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Bluray vs. HD-DVD To Be Decided by Porn Industry
macworld.com — Just as in the 1980s, when the Betamax and VHS video formats were battling it out for supremacy, the pornography industry will likely play a big role in determining which of the two blue-laser DVD formats — Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD — will be the winner in the battle to replace DVDs for high-definition content.
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- Shii, on 10/12/2007, -6/+31I doubt it. Today we have the Internet for porn.
- Lumiras, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19but what do you think lead the way for streaming video on the internet? porn.
It's very true that so goes porn, so goes the industry. It lead the charge for cable TV and pay services like HBO, VHS over betamax, it lead to the triumph of DVD as a format. It will probably be the case with the next format war - Rickler, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10Agreed, Before VHS you had to go to movie XXX theaters, there was a great demand for private motion picture porn. Now with the internet you have even more privacy (or so we think) not having to head out to the movie store as the single looser you are. (or now get porn in the mail, but not instant) Not only that but the selection is unlimited and watching is almost instant.
BTW I've never been to an XXX theater nor XXX video store. Heard it all from the great Adam Corolla. - skytimelapse, on 10/12/2007, -12/+4rickler, if you think adam corrola is great you need a real male role model, not some tool talk show host with an IQ of dan quayle.
- UNL1M1T3D, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Adam Corrolla rocks. I used to listen to him and Dr. Drew on Loveline all the time. I don't think the porn industry will have as big an impact as it did in the past. As far as porn goes I can't think of anyone of my friends that actually buys porn anymore. Most people just download it from the internet for free. Sure it isn't in HD, but I think I would take free over HD when it comes to porn.
- KamikazeeDriver, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@Shii
perhaps, but what will your burn your HD-DVD or Blu-Ray image file too if you want to watch on your HD widescreen without connecting your PC? - vhold, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Also, do people -really- want Hi Def porn? A lot of these people might not look so great upon closer inspection.
- Mesach, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Who's looking at thier faces?
- extremeg24, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Depends on what face you are talking about.
- Lumiras, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19but what do you think lead the way for streaming video on the internet? porn.
- fatcat, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17i agree with shii, but a 50 gig porno would be pretty sweet i must say
- rebrad, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Not when the blu-ray codec creates larger files sizes so blu-ray and HD DVD are about equal in time length.
- stokestack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3WTF are you talking about? The array of supported codecs is the same for both formats. There is no "Blu-Ray codec."
- doctechnical, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19It's absolutely true that porn does drive media technology. The fact of the matter is (and don't take my word for it, do some research) if it weren't for porn we probably wouldn't have the VCR industry. I mean really, how many times do you want to watch that Gilligan's Island episode?
When I first got a DVD player, I wanted to find a multi-angle disc to play in it. The only ones available were - you guessed it - pr0n.- koshak, on 10/12/2007, -18/+1I don't need any research to know how dumb your statement is.
- daza, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I agree. The only DVD I ever saw take advantage of multiple angles was a porno. An "interactive" one too - the porno industry really knows how to take advantage of formats.
- smokester, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I'd rather have a professional director use things like camera positioning to tell the story
The only real use can see for multi-angle stuff is sports, porn, and maybe a few other things, certainly not feature films - kloud213, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4i think the multi-angle thing would have been great for the commentary's. like the director would show diffrent shots he thouhgt about using during a scene
- longofest, on 10/12/2007, -10/+24Does anyone else think it's sad that porno's control our destiny?
- Phyltre, on 10/12/2007, -1/+24Sad? No.
Exhausting? Absolutely. - rudlavibizon, on 10/12/2007, -4/+15I, for one, welcome our new porno overlords.
- KamikazeeDriver, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4@longofest
Perhaps once upon a time I did, then my wife and I split, got a subscribtion to some highspeed newsgroups.
What better HANDS to place our "future" HAHAHAHAHAHH - J555, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Hah, your destiny! That's clever..
I call mine Mr. 8".
- Phyltre, on 10/12/2007, -1/+24Sad? No.
- Xipher, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Damn, it's looking good for Blu-Ray so far.
Regardless of internet transfer, I'd think that the porn video rental industry isn't far off from standard hollywood movie rentals.- davidv, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I thought they already have that? I haven't been in a Blockbuster for years but I remember when I was younger, maybe 8 or so years ago, they had closed off sections with adult content. Of course this was the holy grail of every 10 year old on my block so I'm pretty sure they were there...
