Sony UMD Accepted as Standard Disk Format

ECMA International has accepted Sony's Universal Media Disc (UMD), which debuted earlier this year in the PlayStation Portable (PSP), as an international standard. The UMD, which has a storage capacity of 1.8GB 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 UMD has 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