Daily KOS: Blu-ray is Dead. Or How Sony Made the Same Mistake Twice.

[Jeremy Charette]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/1/19/173415/573' target='_blank'>http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/1/19/173415/573</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Sony Corp. said it will not work with the adult film industry to help put its movies on its Blu-ray Disc format, although the company will not try to stop it completely. The company will not allow its disc-replicating subsidiary, Sony DADC Global, to handle adult film titles, it said this week. In markets where Sony operates around the world, it won't duplicate any movies that are above a certain rating or that have not been certified by a local motion picture association. Sony wouldn't disclose exactly where it draws the line, but the rule means that adult movie makers will have to find someone else to reproduce their films in bulk. While other companies offer such services, the adult industry feels it is being cut out of the Blu-ray camp altogether."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/betamax.jpg" /> <br /><br />Like it or not, the adult movie industry has had a significant impact on the home video market over the past three decades. It arguably decided the winner in the VHS/BetaMax wars. So for Sony to shut off the adult movie industry from Blu-Ray...sheer stupidity, from a business perspective. This is content that many consumers want, even if they won't admit it. If that means they can only get it on HD-DVD, then they'll go buy an HD-DVD player. Sony's loss.

[jeffd]

Hmm, this kind of clashes with Debbi does bluray. Vivid will be releasing their first hd porn on both formats.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/debbie011207.htm

[Vincent Ferrari]

The difference is almost exclusively one in terminology. Sony isn't going to help the adult industry, but they're not going to bar them either.

The real truth, though, is that Blu Ray is extremely expensive for a production run, whereas HD is much more manageable. Check out this week's episode of This Week in Media where they have a great discussion on this exact story:

http://www.twit.tv/twim

[Crocuta]

Funny, I read an article two or three weeks ago interviewing someone who was some sort of porn industry spokesman. (Now there's a respectable job.) He said the industry would pass on Blu-Ray and just do HD-DVD. He said the licensing fees and production costs for using Blu-Ray were prohibitive and that most of the big labels wouldn't use it. I remember thinking then... well, that's the end of Blu-Ray. Seriously, like it or not, the porn industry has driven the success of VHS and DVD. If they really do stick with HD-DVD then Blu-Ray really is dead. All that said, I don't know how that article is reconciled with jeffd's post above in which Vivid apparently is doing both. Maybe the guy was wrong, or exaggerating. Or maybe Vivid is just so big they can afford it. I don't know... or much care. I'm not getting either one until the whole thing is settled.