- koshak, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8Blockbuster never had that. Your local video store may have, but NEVER Blockbuster.
They won't even carry NC-17 movies unless they edit it. Never have. - Dhalgren, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4This is actually a conundrum for me and my wife. The majority of the video stores in our area are Hollywoods and Blockbuster: no porn section. We have to go to Castle Botique to rent porn. I am intrigued by these guys, though:
http://www.wantedlist.com - koshak, on 10/12/2007, -13/+1Gotta love the kiddies at digg. someone posts a factual comment, and the 12 year olds try to bury it.
No wonder digg has quickly become a joke to the rest of hte internet - Trjn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@koshak, actually, in Australia, Blockbusters does have a porn section, they carry the two highest ratings without editing (those ratings are R18+ and X18+, X18+ being porn).
- sarcoma, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7be interesting to see the next generation interactive pr0n at 50gb
- dvddesign, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8No it wouldn't. As someone who works in the video industry, I've been exposed, no pun intended, to HD porn productions. My former company has sold equipment to these companies for content for HDNet. The biggest drawback to HD porn are the actors themselves. HD tends to show a LOT more detail. Unless your chick in the porn is smoking hot, you'll see EVERY last problem with her body. Bruises, pores, body hair, pimples. Of the three test clips we were given to show off our HD platform's color correction capability, only 1 out of 3 would be decent looking in HD.
- ChileanGoD, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1they could photoshop the girls.... frame by frame :)
- retral, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8I think sony is going to come out on bottom like they always have (memory stick, memory stick duo, umd........).
- sarcoma, on 10/12/2007, -7/+5BETAMAX!
- dnder, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Actually, Blu-ray is looking just a bit better than hd-dvd, so im guessing blu-ray will prolly come out on top.
- koshak, on 10/12/2007, -19/+2Yeah...such a huge company. Alwatys came out on the bottom.
The funny thing is, Sony is...without hyperbole....a billion times more successful that your entire family ever will be. So...if they are always on the botom, what does that make you? - Phyltre, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10A little videogame history: (@ dnder two replies up)
The Sega Game Gear had a beautiful color screen, great sound...
in all aesthetic categories, it blew the GameBoy out of the water. The GB was a joke in comparison, and the industry openly laughed at Nintendo's handheld.
And yet, the GameBoy outsold the Game Gear handily--prolifically. It went on to define handheld gaming, and the Game Gear was essentially a failure by comparison. What was the deciding factor? Some say it was gameplay, but a closer look tells us that it was battery life. The Game Gear ate batteries for breakfast, which made it much less consumer-friendly. So it tanked.
In the end, it ain't about looks--especially in the video game market. - Poco, on 10/12/2007, -7/+3If Blu-ray is looking better then hd-dvd then HD-DVD will come out on top.
- zybch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4If HD disks routinely have HD data on one sid and HD on the other it'll be a no brainer which (out of BD and HD) people will buy. Buy the HD movie now, play it on your normal $45 DVD player and then watch the HD version when HD players drop to sub $150 levels.
- distrbnce, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Why don't you mention things like the Compact Disc or 3.5" floppy?
- robbh66, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I'd imagine in this day and age people prefer to stay at home and download their porn in secrecy rather than go out and be seen walking into a shady shop.
- davidv, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7UPS and Fedex my friend....
- Dhalgren, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Just take your wife/significant other with you. I feel a lot more comfortable renting porn when I have my wife with me. I feel less like I'm being judged as some fiend who is just buying some wanking material.
- Mesach, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Yes, now you are just some perverted couple.
- neocitron, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3well u can fit more stuff on a 50 gig blue ray... so the Pr0n industry might go Blue
- TheReport, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3dont they need at least 50gb alone just to fit John Holmes' Johnson on screen?
- ChileanGoD, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Yeah... they will have to recycle the same scenes over and over ... each "hump" will last an hour now.
- ssanders, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I read years ago that most of the technology (such as streaming videos which Lumiras pointed out) was pioneered by the porn industry. Especially the technology of "pop ups".
- mclose, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1hehe... Nice.
- quokkapox, on 10/12/2007, -9/+4The question is, do you really WANT to see pr0n in HD? I think not...
- npacheco, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Of course I do.
