Warner offers PlayStation films

The Dukes of Hazzard will launch Warner's UMD catalogue

Warner Home Video has announced it will release movies and other content on the new disc format, Universal Media Disc.

It is the sixth and last of the major studios to embrace the UMD, which can only be used on Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP) multimedia player.

Warner will initially release eight movies on UMD in the US, beginning with The Dukes of Hazzard on 6 December.

20th Century Fox, Universal, Paramount, Buena Vista and Sony have all released titles on the new format.

It leaves Dreamworks as the only significant holdout, though the studio will be making some of its animated films available on Nintendo's Gameboy Video format.

Other Warner titles released in December include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Batman Begins and The Matrix.

New releases will retail for around $30 (£17), with older titles priced around $20 (£11).

'Great movies'

Sony has sold more than 2.2m PSP units in the US since its March launch, while 10 UMD titles have already sold more than 100,000 units.

The PSP is the fastest-selling games console of all time in the UK, shifting more than 185,000 units in its first four days.

Alison Biggers, Sony's vice president of worldwide marketing, attributes part of its success to the fact that "everyone is releasing great movies on UMD".

"We're starting to see a wide array of content," she told the Hollywood Reporter.

"What began as specifically targeted films for the 18- to 34-year-old male demographic has expanded to both a younger and a more mass-market audience."

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released 51 movies on UMD with another 14 in the pipeline.

Buena Vista has released or announced 30 titles, while Fox has 23.