Sony Beta was felled, in large part, because of Sony's refusal to let porn studios use the format for their movies. So, those studios went with VHS. And as porn goes, so does the industry. Tech blogger Robert Scoble has a flashback:
When I worked at LZ Premiums in the 1980s, the Beta vs. VHS video tape formats were in full swing. Our store rented video tapes, including a fairly large selection of adult videos. Many many VHS sales were decided on because of the much greater availability of adult entertainment in the VHS format.
As porn was driving a major percentage of video sales and rentals, it dictated the market. While the reasons Beta failed were numerous, the porn issue was probably a big factor. (LaserDisc also banned porn, btw.)
Fast forward to today, and Sony is once again locked in a format war -- this time over the next generation of DVDs. And once again, Sony appears destined to make the same mistake again.
Sony Corp. said it will not work with the adult film industry to help put its movies on its Blu-ray Disc format, although the company will not try to stop it completely.
The company will not allow its disc-replicating subsidiary, Sony DADC Global, to handle adult film titles, it said this week. In markets where Sony operates around the world, it won't duplicate any movies that are above a certain rating or that have not been certified by a local motion picture association.
Sony wouldn't disclose exactly where it draws the line, but the rule means that adult movie makers will have to find someone else to reproduce their films in bulk. While other companies offer such services, the adult industry feels it is being cut out of the Blu-ray camp altogether.
There is one obvious counter-argument -- In the 80s, video was the lone place for porn outside of skeezy adult movie theaters. Now, the internet has more than enough for anyone's fill. Just like adult mags have been decimated by the internet, I'm sure someone has stats somewhere showing a similar decline for porn sales and rentals.
But it still seems silly for Sony to lock out a key market segment -- and one that often leads adoption to new technologies.
Comments are closed on this story.