I sort of heard about this before the official word came about, but that is another story altogether. So, the UMD is accepted and that’s that, huh? If it proves to be a worthwhile format, then I have no real problem with this.

ECMA International has accepted Sony’s UMD (Universal Media Disc), which debuted earlier this year in the PlayStation Portable (PSP), as an international standard. The UMD, which has a storage capacity of 1.8 GB and resembles a small DVD enclosed in a plastic case, is currently used by Sony to store PSP video games and movies. However, now that it’s been accepted as a standard, we’ll likely see the format move to other devices, including PCs, which could open up a new market for UMD-based media for PSPs. Currently, a wide range of movie companies support UMD as well–certainly more than I had expected–but this week’s news could lead to even more UMD-based movie releases in the future. [Get the links]