Sony has already declared that it plans to make 2009 the year of the PlayStation Portable. This means that the company is set to offer more support to the handheld, which has yet to realize its full potential. Sony has announced that it plans to release a whole lot of videogames for the PSP and that it is also working with third parties to bring more titles to it.

via news.softpedia.com

Class on Demand, a provider of professional educational products for creative markets, announced the availability of "Complete Training for Episode and Episode Pro 5.1". Class on Demand instructor Nate Caplin spearheads the 4.5 hour self-paced training offering an in-depth tour of the industry leading Episode and Episode Pro compression solutions from Telestream. The modular design of the self-paced training video is ideal for both beginners needing to step into the software and the seasoned pro needing to quickly learn the very latest Episode 5.1 features.

via prmac.com

They offer no more than a casing with a screen and ROM-coded firmware on a circuit board, and allow the user to use any hard disk he wants. The VP8870 has a 4.3-inch screen (800x480 resolution). It supports CF, SD, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MMC plus Mini-SD, RS-MMC, MS-Duo and MS Pro Duo storage cards. It also supports eSATA hard disks (up to 500GB). The VP8870 has almost every feature needed in a PMP: audio- video input and output, direct printing support, a remote controller, voice and video recording, direct USB connection for data transfer and a RAW image viewer.

via digital.asiaone.com

Wireless has come of age as a reliable way to replace HDMI video cables within a room and transmit HD video throughout the house, advocates of competing solutions said during a Parks Associates seminar here at International CES this month. Panelists, however, were split over whether consumers are more interested in wireless for replacing HDMI cables within a room or for distributing HD video throughout the house. “We surveyed consumers worldwide, and 75 percent said in-room connectivity is their priority,” said John Marshall.

via hometheater.consumerelectronicsnet.com

Portable video players are no longer rare, and while some manufacturers have sought to make their products stand out with outlandish designs, Philips has taken another tack, offering a simple-looking product with some good features. The SA5285 holds up to 8GB of music or video, which amounts to around 4,000 songs. Although it looks like its predecessors in terms of the sleek black sleek case, it does have a bigger colour screen, which at 2.8in is big and clear enough to be easily readable, as well as being large enough for watching films without straining the eyes.

via computeractive.co.uk

While DVD players are virtually everywhere and portable DVD players are cheap, when you buy a Blu-ray disc you're typically limited to watching it in your home theatre. The Panasonic DMP-BD15 looks to address this; it is the first portable Blu-ray player and it's also designed to be used easily around the house with a built-in stand. Here are the details.

via cnet.com.au

When I go on my diving vacation at the end of this month, I won't be bringing this video mask. Why anyone would like to attach dumb headlights to vital diving gear is beyond me. While Liquid Image Scuba Series HD320 is a huge jump over their previous toy-mask—reaching 115 feet and capable of capturing 720p video and 5 megapixel photos—didn't anyone tell these people that one of the first rules of scuba diving is not to have objects protruding out of your personal space beyond your tank and BCD?

via gizmodo.com

LG Electronics' "3G watch phone" has a touch-screen dialling system with a camera and a speaker built in to enable users to make video calls and gain high speed access to the internet. It also recognises voices, transforms text to speech, has a Bluetooth function and works as an MP3 player. The handset is due to be launched in Europe later next year. The product has a 1.43-inch (3.63-centimetre) screen and is 0.56 inches (13.9 millimetres) thick and is due to go on display at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas from Jan 8 to 11.

via telegraph.co.uk

NEW YORK Veoh has partnered with SanDisk, a company that produces memory cards and Flash drives for devices like PCs and digital cameras, to make online video more portable. Consumers who purchase a SanDisk Cruzer USB Flash drive can now download video content from Veoh's vast library, which includes a mix of long-form, professionally produced fare and user-generated clips, via a specially designed Veoh video player. Those consumers can then view those clips on any computer or portable device.

via adweek.com

Kodak has brought its portable video camera to the market. The new 2.4-inch device captures HD quality video with specifications at 720p at 60 fps with 16:9 aspect ratio. With the camera, it is possible to add and edit music to accompany the images, while it is also possible for users to personalise videos. Kodak said of the product: "This sleek pocketable design is built for easy video - there is no lens cap, no dials to turn, or settings to set.

via cclonline.com

Our official rated review for the Cowon O2 portable video player is now up on CNET Reviews, along with a full photo gallery and a First Look video. We've been putting the O2 through its paces all week and it's held up remarkably well. It's still not the sexiest piece of tech we've laid eyes on, but it's got more muscle than any other portable video player in its price range.

via news.cnet.com

As iPods grow increasingly popular, more and more accessories pop up. Many of the sleeker designs are far out of most people’s price ranges, but they are still fun to drool over. This one isn’t the most outrageously priced I’ve seen, but it’s still not the greatest either. Either way, it’s worth checking out. With the sleek tower it could easily get slipped into any style room. Yes, it will take up a little floor space, but tucked into a corner it’d hardly take up much room.

via coolest-gadgets.com

It's not official, but the word from our friend HD Guru Gary Merson is that Panasonic has a lot of cool hardware coming to America next year. The biggest news is that there will be Blu-ray decks that actually record HD video onto shareable BDs, something we haven't seen in these parts. On the plasma front, Panny is working on NeoPDP 1080p plasma that would cut power demands by 50%, making them even more efficient than LCD.

via gizmodo.com

If you want a portable video player that can browse the Web over Wi-Fi, but the iPod Touch is just too puny, then the Archos 5 is worth a serious look. You get a luxurious 4.8-inch, 800x600 touch-screen display, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Opera Web browser, Flash 9 video and game support, up to 250GB of storage, and loads of video, audio, and photo format compatibility.

via news.cnet.com

In honor of the Apple event being held today, I've picked a daily deal that is not an iPod. The Creative Zen 8GB portable media player is a pretty sleek little device with a very impressive lineup of media features.It has been covered in the past by fellow Gadling blogger Tynan.

via gadling.com