Sony Makes Same Mistake Twice?

SGKNOX is reporting that Sony will not let adult movie producers release titles on Blu-ray.

German Heise has interviewed Joone the founder of Digital Playgrounds at the AVN 2007 show in Las Vegas. Joone says actually said last year he is committed to Blu-ray. Now they announced four HD DVD titles in the United States. In the interview Joone says he was forced to use HD DVD, because no Blu-ray disc manufacturer would make his discs, because Sony was against it and they would loose their license.

If this is true, then the game is over. Adult movies helped drive the rapid adaptation of the VCR (over Betamax), multimedia, and the Internet, so if Sony is really blocking the release of high definition adult titles they just may be giving Microsoft the edge they need to win (think about the demographic that buys the Xbox).

via Robert Scoble.

Comments

[gir]

This should be no surprise. Don't forget the rootkit fiasco. What's surprising is that a company so prone to colossal blunders is so successful.

[type-cast]

Nice grammar from SGKNOX. Two or three major mistakes in one short paragraph.

"What's surprising is that a company so prone to colossal blunders is so successful."

It's also surprising that NFLX still refuses to rent X-rated movies and Blockbuster won't rent NC-17s like Bad Lieutenant. Who do they think they are, to enforce their morality on the user base? It's financially stupid also.

[WeaselBuddha]

Mike is right, at the vanguard of virtually any new technology is sex. Either real or imagined. Sony not allowing licensee's to press what they want is just stupid. Here's why:

1. Any content on an emerging format is good, even better if it is compelling content.

2. No big surprise, Sex is compelling.

3. Betamax, and, oh ya, BETAMAX

4. PS3 is overpriced and underselling

5. Sex Sells ( ask Manga publishers.... )

You would have thought that Porn would be not only available on Blu-Ray, but that Sony minions would have been out there pre-signing Porn Publishers to sweetheart ( non-disclosure bound ) exclusive deals before it's release.

Imagine if Divx would have gotten an exclusive pre-DVD release deal for Spiderman on those goofy self destructing discs they failed so miserably with. Don'cha think the Divx brand would be on every DVD player in America.

The only analysis that makes any sense here is that Sony was concerned that Mom & Dad might find a porn disc in 14 yr old Bobby's PS3 and yammer loudly. Given that a $700 game deck primarily appeals to people well over twenty, that seems unlikely to be a problem.

Someone is being myopic...

[CJ]

Thought SONY already got burned once on the adult title issue. Way back when we had the SONY Betamax format war against the VHS format, the VHS format won out because early adopters wanted to see their porn on a VCR instead of trekking to an Adult Theater. Porn videos drove the VHS VCR player market sales in the beginning.

I've read from several sources that say the HD-DVD format is showing signs of winning the current format war because of lower price players, and the "availability of titles" - whatever that means.

[Scott]

"...Sony was against it and they would LOOSE (sic) their license."

Wrong.

[WeaselBuddha]

Scott,

You might be right, both Vivid and other publishers have pledged blu-ray support. Digital playground seems to have also changed their tune.

http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/05/02/pornhd/index.php?lsrc=mwrss

On the other hand, the Toms hardware spawned news site write up from AVN 2007 says blu-ray is a dark horse:

http://www.tgdaily.com/2007/01/11/ces2007_hddvd_blu_ray/

Both articles, notably say volumes more, than a single word post of "wrong"

( or was your comment just grammatical? )

[slobone]

No doubt just a temporary sitch. Considering that less than a hundred Blu-ray titles have been released so far, Sony prolly doesn't want a bunch of titles like Ass Pirates of the Caribbean sticking out like a sore thumb.

According to the Wall St. Journal this week, only 250 titles have been released on Blu-ray, HD DVD and dual format altogether. Of course, the same article said "over 18,000" titles have been released on DVD. Um yeah, I would say it was over 18,000.

[FrankLev]

This story is BS.

If you understand the roles and rights blu-ray, Sony has no such rights. From alegal or a practical standpoint the assertion is false.

It is also fourth hand information:
Sony supposedly says something to a disk pressing company. They relay it to the mastering company. this is relayed to the Porn production company. This is relayed to a clearly un-tech savvy reporter at AVN. We get it here.

What is going on is hd dvd is cheaper. Porn is a BIG business, yes; it leads technological innovation, yes; but its econmies, its number of pressings, pre, post, marketing and every other budget item -- per production -- are TINY.

That is why they are going HD.

I think some porn makers are leaking/whining about the price of blu ray and the supposed impact of porn on format wars in order to try and force the blue ray consortium to give them a break on price. The prior influence of porn on vhs vs betamax is WAY overblown and it isn't going to figure much at all in the blu-ray vs hd dvd war.