Now it's official: Blue Ray has lost the battle

[Jeff Kelly]

Just found a nice tidbit on a german online news source:

http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/83524

Digital Playground one of the leading US porn distributors just announced at the AVN adult entertainment expo that they will release all of their HD porn content on HD DVD.

The owner of digital playground, one of the biggests blue ray pundits, was quoted: "Sony is forcing us to release our movies on HD DVD." He stated that they actually wanted to release their new movies on Blue Ray to "sell disc to the mostly male owners of PS3s (hey he knows his target audience ;-)) but every single US Blue Ray disc manufacturer refused to master his porn movies. The manufacturers stated that the licence agreement with sony prevents them from mastering porn discs under threat of losing the licence to manufacture Blue Ray discs.

So no HD porn for blue ray owners, betamax all over again.

[stray]

Only old farts and guys who want to watch lesbian porn with their wives buy porn on disc.

[Wolf]

deja vu. Didn't we have a big pr0n discussion back when Digital Playground announced they will be releasing all hd movies on Blue Ray? Was that a different company? I'm pretty sure it was Digital Playground.

edit: There we go. I guess the pron discussion was in another thread.

[stray]

Actually, I'm interested in why they wanted to go with Blu-Ray at first.

[Furiously]

Blu-Ray is a bit better format. The disks hold more information and can therefore be encoded with more detail or special features. Basically it's 30 gigs for HD-DVD vs. 50 gigs for Blu-Ray.

That being said - I have a HD-DVD.

[Azaroth]

Only old farts and guys who want to watch lesbian porn with their wives buy porn on disc.

There's nothing worse than internet porn.

And yeah, watching lesbian porn with your personal female of choice is...

Wait a second. What the hell am I responding to this for.

Oh well.


BRING ON THE HD PORNO!

[El Gallo]

Considering how difficult it is for mainstream entertainment to come up with people who don't look like Skeletor in HD, hi-def porn strikes me as a really, really bad idea.

[Big Gulp]

Considering how difficult it is for mainstream entertainment to come up with people who don't look like Skeletor in HD, hi-def porn strikes me as a really, really bad idea.

Fuck that.  I want to see the bad boob job scars and herpes sores in vibrant, living color!

Actually, from what I hear another potential problem with Blu-Ray (besides the obvious one: any format Sony endorses is the kiss of death for that format) is that the data layer is much, much closer to the surface of the disc.  Scratches are likely to kill a Blu-Ray disc whereas they're just an inconvenient bitch for standard DVD's and HD-DVD's that sandwich the data layer between the label and the plastic disc.

[Trippy]

Considering how difficult it is for mainstream entertainment to come up with people who don't look like Skeletor in HD, hi-def porn strikes me as a really, really bad idea.

Actually, from what I hear another potential problem with Blu-Ray (besides the obvious one: any format Sony endorses is the kiss of death for that format) is that the data layer is much, much closer to the surface of the disc.  Scratches are likely to kill a Blu-Ray disc whereas they're just an inconvenient bitch for standard DVD's and HD-DVD's that sandwich the data layer between the label and the plastic disc.

The plastic between the read side of the disc and the data layer is thinner in Blu-Ray which is why they are using TDK's DURABIS coating to protect that side of the disc.

[Sky]

People still watch pron since it was taken over by big, oiled gay guys and botoxed injected silicon fuckbots? Eww.

[Riggswolfe]

I might have to buy that Pirates movie in HD-DVD now! I mean come on, it has Pirates and porn, what could be better?

I'm still waiting these format wars out, though the temptation to get an HD-DVD expansion for my 360 grows every day. BTW, is HD DVD backwards compatible with today's DVDs? What about Blu Ray?

[Roac]

It's a somewhat legit argument that the porn industry was a significant force in winning the VHS/Betamax war, but I don't see that nearly as relevant in the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray war, namely because of the internet.  I don't mean to marginalize their influence, but my suspicion is that a majority of customers (paying customers) get porn content online, not on media formats, with the major exception being rentals.  Not many people want to showcase their porn collection except to a few close buddies (or girlfriends), and it's easier to hide shit on your PC than a closet or whatever.  But yeah, one more nail on Blu-Ray.

[Yegolev]

The PS3 plays DVDs and CDs, if that's what you mean by Blu-Ray reading DVDs.  And if you're going to get a Blu-Ray machine, I can't think of a reason to get something other than the PS3.

[bhodi]

It's a somewhat legit argument that the porn industry was a significant force in winning the VHS/Betamax war, but I don't see that nearly as relevant in the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray war, namely because of the internet.  I don't mean to marginalize their influence, but my suspicion is that a majority of customers (paying customers) get porn content online, not on media formats, with the major exception being rentals.  Not many people want to showcase their porn collection except to a few close buddies (or girlfriends), and it's easier to hide shit on your PC than a closet or whatever.  But yeah, one more nail on Blu-Ray.

