The coming high-def DVD format war will mirror the '80s VHS vs. Beta
battle -- with
adult
entertainment once again the deciding factor, say leading industry pundits.
At least according to a new story at PC World that surveyed key industry players,
who say the highly lucrative adult industry is already plotting its strategy
in the next-gen format wars. The porn home entertainment business currently
accounts for over $57 billion in annual revenue -- outstripping the earning
power of all the major Hollywood studios combined -- and its support will be
crucial in crowning high-def DVD's ultimate victor.
"If you look at the VHS vs. Beta standards, you see the much higher-quality
standard dying because of [the porn industry's support of VHS]," Ron Wagner,
director of IT operations at E! Entertainment Television, told PC World. "The
mass volume of tapes in the porn market at the time went out on VHS."
Wagner also says that buzz indicates "several major players in the porn
industry [are] going the Blu-Ray route," which already has some analysts
declaring the Sony-backed format the high-def victor before it is even due to
launch next month.
According to Paul O'Donovan, an analyst with leading industry firm Gartner,
even though initially the Blu-ray format will be more expensive and will come
after HD-DVD, the "sheer support it is receiving from the entertainment
industry, including pornography studios, will catapult it to victory within
eighteen months to five years."
However, not everyone in the industry is convinced even the huge profits of
porn can totally tip the scales in favor one high-def DVD format, with many
other factors coming into play, primarily that of ultimate consumer preference.
"I love the whole pornography concept simply because porn is still the
number one money-making use of the Internet," said Steve Duplessie, founder
of research firm Enterprise Strategy Group. "But I don't believe the porn
industry will drive the format. Like any other industry, it will [only] supply
what the consumer wants."