Who needs Blu-ray? Japan gets "This Is It" on SD card and USB stick

The special Michael Jackson PS3 bundle (PS3 plus “This Is It”, a documentary–concert film, on Blu-ray ) unveiled today by Sony Japan wasn’t the only relevant product announcement for Japanese Jacko fans today. Nagoya-based Hagiwara-Sys Com is to release the film on two very unique media [JP], namely on a USB flash memory and an SD card.

The USB memory stick version (2GB) is dubbed “PC Edition”. Buyers will get “This Is It” in WMV format with 720×406 resolution and 1.5Mbps bit rate (the music bit rate is 128kbps). The PC Edition requires Windows XP/Vista/7 and Windows Media Player 9. Users will need to be online the first time they want to watch This Is It in order for Hagiwara to certify it’s an original file.

The so-called “Mobile Edition” of the movie is stored on a 1GB SD card. Hagiwara is selling this version for people who want to watch This Is It on their cell phones. It’s not the first time a Japanese company distributes digital content on SD cards.

Both versions will be sold in an LP jacket (315x315mm) starting January 27. Hagiwara throws in a 24-page booklet in vinyl record design and four Michael Jackson post cards. Prices: $50 for the SD version and $70 for the USB stick version.

Hagiwara is a global company, but I doubt these media will ever be available anywhere outside Japan. I’d suggest you contact Japanese movie specialist CDJapan in case you’re interested.