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After much speculation, Apple surprised industry-watchers and fans everywhere when they released their new, video-enabled iPod (30GB MSRP US$299) last week. The arrival of this fresh entry to the portable multimedia market has not only signaled Apple’s intention to broaden its content delivery from music to video, but has also ushered in the mainstream potential of personal video, which is now riding high on the ubiquitous white and silver (and now black) icon.

Sony’s PlayStation Portable (MSRP US$250), however, is no slouch in the multimedia department. Given their relatively similar price points, and coupled with their increased appeal to the younger crowd than all the other portable media gadgets currently available in the market, it was only fitting that we here at cheapandtiny.com thought it kosher to put them both in an arena, give each of them lirpas and a bad case of plak-tau, and have them duke it out to the death.

(To even out the prices, the PSP review will assume the use of a SanDisk 256 MB Pro Duo Gaming Memory Card (MSRP US$49.99).)

Availability of Content
Apple iPod – The essence of the iPod’s popularity (besides it being the hippest piece of hardware since the pet rock) is its ease of use with Apple’s iTunes Music Store. Since the service launched in April 2003, the iTMS music library has grown to over 2 million songs, eventually expanding to podcasts, audiobooks, and in the most recent version, downloadable TV shows and music videos. Transferring music or videos to the iPod is ridiculously simple and blissfully free from compatibility issues of any kind. That kind of ease is a moot point, however, if you have no interest in the women of Wisteria Lane or in Gilligan’s Isla…I mean, Lost.

At this early stage, iTunes is understandably limited in the video content arena: Currently, only ABC and Disney have signed up to distribute episodes of some of their most popular shows. Despite the reasonable price point of $1.99 per download, the proposition of purchasing TV episodes seems unappealing, mostly because these very same shows can be had off the Internet for free. The next few months will tell how much support Apple will be able to drum up from the networks, but for now it’s slim pickings.

A collection of short films from Pixar and about 2,000 music videos add to the list of offerings, but this is more filler in my book than actual “worth it” content.

Sony PSP – Sony’s online music store is, in comparison to Apple’s, laughably pathetic at this stage. Sadly, music downloads from music download services like Napster and Yahoo aren’t compatible either.

Even more disappointing is Sony’s complete lack of software to transfer music to the PSP: The gadget acts as a removable hard drive when hooked up to a computer, but that’s eons away from the no-brainer syncing ability of the iPod. There is existing third-party software that will do the job easily enough, but Sony really dropped the ball when they released the PSP with no automated way to fill it with media.

On the video side, the PSP comes out on top. Sony has nearly 300 movies available on the PSP’s proprietary UMD (Universal Media Disc) format, and more are being made available each week. Rentals are hard to come by: Unfortunately, no major rental chains offer UMD rentals in the US at this point (rumor has it Blockbuster may join the fray), and the only existing online rental service is through Gamefly.com.

The latest firmware update for the PSP now allows support for Sony’s LocationFree, a system that allows users to stream video content from their home to the PSP over the Internet. This entails another gadget purchase and a bit of know-how with hooking up your home entertainment equipment, so those still trying to figure out how to program their VCRs may want to ignore this advantage.

WINNER: Tie. For music, the iPod wins hands down. For video, the PSP is the current king.

Ease of Use
Apple iPod – Apple’s streamlined interface, coupled with the even more dead-simple trademark Click Wheel, makes navigating through your media collection efficient and painless. Its one-handed design doesn’t hurt either. This is as simple as it gets, folks.

Sony PSP – Sony’s XMB (Cross Media Bar) interface lays out your music and video categories in an easy-to-follow, somewhat intuitive manner. Finding specific music and videos could have been made a little less clunky, however. (You have to arrange your music and videos into folders or else they all get dumped into the base directory.) Having to use both hands to accomplish even basic options on the PSP makes it slightly unwieldly for commuting, as it the mess of buttons on the front, which could potentially confound the less tech-savvy consumer.

WINNER: What, are you kidding me? Apple’s iPod. No contest.

Playback Capabilities
Apple iPod - The new iPod now sports a larger 2.5-inch (diagonal) LCD screen at a resolution of 320×240. Apple opted to not put a widescreen into this version of the iPod (likely due to feasibility tests for video sales and size constraints), but the happily more robust screen is bright and very viewable. The iPod also supports the new H.264 format (MP4) and Quicktime, and with a storage set of 30GB, the iPod can store thousands of songs, loads of photos, and that entire season of “That’s So Raven” that you say you “hate” but secretly “love”.

Battery life is still an issue for this iPod. While a full charge can squeeze out about 14 hours of music, the 30GB model only has enough juice for 2 hours of video.

A video-out port on the iPod dock means that you can play your videos on any TV, but the low resolution of the videos may make for a less than satisfying viewing experience for video connoisseurs.

Sony PSP – A vibrant, 4.3-inch LCD screen in widescreen format at a resolution of 480×272 is the most prominent feature of this device. The PSP has built-in support for H.264 and MPEG4, but third-party software like PSPvideo9 allows users to convert their videos (DivX, Quicktime, MPEG, etc.) into a PSP-compatible format, which makes importing your “educational documentaries” into the PSP a breeze.

Since the PSP has no hard drive (although a 4GB mini drive from Datel is in the works), media storage on the PSP depends on the size of your Memorystick Duo Pro. At moderate compression rates, approximately 2 hours of video or about 5 music albums will fit on a 256MB card. Battery life is slightly better than the iPod in regard to video playback, lasting about four hours or so before needing to be plugged in. But unlike the iPod, the PSP’s battery is removable, which gives video addicts the option of picking up spare backup batteries.

WINNER: Sony’s PSP. While the iPod is unmatched in storage capacity, a wider screen, higher resolution, and the ability to change batteries make the PSP the more viable choice for on-the-go video.

Cool Factor
Apple iPod – There’s no denying the impact that the iPod has had on the public. Technology, once the bane of fashionistas and urban hipsters, was redefined by the minimalist nature of Apple’s runaway product. Until Apple decides to mutate into a greedy corporate monolith (what, you mean they haven’t already?), everyone will always look forward to getting that new iPod in their stocking every Christmas.

Sony PSP – The sleek, shiny simple black façade of the PSP cuts down on its high dork factor, but the obvious fact that the unit is a game machine (which practically screams geek) as well as a media player rules this out for many mainstream consumers.

Winner: Apple’s iPod.

The Bottom Line: Those looking for a simple, easy-to-use audio player shouldn’t hesitate to go for the iPod, while people out for a portable video player may instead want to consider the PSP for its bright, wide screen and better battery life.