Porn Goes Both Ways in HD Format War

The adult film industry cast a deciding vote in the VHS/Betamax tape format wars of the ‘80s, and porn may yet influence the hi-def contest between Blu-Ray and HD DVD, Daily Tech writes. But currently the industry is split between the popular view that the U.S. film industry is shifting toward a Blu-Ray, and the economic advantages they still find in HD DVD.

Adult film firms like that, unlike Blu-Ray, HD DVD production requires only small modifications to their standard DVD facilities. Sony compounds this Blu-Ray production problem by refusing to help with porn replication. HD porn leader Digital Playground is backing both formats: “HD DVD…may be perceived as ‘dead’ in the long term, but on an immediate basis it’s still a viable market,” said a company statement. (More pornography stories.)