Universal Media Disc
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| Media type | Optical disc |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 900 MB (single layer), 1.8 GB (dual layer) |
| Developed by | Sony |
| Usage | Games, movies, music |
| Extended from | December 12, 2004 |
| Extended to | December 2014 |
The Universal Media Disc (UMD) is a discontinued optical disc medium developed by Sony for use on their PlayStation Portable handheld gaming and multimedia platform. It can hold up to 1.8 gigabytes of data and is capable of housing video games, feature-length films, and music. UMD was the trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. for their optical disk cartridge (ODC).
While the primary application for UMD discs is as a storage medium for PSP games, the format is also used for the storage of motion pictures and, to a lesser degree, television shows for playback on the PSP. The video is encoded in the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC format, with the audio in ATRAC3plus. Video stored on UMD is typically encoded in 720×480 resolution, but is scaled down when displayed on the PSP.
The American punk rock band The Offspring released their Complete Music Video Collection on the format. The BBC released a number of its programs on UMD in the UK, including The Office, The Mighty Boosh, Doctor Who and Little Britain.
Some adult films have been released on UMD in Japan.
ECMA-365: Data Interchange on 60 mm Read-Only ODC – Capacity: 1.8 GB (UMD)
According to the official ECMA specification Sony designed the UMD to support two possible future enhancements and products.
In comparison to Sony's MiniDisc format, there are a number of features lacking; the sliding shield which prevents direct disc contact on MiniDiscs is absent from all UMDs released, though it is an option according to the ECMA specification. PSPs were also not made compatible with MiniDiscs.
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