Elgato Systems announces a hardware encoder in USB Stick format that rapidly converts video files to the high quality H.264 (MP4) format for iPod, Apple TV, and Sony PSP. Turbo.264 accelerates exports by a factor of 4 on an Intel Core 2 Duo up to a factor of 10 on a Power PC G4. The rate of acceleration depends on the Mac processor type.

Furthermore, Turbo.264 offloads the computationally intensive software conversion of video files away from your Macintosh, leaving it free for other tasks – a virtual co-processor for the Mac. Turbo.264 supports all Macs with USB 2.0.

There is no need to acquire additional software to convert videos, since Turbo.264 comes with video conversion software by Elgato. Simply drag-and-drop videos into the application and chose one of four formats: iPod Standard, iPod High, Apple TV, Sony PSP).

Turbo.264 supports batch conversions and even offers exports of unprotected DVD content (VOB files). Turbo.264 also accelerates exports from the most important Macintosh video applications such as iMovie, QuickTime Pro, Final Cut Pro, and EyeTV.

Turbo.264 supports resolutions of up to 800 by 600 pixels, enabling videos and TV recordings in PAL or NTSC formats to be converted to Apple TV with no scaling. In addition, Turbo.264 supports standard resolutions for iPod and Sony PSP. When conversion is complete, Turbo.264 automatically transfers video files to iTunes, making them immediately available to Apple TV or the iPod.

Pricing & Availability

Turbo.264 is available immediately for US$99.95 in the Elgato Online Shop as well as through distribution. The package includes the USB 2.0 Hardware Encoder, the Turbo.264 software on CD-ROM, a user’s guide on CD-ROM, a quick start guide as well as a USB extension cable.

Yep! PSP owners have been getting quite the demo treatment lately, and it wasn’t about to stop with TOCA Race Driver 3. Fresh from the pipeline we present to you a Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror demo. Dark Mirror is one of the best FPS the PSP has, and one of my personal favorite games.

We told you that a Syphon Filter demo was on the way. We should see the PSP SOCOM demo soon as well!

You can grab the demo now.

1. Download the demo file. (thanks anyo.org)
2. Extract the contents to your desktop
3. Connect your PSP to your computer using a USB cable.
4. Navigate to the PSP > GAME folder.
5. Copy the UCUS98641 folder into the GAME directory on your PSP.

Enjoy!

While Killzone: Liberation didn’t take PSP Game of the Year honors, it still has a legion of fans that love its action-packed top-down gameplay. If you missed this game last year, now’s your chance to try a sweet downloadable demo.

YourPSP users:
Connect your PSP to your computer and visit Killzone.com. You will be able to download and install the demo automatically.

Everyone else:
1. Download the demo ZIP file.
2. Extract the contents of the ZIP file.
3. Connect your PSP to your computer using a USB cable.
4. Go to the PSP/GAME folder.
5. Copy UCES00279-Demo folder into directory.

Source pspfanboy.com

Sony mentioned a few days ago that they were hard at work to make key 3rd and 1st party demos available for download. Well, today you can download an official Medal of Honor: Heroes demo directly to your system. I’m a demo whore and constantly download these onto my memory stick. I play them all a few times and then just leave them there, my spoils of war.

Follow the directions below to download them directly.

YourPSP users: (European users only)

Connect your PSP to your computer and visit YourPSP.com. You will be able to download and install the demo automatically.

Everyone else:
1. Download the demo ZIP file.
2. Extract the contents of the ZIP file.
3. Connect your PSP to your computer using a USB cable.
4. Go to the PSP/GAME folder.
5. Copy ULED90008 folder into directory.

Given that Sony invented portable music players with the creation of the original Walkman back in the 80s, it’s not going to come as a surprise to hear that its PSP handheld console will also play music for you on the go. All you need is a Memory Stick Duo to store MP3s on and a USB cable with a Mini-B type connector, both of which can be bought at your local home electronics or PC store. Your PSP will play both MP3s, which can be created by ripping the tracks from a regular audio CD using your PC and Microsoft Windows Media Player 10, and ATRAC3 audio files. Once transferred, you’ll be able to play games and music when you’re next out and about with your PSP!

If you’ve connected your PSP to your PC before, perhaps to transfer a movie or some digital photos, skip to step 4.

