I've been seeing a lot of press releases from studios large and small, touting the use of more and more mainstream techniques and technologies in adult video production.  Perhaps the most hyped among them is filming in high-definition video by using so-called 24-P digital video cameras that approximate the look produced by film cameras with a frame rate of 24 frames per second.  The result is a very high quality, filmed look.  Since film is quite expensive, it's been the Holy Grail of filmmaking to be able to replicate the same look using digital video.  One of the most notable adult studios adopting this pricey technology is Digital Sin, and having seen some of their recent work, the results definitely look more like a movie than a video.

The mainstream home video industry has also been trying to develop a standard format to provide the high-defintion (Hi-Def) content to us, the masses, via some sort of DVD format.  Of course, just like VHS vs. Betamax or DVD vs. Divx, there are several competing formats.  We're starting to see a few companies starting to experiment with ways to deliver Hi-Def.  For example, the new Terminator 2 DVD from Artisan includes a HD version of the movie that can be played on a high-powered PC using Microsoft Windows Media Player 9.

Of course, it doesn't take long for the adult world to follow in the mainstream industry's footsteps, and earlier this month, Surfer Pictures, who filmed a couple of porno movies in Hi-Def in Hawaii, announced that they are the first adult company to release Hi-Def content, in the form of downloadable Windows Media clips from their web site.  As of now, the only way to view this type of content is with a Windows-based PC (and a powerful one at that...I think that the T2 DVD recommended at least a 2 GHz processor).

I did a comparison between the Surfer Pictures Club Tropixxx 2 DVD that I happened to have on my shelf and the downloadable sample clips available on their web site.  Aside from having to activate the Digital Rights Management module within Windows Media Player 9 (necessary to protect the content from piracy but also raising some privacy concerns), the only other hiccup in watching these large clips was the jerky playback due to my underpowered PC.  But in general, compared to the DVD, the HD content is brighter, more vivid, and sharper than the DVD images, especially at full-screen resolution.  It's not as crystal clear as other HDTV images I've personally witnessed, nor are the colors correctly calibrated, but it's much better than your average DVD.

Left:  Vidcap from Club Tropixx 2 DVD
Right: Vidcap from Beach30_6mb_HD.wmv from SurferPictures.com

I think it's pretty safe to say we're a long way from seeing HD-DVDs in the local smut shop, but what future does High Definition have in porn?  Is it just a gimmick or is there real promise?  Will it change the way we watch porn?

Generally, I think Playboy has it right when they said they are going to pass on Hi-Def--there's really such a thing as too much definition.  If the masters of casting, airbrushing, makeup, lighting, and photography say that too much detail exposes the fantasy for the imperfection underneath, who am I to disagree?  After all, in standard definition DVD video, it's pretty easy to see the zits, razor stubble, scars, stretch marks, and other unpleasantries that we all pretend to ourselves don't exist.

There is potential for Hi-Def porn, but I don't think it's in gonzo or all-sex fuck vids.  Maybe it's the handheld, video look that gonzo is synonymous with, or maybe it's the irony that the more "real" the situation appears, the more aware we are that it's not.  I don't know about you, but porn to me is about fantasy...just out of reach.  I've never been in an orgy, and frankly, if I was, I'd probably be uncomfortable as hell.  And having been standing a few feet from people having sex on camera, I can assure you that it looks a lot better from the camera's eye than our own.

So where will this 24P and beyond technology find a home in the Valley (or in Budapest, I suppose)?  I'm putting my money on high budget features and artistic projects.  Provided studios of the future will be willing to bankroll Wicked or Private-style $200,000+ feature projects, there will be no shortage of talented adult directors who will push the presentation envelope as close to mainstream as they can.  I'm convinced that some of them have more talent and eye for the filmmaking business than many of the ones who masquerade as directors and producers in Hollywood.

And of course, there's Andrew Blake...he's been making visually stunning films, transferred nearly flawlessly to DVDs.  While other studios were hedging their bets on whether DVD would take off, Blake realized the potential of high quality video and surround sound.  Studio A DVDs are the Superbit equivalent in the adult world, and I haven't seen a single one that isn't stunningly beautiful.  With the production value and talent he uses, I think that his porno chic has a real shot of using Hi-Def as a substitute for film cameras rather than just as a gimmick.  Blake has already said that when the HD-DVD format arrives, Studio A will be prepared with true-high definition releases immediately.

Even if all of the studios eventually go to high quality digital video cameras--and I'm not sure they will, since there are plenty of producers who won't spend the money or don't care about their product enough to--there's the simple principle of garbage in, garbage out.  The action on the camera is going to be the same, the editing is going to be the same, the sound is going to be the same, and the talent is going to be the same.  It's not going to make an ugly girl pretty (it'll probably have the opposite effect!) or make a guy's cock any bigger.  It certainly isn't going to help a bullshit script or make up for acting inability.

So let's stop all of the press releases and marketing about adopting new technology (not just Hi-Def, but VR, 3-D, voice activation, multiple discs, DTS, you name it).  I won't go as far as saying "it's only porn," but rather than bragging about being first to market, companies should remember that few people will remember who was first at something if the sex isn't worth watching.

The Red Band View is a semi-regular editorial feature by Saki, an adult DVD reviewer, with commentary on the adult video industry from a consumer's viewpoint.  The opinions expressed are those of Saki and do not necessarily represent those of anyone else.  The term "Red Band" refers to the color of the screen preceding movie "coming attraction" trailers, red meaning the preview is restricted to adult audiences only.

If you have a comments about a Red Band View editorial, please send them to saki@sakivision.com.  By doing so, you agree that your edited comments may be used on this site at Saki's discretion.