Download Directly to (X-Rated) DVD

Last month I gave props to the movie industry for releasing downloadable versions of movies on the same date as the DVD release, but dinged them for punting -- the downloadable movies use Windows Media with DRM added, so they can only be watched on PCs. (That whole "burn to DVD" thing they mention is strictly for backups.)

It turns out that a few weeks later another major Hollywood studio announced that it had inked a deal with CinemaNow, but with no half-measures: as of May 8, adult entertainment powerhouse Vivid Entertainment will start offering movies to download via CinemaNow for $19.95-- but buyers will be able to burn these movies straight to DVD, including, in the words of Vivid co-CEO Bill Asher, "all the things that come along with a standard DVD, like menus, graphics, art."

Now, I don't buy into this notion that porn decided the Beta-VHS war; back in the wild old days my neighbourhood video store didn't have a walled-off adult section, nor did they place them high up out reach of young 'uns -- they were near the counter, presumably so employees could stop any kids from lingering. The store had a simple layout when you walked in: Beta to the left, VHS to the right -- and there was no shortage of blue movies on either side. I'd wager that the porn industry started to shift to VHS when the mainstream studios started to do the same. (And let's not forget that the porn industry released laserdiscs; that medium's popularity certainly didn't jump as a result.) If anything, porn helped home video as a whole gain a foothold that much quicker, but that's a debate for another time and place.

I think the lesson to take away here is that, despite (or because of?) rampant piracy, the adult industry continues to make money hand over fist. How? They've always adapted to new media, from postcards to comics to 8mm film to home video to the Internet, they listen to their customers, and they always adapt to new or alternate distribution streams. Think about it for a minute: the three major retailers for DVDs right now are Blockbuster, Wal-Mart and Amazon, none of which stock porn -- and yet the industry merrily rolls along. Think the other Hollywood studious could learn something from that?

(P.S. It took twice as long to write this with a minimum of unintentional double entendres. Never let it be said we don't put in the extra effort around here.)