- Dhalgren, on 10/12/2007, -1/+22Depends on the chick. The one with ass acne, no not really. Otherwise, bring on the 1080p labia...
- deusdiabolus, on 10/12/2007, -5/+16There is a point at which most trains of thought derail. For this topic, it would be the point at which you start to wonder what sort of porn would end up on Blu-Ray or HD-DVD. Do we REALLY want to see close-ups of anal sex in high definition?
- maxhrk, on 10/12/2007, -13/+5your comment so funny that i modded you up! .. heh... close-ups of anal sex in HD! heh.
so funny. - Poco, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11Yes
- Dhalgren, on 10/12/2007, -1/+23Is this a rhetorical question? Of course I want to see close-ups of anal sex in HD.
I can see the label on the case now: "Resolution so high you can see the sperm in the cum shots"
- maxhrk, on 10/12/2007, -13/+5your comment so funny that i modded you up! .. heh... close-ups of anal sex in HD! heh.
- koshak, on 10/12/2007, -14/+0Leave it to MAcworld for continuing a myth. And leave it to a digg user for ignoring the comment at the end that dispels the myth
- ben1000, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8We could have BOTH formats on a single drive, except that Sony forces the drive manufacturers into an exclusive deal where they aren't allowed to create dual-format drives... Thanks, Sony!!!
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http://www.neo-fight.tv - ssanders, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8I want the picture so good it feels like I'm cheating.
- gamabunta, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2if porn is the deciding factor then bittorrent already won.
- vsujohn2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think the Big question is: when will netFLICKs start offering porn rentals? Whichever format they choose for their HD pR0n will win in my book.
- piratearggghhh, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2They have something like that for porn, but it's super expensive. A friend of mine who went to a porn convention brought back a few flyers for it.
- Euan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Could we get some examples of to two format? Maybe... 200 pics each?
- zybch, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Um, what would be the point? The HD standard is something they both adhere to, the codecs used are the same, the image quality will be the same (assuming that the same movie released on each system are not tinkered with too much on one or the other).
The only difference is that HD has lower capacity, cheaper price and a less restrictive DRM thingy than BluRay, and that the two formats are so dofferent from one another that there is no way you'll be able to play one format in the others' player until expensive dual-pickup heads are integrated into new High Def players (some time yet).
- zybch, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Um, what would be the point? The HD standard is something they both adhere to, the codecs used are the same, the image quality will be the same (assuming that the same movie released on each system are not tinkered with too much on one or the other).
- SupaDupaMestizo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2And just like the battle between Betamax and VHS, whichever one is cheaper is the one that will bring you porno. Betamax was better all around but just more expensive. But porn chose VHS.
- jczer68, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Yeah, whatever format requires fewer disc swaps wins. Kinda recks the mojo when you have to sift through the stack of CDs/DVDs when in the middle of business.
- merdiesel, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2who buys porn nowadays?
- frem001, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2apple sells quite a lot of editing stations and their pro software to the porn industry, and they are backing blu-ray, but i doubt that many people buy porn and in HD you'll be able to see everything, i mean EVERYTHING.
- mrgreen4242, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Exactly. Porn doesn't need to be in HD. Chances are 90%+ of porn SHOULDN'T be in HD. Those actresses look OK until you can see the razor bumps and stretch marks and wrinkles. Is that what you want to look at while your ... um, enjoying your alone time? Dual layer DVDs provide plenty of length (4-6 hours without letting the compression get to bad), and a double DVD set is probably cheaper to make and better to market than a BD disc.
In short, I don't think Porn is going to be the big factor in this one. I do think that chinese factories and WalMart will decide who wins. I predict the first player to be available in WalMart for under $80 will win. My guess is that will be HD-DVD, but it all depends on licensing I am sure. If studios were smart they would buy a huge electronics factory in some 3rd world country and sell HD players at cost, just to get us to buy the same movies over again.
I suppose they would rather spend that money on lawyers, though.
- mrgreen4242, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Exactly. Porn doesn't need to be in HD. Chances are 90%+ of porn SHOULDN'T be in HD. Those actresses look OK until you can see the razor bumps and stretch marks and wrinkles. Is that what you want to look at while your ... um, enjoying your alone time? Dual layer DVDs provide plenty of length (4-6 hours without letting the compression get to bad), and a double DVD set is probably cheaper to make and better to market than a BD disc.