Which is funny, since a LOT of the porn out there is simply DVD-rips.

[Ironwood]

When you say 'Out There' you mean 'In My Private Collection' ?

[bhodi]

Of course. What do you think I am, some kind of internet trolling perv?

[Merusk]

People still watch pron since it was taken over by big, oiled gay guys and botoxed injected silicon fuckbots? Eww.

Amatuer porn FTW.  You just have to be careful since sometimes that 'my ex-girlfriend' vid came from a rejected high schooler instead of a drunken frat party/ mardi gras.  Oh Crap, DELETE DELETE DELETE.

[sissygirlman]

The PS3 plays DVDs and CDs, if that's what you mean by Blu-Ray reading DVDs.  And if you're going to get a Blu-Ray machine, I can't think of a reason to get something other than the PS3.

Here is something strange, I noticed that I hardly ever see any Blu-Ray players, but instead I see alot of HD players out there, the 360-add-on  is not the most popular or advertised.

But I also don't see any reason to buy a blu-ray player other than the PS3, which comes with a Blu-Ray disc movie.  I see the PS3 everywhere, but I still have yet to see a Blu-Ray player on sale that is easy to find, and when I did, it cost like $800-$1000, so if I want Blu-Ray, I want to buy the PS3.  Unfortunately I like regular DVDs, like 'Pirates', and I have a DVD player, so I bought a Wii, so I can feel like I am actually doing something other than wasting my life.

I also hardly ever see Blu-Ray movies, but I have already seen alot of HD ones pop up.

and most HD DVD players are backwards compatable, AND some can also can make you old DVDs look HD quality, but sometimes it looks grainy.

[Riggswolfe]

Is it bad that I am truly hoping HD DvD wins even though I don't have a single "next-gen" DvD from either format? I am so sick of Sony pushing Blu Ray that I actively want it to fail just on general principle.

[Trippy]

Here is something strange, I noticed that I hardly ever see any Blu-Ray players, but instead I see alot of HD players out there, the 360-add-on  is not the most popular or advertised.

HD-DVD came out first so you would expect to see more stores carrying them.

I also hardly ever see Blu-Ray movies, but I have already seen alot of HD ones pop up.

Depends on the store. My local Nerd Nirvana store (aka Fry's) has an end cap of just Blu-Ray movies right as you walk into the main part of the store.

[stray]

Is it bad that I am truly hoping HD DvD wins even though I don't have a single "next-gen" DvD from either format? I am so sick of Sony pushing Blu Ray that I actively want it to fail just on general principle.

Yeah, it's bad. What? Is Wintel better?

It's not just a Sony thing anyways. The Blu-Ray backers consist of Sony, HP, Apple, TDK, Dell, Hitachi, Sharp, LG, Samsung, Pioneer, Disney, Paramount, MGM, New Line, Buena Vista, Fox, Lionsgate, and WB as one of the cross compatible holdouts.

HDDVD is a Toshiba, Intel, and Microsoft thing. With strong studio support from Universal (the last holdouts being Focus and Weinstein, who have jumped ship). And the aforementioned WB testing both waters. And even then, Microsoft is downplaying HDDVD now in favor of IPTV....And Toshiba is trying to push more Blu-Ray compatibility themselves.

[EDIT]

Btw, anyone who thinks Blu-Ray will go away merely because "HDDVD" is the phonetic equivalent of "VHS" in consumers' minds is an idiot. Consumers do not dictate the format, it's industry support.

[squirrel]

guys who want to watch lesbian porn with their wives buy porn on disc.

Um, that's all of us - if you include girlfriends in the wives category. Oh and rentals ftw?

[squirrel]

Is it bad that I am truly hoping HD DvD wins even though I don't have a single "next-gen" DvD from either format? I am so sick of Sony pushing Blu Ray that I actively want it to fail just on general principle.

Yeah, it's bad. What? Is Wintel better?

It's not just a Sony thing anyways. The Blu-Ray backers consist of Sony, HP, Apple, TDK, Dell, Hitachi, Sharp, LG, Samsung, Pioneer, Disney, Paramount, MGM, New Line, Buena Vista, Fox, Lionsgate, and WB as one of the cross compatible holdouts.

HDDVD is a Toshiba, Intel, and Microsoft thing. With strong studio support from Universal (the last holdouts being Focus and Weinstein, who have jumped ship). And the aforementioned WB testing both waters. And even then, Microsoft is downplaying HDDVD now in favor of IPTV....And Toshiba is trying to push more Blu-Ray compatibility themselves.

[EDIT]

Btw, anyone who thinks Blu-Ray will go away merely because "HDDVD" is the phonetic equivalent of "VHS" in consumers' minds is an idiot. Consumers do not dictate the format, it's industry support.

Blu-ray certainly has more consumer electronics companies support. It is likely to succeed, although if there's any real credible signs that HDDVD is pulling ahead significantly then you'll see alot of those companies like Pioneer, LG and Samsung offer products in both formats.

