Will porn decide who wins the Blu-ray/HD-DVD format war? No!
The availability of pornographic videos helped the VHS video tape format triumph over Betamax in early 1980s. Now a senior analyst at Forrester is suggesting that the availability of porn may affect who wins the high-definition DVD format war between HD-DVD and Blu-ray.
James McQuivey, a senior analyst at research firm Forrester, says that if the porn industry decided to throw its support behind HD-DVD, it would make a significant difference.
“If the porn industry wanted to break the logjam of HD-DVD and Blu-ray, it could. If they said ‘We are going to go with HD-DVD’ you would see a few million homes immediately go out and buy HD-DVD players. They have that power,” McQuivey told Reuters.
While Sony discourages porn on Blu-ray, it’s much cheaper and easier for porn publishers to create HD-DVD discs – the replicators are readily available. The head of adult video publisher, Digital Playground, told Reuters that ”HD-DVD has helped us tremendously to get titles out.”
The latest Nielsen VideoScan figures show that Blu-ray titles are outselling HD-DVD titles by seven to three – though we are talking about very small figures, and the format war could still go either way.
It should be remembered that porn industry was very different in the early 1980s. Back in the early 1980s the only way porn fans could indulge themselves was to sneak away to a sleazy porn theatre. VHS allowed them to indulge themselves at home, which as you can imagine, made life a lot easier, and so made the purchase of a VHS player compelling.
Nowadays, porn is widely available via the Internet — it’s relatively cheap (or even free) and there is a huge choice available. In many ways, the Internet is the ideal delivery vehicle for pornographic content.
Sure, the easier availability of porn on HD-DVD might make a small difference, but it won’t make or break either format — the world has moved on.
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April 10th, 2007
I don’t think it ’s as simplistic as that.
Porn may well have a big effect but it isn’t quite what it once was now there is the net – but it is still$10billon US + in the USA & IIRC $30billion US worldwide.
What will do it is inexpensive HD-DVD players compared to BD players which are at least twice the price or BD itself ridiculously reliant on a mere (over-priced) games console.
Sub $200US HD-DVD is close and will be here by X-Mas 2007.
At that point BD becomes a PS3 proprietary format as UMD is to PSP – with a possibility that BD is picked up for professional bulk data storage.
BD simply isn’t a purpose designed video media whereas HD-DVD is.