With your PSP turned off, insert the Memory Stick Duo into the Memory Stick slot on the left of the PSP console. Turn your PSP back on and go to the home screen and access the Settings. Scroll down to System Settings and press X.
Within the System Settings section, scroll down to Format Memory Stick and press X. Confirm that you want to format the Memory Stick Duo and wait for a few seconds while it takes place.
Once formatted, return to the Settings section at the home screen and scroll to USB Connection. Connect one end of the USB cable to your PC and the other to your PSP and then press X.
This will enable your PSP’s USB connection and, after your PC has loaded any drivers it needs (as long as you’re using Windows ME, 2000 or XP it’ll do this automatically), open My Computer on your PC’s desktop.
Double-click on the Removable Drive icon and then on the PSP folder. You’ll now see a selection of folders, one of which is called MUSIC. Open this folder by double-clicking on it with your mouse.
You can now save or drag and drop your music files into this folder, either individually or in their own sub-folder. Once itransferred, press O on your PSP and go to the Music icon on your PSP’s home screen and press X.

While it is primarily a gaming console, Sony has made the Playstation Portable (PSP) powerful enough to allow not just playback of MP3s, but also to decode video files for viewing on-the-go. What’s more, the large display on the PSP is a whopping 4.3 inches, as large or larger than some current dedicated PVPs–even though the PSP has already been around for more than two years. Add to the fact that 2GB and 4GB Memory Stick Duo cards are now very affordable, and you’ve a very attractive proposition for a video player in the PSP.

Universal Media Disc

Of the two major handheld gaming devices (Sony PSP and Nintendo DS), only the PSP has video playback as one of its intended features. The media format used for games and videos is the Universal Media Disc (UMD) which, ironically, isn’t very universal. So far, the PSP is the only device to use this format, with all commercial games and movies sold on this tiny disc.

Rumors hailing the death of UMD movies have come and gone, but these continue to exist, with studios occasionally releasing current movies in this format. One of the most recent releases is Casino Royale, which many will recognize to be the latest James Bond film. It is the simplest way to watch video on your PSP, but the range of titles is dependent on release dates by studios, similar to waiting for DVD releases.

Know your PSP
The display on the PSP has a resolution of 480 x 272 pixels. This is a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is ideal for widescreen movies. The video codec supported on the PSP is h.264 and the files for playback bear the .MP4 extension.

To watch your own videos on the PSP, it is necessary to store them on a Memory Stick Duo. These have to be in a certain format with a certain way of naming them. So if you have a whole bunch of videos on your PC, there will be quite a bit of work. Don’t worry about having to use complicated video-editing software to do the conversion. Free applications exist to help you convert videos into the proper format, and even rename the files so they will play on the PSP.

PSP Blender offers many applications to aid you in the process of converting your video files free as part your membership. Not only do they include the software needed but they include step by step instructions and full support if any problems arise.

Everybody loves YouTube.com. It has examples of everything you’d want to watch, from Lonelygirls to football goals, old men complaining to Goths crying. The only trouble is our lack of time. If only we could catch up with everyone else by watching that funny bad advert from the ’80s while commuting to work. If only there was some way…

Go to YouTube and pick the video you want to convert. We chose a video about blenders, as it was the top rated clip the day we looked. Go up to the address bar, click it, and Ctrl-C to copy the video’s address.
Go to YouTubeX.com. Paste your video’s address into the main box and click Get Video. Click Download and save your video to the desktop.
Right click your newly downloaded video and change the name from get_video to get_video.flv. You may be asked if you’re sure you want to change the file extension, in which case you should reply that you are.
Go to TVC’s homepage and click Free Download. Save the file to the desktop, then double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Run the Total Video Converter programme. Click on get_video.flv and hold the left mouse button down. Drag the video into TVC’s Track List Window. On the screen that pops up choose PSP Mpeg4. Click Convert Now and wait while it does its thing.
Now all you have to do is put the converted video on your PSP. Follow our guide to do just that and you’re away.

1. Get a Memory Stick for your PSP:

Before you can load any data onto your Sony PSP, you must have a memory stick to store the files onto. The PSP comes with a tiny 32MB card that is only big enough to store a relatively small amount of files. If you plan on watching video clips and installing lots of games on your PSP, you will need to purchase a larger Memory Stick Pro Duo card. These cards come in several different sizes. Exact sizes vary depending on compression rates and quality, but on average, you will need about 5MB for every 1 minute of video. Before you can use a brand new Memory Stick with your PSP, you need to reformat it. If you don’t know how to do this, here’s a quick tutorial on how to format a PSP Memory Stick.

2. Format your Memory Stick on your PSP:

Before you can use a brand new Memory Stick with your PSP, you need to reformat it. If you don’t know how to do this, here’s a quick tutorial on how to format a PSP Memory Stick.

