Need information on the PSP - PlayStation Portable

Need information on the PSP
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sturgis | Wisconsin USA

My son got a PSP and one game and one movie from Santa. I have that much figured out on how to use it. However, people have told me it has several other uses, can anyone shed some light on this for me. I saw a website where you are supposed to be able to download all the movies and games you want. Is this a good idea? If so, would I have to buy more memory sticks? I am not real savy with this and any help would be appreciated.
Thank you!

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12/27/07 JeffyPooh

The PSP has become a multimedia powerhouse.

Does your house have a Wii hotspot compatible with 802.11 b (note the b)? Many 802.11g routers also provide b as well.

One of the first things to do is update the firmware to 3.80. You need about 23MB free space on the memory stick.

The major features are:
Internet Browser
Internet Radio
RSS subscriptions to podcasts (audio and video) - can automatically download at night
Downloaded audio and video (easiest if already in PSP-compatible format)
The UMD movies are fairly cheap these days. Many are $8 - $15 range.
Plenty of not too expensive games available as well.
But the latest are full price of course...
Plays music (MP3 files, etc.)

Some people spend all day converting DVDs into PSP files; takes too much time for my tastes.

Depending on the age of your son, some parental supervision might be advisable...

If you're going to buy a stick, 1GB is sort-of the lowest reasonable size these days. 4GB is pretty spacious.

You only need one stick. You offload the files to your PC thru the USB cable if you don't need them right now. The only time you might want multiple sticks is if you're going on a trip and wanted to bring lots of files but didn't want to bring a laptop. Then you'd simply lose one of the sticks under the seat anyway, so you be no further ahead.

12/27/07 sturgis

Thank you for the help JeffyPooh. My home does not have any type of wireless computer stuff as we live out in the boondocks and I am not sure it is available. How do I update that firmware? These words are little over my head. I work on a computer at my office, but we are not really updated, so I don't know much. Thanks for the help on the memory stick. I am wondering if you can download a movie from the PSP to a DVD. Would that work? How would one do something like that if its posible?

12/27/07 JeffyPooh

We also live just outside the normal high speed Internet area, but we got a cell-phone type gadget that provides very nice EV-DO high speed Internet for about twice the normal price. Here is my EV-DO in NS blog: Link= link

Satellite Internet is available almost anywhere. Google WildBlue for example.

Having high speed Internet and a WiFi hotspot in your house changes everything. It isn't just faster. It enables everything. When we got high speed Internet recently, all the toys sprung to life. The Wii is now on-line with news, weather, and an Internet browser. It even provides YouTube video on our home theatre screen. The PSPs have sprung to life with Internet Radio and PodCasts. I can now use my laptop lounging on the couch in the living room. Everyone can do everything at once. Even if you have to pay through the nose to get high speed, get it if you're even slightly interested.

A 23MB file is a bit much to download over dial-up. It is do-able, but a huge pain in the butt. I've done it that way many times. Might be better to download the file at work and bring it home on a USB memory stick or CD-R. The website is as follows:

Link= link

Look under "Update using a PC".

Be sure to follow the instructions carefully, and don't do it during a dark-and-stormy night because a power glitch might 'brick' your PSP.

Moving a video from DVD to PSP has been well documented on other threads on this website. It is an involved process and (on normal PCs) takes an hour or several hours. The resultant video file needs to fit on the memory stick, so if you don't have a stick, don't bother. You have to first download some freeware to convert the DVD to PSP format. There are lots to choose from. Review the threads. I've done it several times but I got bored and don't bother anymore. Others are probably more up to date than me.

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