When it comes to handheld portable video, two of the best selling devices include the video-capable Apple iPod and the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP). While neither promotes Video playback support as their main selling point, each device does offer some advantages and features that the other lacks.
The PSP's main advantages include its larger higher resolution 4.3" wide-screen display and a longer battery life of 3+ hours, compared with the iPod's 2.5" display and 2-3 hours battery life. On the other hand, the iPod does have offer a good clear sharp picture, USB battery recharging, much lighter and compact to carry about and features a 30GB/60GB HD, unlike the PSP which relies on a Memory sticks offering a maximum capacity of 2GB at this time. The iPod also comes with a TV-out to view content on a standard TV, a feature not currently available on the PSP. The PSP offers the capability to distribute content including live TV and pre-recorded content via Wireless to watch on the PSP, although this requires a Wireless access point to work.
When it comes to content, there is a wide selection of movies available on UMD for the PSP, which costs around that of the DVD equivalent price. Unfortunately, purchasable content is mainly limited to music videos and TV shows for the iPod, not to mention that content purchased for the iPod cannot be played on the PSP or vice versa. For a user's own video content, there are various tools (shareware & commercial) which can be obtained for the iPod and PSP to convert and upload the content to the device. Apple also offers its own iPod video conversion tool with QuickTime Pro, however this version of QuickTime costs £20.
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The PSP Sony's PlayStation Portable is considerably larger and bulkier than the new 30GB and 60GB iPods, but it has a much larger screen -- it's 4.3-inches, compared to the 2.5-inch display on the iPod. The PSP screen uses a wide aspect ratio, which means it's better for watching movies and TV shows that take advantage of that cinematic width. It's higher-resolution -- 480-x-272 pixels, compared to 320-x-240 for the iPod. (further down the article) The iPod Although the 2.5-inch display of the iPod is markedly smaller than the PSP, don't discount it for video -- it's startlingly clear. It's perfectly comfortable to watch videos or TV shows from, although the aspect ratio of the screen doesn't make it ideal for movies that are rendered in "letterbox" format, as they'll leave bars on the top and bottom of the screen. The massive storage capacity of the iPod -- 30GB or 60GB -- is more than enough to store a gigantic amount of video: Up to 150 hours for the 60GB, according to Apple's own measurement. Actually getting the iPod to play that amount is a different story, however -- you'll be lucky to get more than two hours without having to recharge the battery. The full, rather lengthy article can be read here. Another good in-depth article comparing the two can be read on Playlist here. |
While the iPod and PSP are the leading two devices sold which offer Video playback capabilities, there are many other handheld players that are actually dedicated for Video playback. For example, the Zen Vision features a decent size 3.7" display with a high resolution of 640 x 480, 30GB HD, decent 4.5 hour battery life, not to mention native support of many video codec's without conversion. Then again, for the consumer, the best device would consist of the features they would most likely use. For example, while the iPod may offer ample storage for a large video library, one cannot play PSP games on it.
Source: Digit Mag
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