer. Users can transfer videos, music, and still images, all via a USB-cable connecting their PSP system to a personal computer.

A download-only version is available for US $19.95 at the Sony site. A boxed version, which will include a 6-foot USB 2.0 cable, sample media, and 5 free song downloads from the CONNECT music store, will be available on December 1st with an MSRP of US $29.95.

PSP Media Manager

The PSP Media Manager software provides quick navigation and thumbnail previews to easily identify photos and videos to move from the PC to PSP system, and even lets users select amongst different quality settings (bit rates) for the transferred media. The PSP Media Manager application supports most popular video and audio formats, and also makes it simple to locate and subscribe to a variety of RSS feeds including podcasts, video blogs, and PSP formatted magazines for automatic downloading to the PSP system. The software also provide a one-click option that lets users back up game saves, images, videos, and music files from the PSP system to their PC.

"With the release of the new PSP Media Manager software, we're providing Sony technology that lets users easily optimize and transfer their content from the PC to their PSP system using a familiar drag-and-drop interface," says Dave Chaimson, vice president of marketing, Sony Media Software. "Whether your source is 16:9 high definition video footage, a collection of photos from your latest vacation, or a PSP formatted publication, this new technology lets you view and share it anywhere you and your PSP system go."

PSP Media Manager Features Includes:

General
Extensive video, audio, and image support
Easy drag-and-drop transfer to PSP
Photo and video thumbnail preview
Background processing

Video
Video support for .mp4, .avi, .mpg, .mov, .wmv, and more
High quality, Sony AVC (H.264) video encoding
Customizable target encoding settings

Music
Automatic album name folder creation
Audio support for .mp3, .wav, .wma, and other formats
Gracenote® CD album identification
Customizable bitrate options for encoding and playback

Images
Automatic photo album name folder creation
One-click transfer of entire PSP-formatted magazines
Image support for .bmp, .jpg, .gif, .png, .tif, and others

Feeds
Built-in directory of popular RSS feeds including ACIDplanet.com podcasts
One-click refresh to get the latest podcast episodes on the PSP
Feed subscription, import, and export

Game Saves
Back up game saves on your computer or PSP
Move game saves between Memory Stick™ Duo media

Additional information on the PSP Media Manager and other Sony software products can be found at www.sony.com/mediasoftware.

Source: Sony via Nick at Deep Signal Studios