3. Download this test video clip and thumbnail to your computer:

Right + Click (PC, Mac) or Option + Click (Mac) to save each of these two files to your Desktop. Joe Vs. Wade (ZIP file, 32MB)

4. Connect the PSP to your computer:

If you haven’t already, you need to connect the PSP to your computer with the USB cable that it came with and put the PSP into USB mode. Press the HOME button located on the bottom left of your PSP and then scroll left to the SETTINGS column. Scroll down to USB CONNECTION and press X. The Memory Stick inside your PSP will now mount on your computer.

5. Copy the video onto your PSP:

In order to playback video files on your PSP, you must copy them into the proper folder. The correct file path is MP_ROOT > 100MNV01. If you place video files anywhere else on the Memory Stick, they will not playback properly. If the MP_ROOT and 100MNV01 folders don’t already exist on your PSP’s Memory Stick, then you need to make two new folders and name them in ALL CAPS. Just a reminder, the 100MNV01 folder goes inside the MP_ROOT folder. The PSP requires video (M4V) and thumbnail (THM) files must be named starting with M4V and ending with five random numbers ie. M4V12345.

The following two diagrams should help explain where the video files need to go:

MEMSTICK.IND

MP-ROOT

MSTK_PRO.IND

PSP

100MNV01

(videos)

6. Watch the video on your PSP:

Once the video file has finished transferring onto your Memory Stick, you can disconnect the PSP from your computer. Scroll over to the VIDEO column on your Sony PSP and you should now see the video file. Press X to watch it. Enjoy!

It’s been a while since I’ve played with my PSP. Recently I got my hands on the Sony Location Free Base station and decided to try out the LF Player on the PSP. To do this I needed to upgrade my PSP’s firmware, but I did not want to lose my homebrew, otherwise all of my LUA apps, and other software would stop working. I’ve decided to figure out how to use DevHook to emulate a new firmware, and while I was expecting a long and complicated process, it was actually really simple to do on my PSP.

This is due to the hard work of a lot of developers, and I applaud their efforts for making it to this point. A user on PSPUpdates has posted a simple tutorial detailing the process. What it does is pretty slick… You need to download 3 things. The normal PSP Update PBP, DevHook, and a script that will extract the update file and make it usable in DevHook. In less than 5 minutes I was running an emulated PSP Firmware 3.01.

I was able to get the locationfree base station streaming to the PSP after manually linking the two using Sony’s Setup mode button. When the base station is streaming to the PSP, the LF LCDTV just goes black. No message is displayed to let you know what’s happening and why the video signal has been lost. Apparently you can only stream to one device at a time. Pretty Lame.

The video quality to the PSP wasn’t great, watchable, but not for a long period of time. The sound wasn’t very good, but I think that was because the sound on my cable box was too low. I cranked the PSP to it’s max volume and it was not loud and sounded very tinny.

Bottom line, the LCDTV + Sony base station works great, but the PSP player is not very useful, and the 1 stream limit needs to be increased, I’m not sure if slingbox has the same limitations, but I think I’m going to give that a shot next.

Also, you may want to take a look at PMP, which will allow you to stream media from your PC to your PSP. It works quite well, and the video quality is not bad. They have just released version 1.02 which includes even more GUI improvements and lots more. This is a much better streaming solution for your media.

Download PMP - the PSP Media Streamer/Player Solution here

Sony is slowly getting better at releasing demos online for you to try before you buy. Unfortunately though, the downloads are often time-limited or region specific. Follow our guide to download and play demos from all around the world.

On your PC, open your browser and visit PSP Demo Center. You’re presented with logos for each demo as well as the region the demo was released in (if relevant). We chose the LocoRoco Halloween demo.
Right click the game you want to try and click Save Link As… Naturally, save it wherever you can easily find it. We recommend the desktop. Click Save and wait a moment while it downloads.
Go here and click Download Now to download ExtractNow. Minimize your browser so you can see the files you’ve downloaded. Double click on ExtractNow.exe and follow the instructions to install and run it.
Drag the PSP demo you downloaded into the ExtractNow window and click Extract.
Connect your PSP to your PC with a USB cable. Scroll all the way left on your PSP’s home screen and select USB connection. Press ‘X’ and wait a moment while your PC loads drivers. Open My Computer on your PC and double-click Removable Drive.
Drag the Explorer window to the side so you can see the folder you created by extracting the file in Step 04. Drag the folder into the Explorer window. Confirm and wait a moment while it sends. Disconnect your PSP from your computer. Scroll right on the home screen to Game, then down to Memory Stick. Press ‘X’ to run.