Forums > News > NextGen DVD battle may hinge on pr0n
nullnullnull (1463) on 1/15/2007 4:01 PM · Permalink · Report
An Op-Ed on TechDirt speculates that Sony's refusal to allow Blu-ray to be used for pr0n will ultimately doom the format. tgdaily notes that the adult industry embraces new technology earlier than most industries and that adult films on VHS ultimately drove Betamax out of the market. Is pr0n really that powerful?
Robstein (199) on 1/15/2007 4:58 PM · Permalink · Report
I'd say it certainly seems so given what's happened in the past. Sex does indeed sell.
Apparently it's already begun, too. The interweb has failed to find me a page documenting this info, but on G4 TV's special on the A.E.E (Adult Entertainment Expo) they mentioned that the new format of choice seemed to be HD-DVD.
Luis Silva (13443) on 1/15/2007 5:42 PM · Permalink · Report
Well, I don't buy the billion-dollar revenue claims for the adult entertainment industry, as they usually are poorly sourced and some take into account the revenues from websites and digitally distributed videos along the traditional distribution methods (mags and videos). However, their decision to hold on to HD VD will certainly have some weight, as their decision will also be the same of most medium and small publishers of non x-rated content who can't afford to spend part of their profits in a most expensive media.
I also wouldn't go comparing the role of adult movies in the current situation with VHS vs BetaMax. Things have changed a lot since then, particularly the effect of the internet.
Robstein (199) on 1/15/2007 6:04 PM · Permalink · Report
While I admit the internet has certainly changed things around a bit, people still rent and buy movies. Netflix is a perfect example of the internet meeting good old fashioned analog movie rental half way.
Basically I mean to say that while the internet does offer new kinds of media formats that a good amount of people are using (i.e. streaming media, downloads, etc...), there are still plenty of people who watch movies on good "old-fashioned" DVDs.
Mr Almond (2485) on 1/16/2007 3:29 AM · Permalink · Report
To begin with I thought Blu-Ray was going to be the future of optical disc.
The Blu-Rays were guaranteed success with the adult industry. Blu Ray = Blu Movies.
Seems now it's destined to join the great media maker in the sky with Beta and UMD as formats that died on their ass. (Didn't Sony have something to do with both of them?)
Quote from the BBC web site covering the CES and the Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE) "It's no coincidence that the consumer electronics and porn industries converged on Las Vegas at the same time. Innovations like VHS, camcorders, webcasting and video MP3 players have all been driven by the adult entertainment business."
Here's the link http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4598080.stm
Indra was here (20756) on 1/17/2007 11:34 AM · Permalink · Report
The reason why the internet is still on today, you can thank the porn industry. Did some legal research many, many years ago. The #1 money making machine on the internet is porn. To hell with e-commerce.
All hail MobyP0rn. Er...
Which means that the department of defense must be sponsored by Vivid Interactive. Hmm.
D Michael (222) on 1/17/2007 4:01 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Aside from high price (which is always present with new technologies), and lack of porn, in what ways are blu-ray flawed?
It's not a rhetorical question, I honestly don't know much about the technology. I see 25GB disk and think, "wow". Of course that might be irrelevant given that current dual layer DVD's are rarely saturated with a single movie or program.
Daniel Saner (3503) on 1/17/2007 5:04 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
It was certainly a very very stupid idea by Sony. Restraining ones own customers is always a bad idea and NEVER works (see copy protection, DVD regions, etc etc)
This certainly puts Blu-Ray way back in my book. Not because of the lacking pr0n movies, but because of the simple fact that the company tries to control and limit the usage of their media format.
Maw (832) on 1/17/2007 9:19 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
In mid-2006 I was reading about a proposed multi-platform player that would read CD, DVD, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. I don't think anything came of it.
You'd think people would wake up to the fact that obstructive and restrictive software/hardware invariably gets abandoned in favour of more user-friendly alternatives. Look at Firefox and Linux.
Pectoris Fleo (102) on 1/18/2007 6:17 PM · Permalink · Report
Right now those new disk formats seem futuristic, but after a couple of years they will feel normal and out-there. I donāt see any sane reason for content restrictions. When it comes to this cinematic genre, the question really is what will you be able to see in HD that you canāt already see in SD? Some important detail?
Corn Popper (69027) on 1/19/2007 12:21 AM · Permalink · Report
you don't have to spend thousands to get an HD set, I bought a Sony 27" (the smallest flat tube Sony makes with HD) at least 3 years ago that was about 700. Believe me when you watch channels in HD it's like night and day, it's totally worth it.
Corn Popper (69027) on 1/19/2007 1:12 AM · Permalink · Report
uh no, it is not a low HDTV... they no longer make it but here's the TV... http://www.amazon.com/Sony-KV-27HS420-Trinitron-WEGA-HD-Ready/dp/B0002S9G0K