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Digital Playground announces its 100th adult Blu-ray release
Make no mistake, the crew at Digital Playground has been busy. Real busy. Since going Blu-ray exclusive last June, the famed adult film studio has pushed out a staggering amount of titles on the high-def format. A full 100 of 'em, in fact. The company's Bad Girls will be its 100th Blu-ray release, a 100-minute feature (fitting, no?) that is slated to ship on March 31st. 'Course, you'll be paying a $30 premium for the BD edition over the $29 DVD, but how else will you truly be able to appreciate that RED ONE footage?[Via I4U News]
HustlerHD launching May 1st: no SD upconverted material
Last summer, Hustler TV and Digital Playground banged out a deal to get the latter company's content on the former's network. Now, all of that is about to get a lot more intriguing to fans of said material and high-definition. Hustler TV has just announced the outfit's forthcoming high-def broadcast service: HustlerHD. Slated to go live on May 1st, the service will not broadcast a single moment of content that's just upconverted standard-def material. Instead, every title will be "filmed, edited and broadcast in true HD." Additionally, HustlerHD will be the exclusive home to shows from HD-producing studios including Digital Playground, Hustler Video and Zero Tolerance.
Adult Video Network launches channel for VUDU set-top-box
We'd stop short of calling it inevitable, but we aren't shocked one bit to hear that on-demand porn has landed on VUDU's set-top-box. Adult Video Network (AVN) has developed a channel for VUDU which enables users to rent and purchase SD or HD films just like any other less explicit title. As expected, users would be asked to first "verify their age" and clear parental controls before anything on the channel could be viewed. Interested in pricing details? Try $6.99 / $19.99 for SD rentals / purchases and $8.99 / $29.99 for HD rentals / purchases.[Via CEPro]
New deal puts Digital Playground content on Hustler HD VOD
Two of the biggest names in the adult film industry have just signed a deal that could put rivals in a world of hurt. The "worldwide exclusive agreement" will seemingly enable Digital Playground content to be offered via Hustler TV's HD video-on-demand portal, and considering that a number of DP's films have already been shot entirely in high-def, there's a decent library of footage ready to get down. Reportedly, Hustler TV is already in 45 million homes in the US and can be seen in 50 countries worldwide, though the release didn't state when viewers could look forward to catching Pirates or Island Fever 3 at the press of a button.
Digital Playground to shoot with RED ONE 4k cameras
Just last week, we heard that Digital Playground was going true blue. Now it's going RED? Yes indeed, the adult film powerhouse has committed to using the 4k RED ONE camera to shoot its future films. Reportedly, the high-resolution camcorder has already been used to capture ten films in the past two months (staying busy, aren't we?), and apparently the results have been so, um, crystal clear, that the outfit is planning to continue using them. Talk about staying one step ahead of the curves.
Digital Playground goes true blue
It goes without saying that porn studio Digital Playground does blue, but it has now upped its own Blu ante by committing to simultaneous Blu-ray and DVD release of all new titles. Further, the studio promises to re-release at least one library title on Blu-ray each week. Digital Playground isn't just playing catch-up, either -- as of next week, it will have 21 Blu-ray titles, three times more than any other adult video studio. We only wish the major studios would step up to the plate with similar plans for both new and library titles. Sure, we know that porn releases aren't known for their production values, but still, the majors should be able to match this effort. [Warning - read link contains NSFW banner.][Via Gearlog]
Digital Playground thrilled with Blu-ray adoption rate, seeks to add BD-Live this year
Although adult film powerhouse Digital Playground originally supported HD DVD, ended up format agnostic and finally chose Blu-ray (on its own will, mind you), it's safe to say its founder is quite happy with how the merry-go-round has played out. According to head honcho Joone, "Blu-ray sales [of its productions] are growing every month," and most interestingly, he's "seeing consumers accept Blu-ray much faster than they accepted DVD." In the end, he feels that BD winning out will be best for his firm, as the extra 20GB gives the studio a lot more breathing room to flesh out, so to speak, titles. Potentially most intriguing, however, was Joone's assertion that Digital Playground will be adding BD-Live features to its material towards the end of this year -- no, we aren't even going to guess what that addition could hold, but we won't attempt to stop you from letting your mind wander.
Digital Playground to phase out HD DVD in 2008
In an interview, Digital Playground founder Joone stated that his studio plans to stop releasing on the HD DVD format by the end of 2008. The past few weeks have seen a total 180-degree turn in format stance for the company. After initially coming out in favor of HD DVD, it moved to a neutral stance at the end of December, and now has moved firmly into the blu camp. In December, the studio stated it was waiting for a "clear cut winner." Apparently in those few intervening weeks, Warner's move and better sales of the studio's titles in Blu-ray format have been enough to make the choice clear. Sex sells, but apparently better in blu.
Format war alive and well in porn industry
If the porn industry is indeed pivotal to format success, the current HDM war may be far from over. Digital Playground's move to blu aside, the porn industry has not seen the same kind of bandwagon-hopping as the more mainstream media. Read through the link to get the lowdown on the individual players, but suffice it to say that there's a pull between mainstream studio pull for Blu-ray and affordability for HD DVD. If what we heard from the BDA press conference at CES is any indication, the consumers will follow where the studios lead. The question is whether the porn industry will fall in line with those studios or vote for the lower royalty costs of HD DVD.
HD porn studio swayed to Blu-ray by PS3 owners
Any respectable connoisseur of the erotic arts can tell you that in this day and age, watching lo-def pornography is about as un-erotic as watching reruns of Murder, She Wrote. Once you've seen an unclothed bathing suit area at 1080p, lower definition skin flicks just seem to lose their appeal. Many porno purveyors have already made the leap to high definition formats -- such as Digital Playground, which publishes movies exclusively in HD-DVD, much to the chagrin of pornstars left with pockmarked skin after years of spite and heroin abuse.However, Joone, the company's single-named founder, has recently reconsidered his position in the resolution war, agreeing to publish Digital Playground pictures (starting with their 2005 award-winning blockbuster Pirates) in Blu-ray as well. Why the change of heart? According to Joone, "A lot of people were e-mailing that bought a PlayStation 3 and they were basically saying, 'When are you guys going to release Blu-ray?'" Pornophilic PS3 owners can buckle their swashes when Pirates is released January 4th -- we suggest watching the timeless classic American Bangster to tide you over until then.
Digital Playground goes format war neutral
Here at Engadget HD, we aren't ones to cover the adult film industry with any semblance of regularity, but when Digital Playground announces that it will indeed be going format neutral, it's hard to ignore. If you'll recall, it looked as if both high-definition formats could be green-lit to carry porn, but in an "eleventh-hour move" by Digital Playground, it chose to back HD DVD exclusively instead. According to founder Joone, the original decision came down to cost, as he noted that putting a title out on Blu-ray was simply more expensive. Nevertheless, reports are claiming that the studio will begin shipping its famed Pirates film on BD early next year, and at least for now, it will be "releasing to both formats until there is a clear-cut winner."
