Japanese porn industry goes HD Blue

Caroline McCarthy, Crave.com | Aug 01, 2007

They haven't put out a press release about it or anything, but the signs are pointing to a decisive victory of Blu-ray over archrival HD-DVD when it comes to the Japanese smut industry. A PC World article writes that Sony, manufacturer of the Blu-ray Disc, has been offering more technical support to Japan's adult film companies. At the Adult Treasure Expo 2007 in Chibo, Japan, filmmakers attested to this and said that it's no longer as difficult for them to find mass production outlets.

In the US, HD-DVD has an edge in the porn industry for a variety of reasons; it's cheaper, arguably easier to use, and the big companies backing it (Microsoft and Toshiba) have been more supportive of not-so-family-friendly titles than Blu-ray overlord Sony. Part of this is due to the fact that movie powerhouse Disney won't put its movies on Blu-ray if the disc technology's parent company partners with adult film studios. But in Japan, the climate is a bit different, thanks largely to a Taiwanese company that has obtained Blu-ray manufacturing equipment from Sony and has helped out with the production process.

So far, 10 Blu-ray porn titles have been released in Japan, including Sex Vacation in Guam and Eroist. In contrast, only one has been released on HD-DVD.

The porn industry occupies a notably different cultural role in Japan than it does in the US, with adult publications readily available in vending machines and elsewhere, so it's likely that the industry's adoption of Blu-ray technology may mean something rather different than it does stateside. Add that to the fact that Blu-ray has shown strong signs of a lead in the non-porn video market, and we might have a real winner.

Filed under: Home AV
Leave a comment | Bookmark | Share