Apple has already committed to supporting both formats in 2005 - not long after they committed to BluRay support. Not sure why you put them in the BR camp? They were part of the commission that defined the HDDVD standard. Apple Press Release in 2005 confirming support for both standards

[stray]

My bad about Apple. I added them later to that post.

You do not want to know where I got that info (read: wikipedia)

[HaemishM]

The only good thing I can say about either initiative so far is that HD-DVD seems much less concerned about saddling their format with crippling DRM bullshit. Other than that, whichever has the best selection of movies and cheapest players will get my dollars after I buy an HDTV (sometime in the year 2009 most likely).

[Sky]

The new LCD DLP sets look sweet.

[Miasma]

There was an article in today's New York Times about the problems of High Def in pornography.  Classy like...

The biggest problem is razor burn

[stray]

Seriously, that isn't a joke. If Hollywood movies and shows are any indication, then I don't even want to imagine porn in HD.

[HaemishM]

Negative viewer comment on HD Pr0n: That there beaver looks burned.

[eldaec]

Is it bad that I am truly hoping HD DvD wins even though I don't have a single "next-gen" DvD from either format? I am so sick of Sony pushing Blu Ray that I actively want it to fail just on general principle.

I hope HDDVD wins because blu-ray is a silly name.

Not that I care that much either way - the delayed format battle is saving me money on a player.

When I do get an HD TV it will be because Satellite TV output is increasingly HD anyway.

[stray]

Is it bad that I am truly hoping HD DvD wins even though I don't have a single "next-gen" DvD from either format? I am so sick of Sony pushing Blu Ray that I actively want it to fail just on general principle.

I hope HDDVD wins because blu-ray is a silly name.

"Silly name"? And Riggs basically bringing....Politics into it?

That's retarded.

You guys should be condemned to watch shitty TV's forever. You don't belong in this conversation.

How about talking about the technology? I don't care wtf you like. Just pick one for a good reason.

[eldaec]

/sigh

ok. Let's try again.

I don't care which wins because it makes very little practical difference. The biggest impact this will have is on the companies backing either format, and marginal DRM issues. So you might as well get political about it. The issue is basically one of industry politics.



Someone mentioned backward compatibility, that doesn't matter either. Players of the quality that people reading this forum will buy will likely have a separate laser for each supported legacy format, much like DVD players often do for CDs. Pretty much any optical disc player could be made backward compatible without enormous costs, just by adding more lasers.

[stray]

I don't like DRM, but I know it's here to stay. In one way or another. So I don't talk about it.

As far as Blu-Ray technological advantages go, it has better capacity and is a better "platform" (for lack of a better word) for interactive content (BD-J vs HDi).

The "industry politics" (outside DRM), so to speak, seem almost non existent. Only two studios are exclusive on HD-DVD (that being Universal and Weinstein's indie oriented company). The big three backers are Toshiba, Intel, and Microsoft -- With Microsoft now distancing themselves from the disc war altogether, in favor of digital delivery.

HD-DVD also has porn support, at least from the smaller companies (big ones like "Vivid" are using both formats).

As for the names, I don't know... I don't think it matters. Look at all the silly names that have caught on in the electronics industry that weren't technical sounding acronyms like DVD and HD-DVD -- iPod, Tivo, Walkman, Wii, Vonage, Skype...

[EDIT]

Scratch that. I don't care about DRM as long as it doesn't break or destabilize my shit. And yes, Sony has been guilty of that. But movies are the least of my concerns.

[Riggswolfe]

Is it bad that I am truly hoping HD DvD wins even though I don't have a single "next-gen" DvD from either format? I am so sick of Sony pushing Blu Ray that I actively want it to fail just on general principle.

I hope HDDVD wins because blu-ray is a silly name.

"Silly name"? And Riggs basically bringing....Politics into it?

That's retarded.

You guys should be condemned to watch shitty TV's forever. You don't belong in this conversation.

How about talking about the technology? I don't care wtf you like. Just pick one for a good reason.

I didn't talk technology for a reason. There doesn't seem to be a big enough difference to make me prefer one over the other. So I might as well go with which side has pissed me off the least, and right now that's HD-DVD. You mentioned interactive content in one of your later posts and that's not really something I care about. You also mentioned storage capacity, that might matter, but I'm having trouble seeing how for movies. Now if games go to these disks that'd be a slightly different story, but is the difference really enough to be that big a deal? I mean sure, Bluray holds about 10 gigs more stuff on it, but for movies that doesn't matter much I don't think, except for being able to put more episodes of a TV show on one disk. For games it means less DvD switching for huge games. That said a HD-DVD dual layer is 30 gigs and right now I have trouble imagining a game that big.

[stray]

Games could easily become that big, simply because of hi def audio (+localized versions to boot).

This all goes without mentioning that 640k is never enough. ;)