“There's no prohibition against adult content,” said Lisa Gephardt, a spokeswoman for Sony Corp. of America. “We don't tell people how they can use the licenses they get from the Blu-ray Disc Association.”
Last week, an official from the Blu-ray Disc Association said all content, including adult movies, is welcome on the new format.
“There is not a prohibition against adult content,” Gordon said. “The [Blu-ray Disc Association] is an open organization that welcomes the participation of all companies interested in using and supporting the format, including those that represent the full spectrum of genres in the content industry.”
While many technology writers have concluded that a real or perceived slight against porn by Blu-ray proponents has tipped the scales in favor of HD DVD — the competing Toshiba-backed format — a recent Wall Street Journal article speculates that costs, not politics, will decide the ultimate winner.
“Replicators — the companies that stamp out DVDs — lie at the heart of the matter,” Wall Street Journal reporter Sarah McBride wrote. “Setting up shop to manufacture HD DVDs, which run on very similar production lines to regular DVDs, is easy and inexpensive. Blu-ray requires significant investments in new equipment, and the individual discs in that format cost more to make.
Because manufacturing adult-entertainment DVDs isn't as lucrative overall as stamping out titles for mainstream studios, the specialty companies that replicate for adult-entertainment companies don't always have the same resources to gear up for Blu-ray. Although the manufacturers can make more profit per disc from adult entertainment than from mainstream content, the orders tend to be for smaller numbers of discs overall.”
Only a handful of companies are equipped to mass-produce Blu-ray Disks — including Technicolor, Sony, Sonopress and Cinram — but there are also smaller machines available for $9,000-$20,000.
In the meantime, adult entertainment companies have begun releases titles in the next-generation formats.
Digital Playground co-founder Joone, who first brought the controversy to the industry’s attention in statements he made at the AEE show earlier this month, has embraced HD DVD for his 200-plus film library of high-definition content. “Island Fever 3,” “Jack’s Teen America 3” and “Island Fever 4” are among the company’s first HD DVD releases.
Vivid Entertainment Group will release “Debbie Does Dallas … Again” on both HD DVD and Blu-ray in March. Company CEO Steve Hirsch will not say which Blu-ray replicator he is using for fear of losing his competitive advantage, the Wall Street Journal reported.
San Francisco-based Raging Stallion became the first gay studio to announce the release of an HD DVD title. The studio will release its feature-length film “Mirage” sometime in April.
Late last year, Wicked Pictures released its first HD DVD title — “Camp Cuddly Pines Power Tool Massacre.” The company’s next HD DVD release is expected to be “Curse Eternal.”