- swiftly, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Folks, don't let Dhalgren near your kids.
- ubica, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0I think bluray will be faster, my dvdwriter can only read at a pathetic 4x.
- donatj, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I remember beta being the prime porn distrubion means in the 80's... am I wrong? Twice the video quality.
- mclose, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Sorry for the long post in advance, but being an A/V and Technophile I feel the need to comment. I never really have thought about porn as pushing the limits of technology, but I must digress now that I do think about it the porn industry really has helped to push technology forwards. That being said I believe they will have little to do with this format war; as the internet affords persons the ability to watch porn without interacting with other people unless they choose to do so, and even of they want to they can. I also believe that there is another factor that many people are discounting in this format war... COMPUTERS.
I sincerely believe that computers will play a huge part in this format war obviously the Blu-ray camp has a one up right now with larger storage capacities, always good in the world of computing. However if the DRM is too ridiculous on Blu-ray I believe that this may hurt them.
Case-in-point DIVX. Personally I think an extremely strict DRM package may be analogous to DIVX (not the codec DivX;)/DivX, but the attempt by Circuit City to form a sort of DVD rental service). This was an example of more extreme DRM at the time (although I think it was cracked). DIVX was phased out due to its lack of features such as not releasing movies in wide screen formats, and omitting bonus features. This may be comparable to not being able to put that awesome new Blu-ray on your portable multimedia player because of the strict DRM, but if you owned it on HD-DVD you could, but you can’t because Sony owns the picture. Hypothetical situation, for all I know both camps could charge you $9.99 to do this, maybe not a concern now as you can buy the film on DVD and do it, but a few years down the road it may be. Now every time I hear Bill Gates give any sort of talk he always seems to stroke the media center edition of Windows as the future of home entertainment (perhaps rightfully so). A DRM that is too strict will be a huge disadvantage if this vision is realized and more portable multimedia players make their way into the market and they will/are, especially if Microsoft backs a less extreme DRM option that lets you put a copy on a portable device. That being said (a lot of info/ personal opinion… I know) it will be interesting to see which format will win out, but again I think porn will have a negligible effect in this format war still I digg this post… as you can see it made me think. - aaaaabbbbb, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4well, if pr0n is the decider then it's gotta be blu-ray... what else would an industry of blue movies choose?
- m00dc0ntr0l, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I think these kind of solid state format wars are pretty much going to go nowhere.
The fact that this is happening now is actually a good thing because it will create an incentive to just go digital and not bother with buying a new player and replacing all of your movies. People have already decided that they liked DVD and the incentive to upgrade to a new format of DVD is not only annoying, it also has virtually no benefit to the average consumer who just wants to watch a movie.
I posit that this format war is going to be a lose-lose-lose for all sides (consumer, sony, and toshiba), where everyone is going to ultimately favor digital. - ThisGeek, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1New media formats are always decided by porn. There are more porn movies released than any other type of movie, the world over.
VHS, DVDs, The Internet.
If it gives consumers easier access to teen ass then it will sell. - sLydE, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Am I suffering from a major bout of deja vu? Wasn't this talked about on diggnation once? Good thing I stopped taking those drugs...
- mcbesq, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Do you REALLY want to see pr0n stars in HD?
Just a thought - zbeast, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I don't think that Porn buy itself was the deciding factor in the video tape wars.
VHS was the winner because you could make mutable copy's of a video with out that 4 gen copy looking like total ass. My friends and I would have the major dubbing sessions VHS was one of those
type types that after 6 gen recordings the video was still OK and because of its very short tape
path the tapes would suffer less damage and jams.
Well Porn may have been small factor in its success but I just think from a mechanical functions it was just better. oh and the decks and tapes were cheaper and longer. - lbdwag, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1the Poon makers will just what ever they can to increase sales and to "improve" the "user" experience. These guys and gals are out on the bleeding edgers.
Until there is ubiquitous broadband access there will almost be a need for hard media. - BennyBoy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Is there any thing Porn can't do? need peace in the middle east? just send in the porn idustry and they will work it all out. Want Iran to stop its nuclear program? Deploy a few emisarries of the porn industry. Ah, Porn... the universal diplomat..
- swiftly, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0"...increase sales and to "improve" the "user" experience..."
Since when did porno have a 'user experience.'? I just sit there. I don't feel up the TV.
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