Porn industry no longer such an early adopter

By Levi Chronister

Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009 | 11:42 a.m.

The usual discussion of the connection between the pornography and technology worlds goes back to the VHS/Betamax battle. The conclusion is that VHS won because that's what the adult industry chose to use.

According to panelists at Friday's "Porn and Technology" seminar at the Adult Entertainment Expo, a four-day convention in Las Vegas expected to draw about 25,000 people, the connection between the two fields goes back much further.

Former Wired sex columnist Regina Lynn told tales of sex toys made of camel dung and resin that have been found by archeologists, just seconds before she stated, "human beings have always been a tool-oriented species."

Playboy lifestyle editor Scott Alexander added his two cents on how porn and technology have moved forward hand-in-hand. He said people try to figure out ways to gain sexual gratification out of the newest gadgets.

Lynn and Alexander told tales of excitement the first times they came across chat rooms in the infancy of the Internet (especially, for Lynn, who was thrilled to find men who actually wanted to talk) and both said some of the items showcased at the other convention in town, the Consumer Electronics Show, could get a lot more, and better, use in the adult world. One such item: A Web cam that follows and reads your movements, like a Wii.

In fact, as opposed to those halcyon days of the 80s when the porn industry claimed (correctly or not) that it was at the forefront of a major technological debate, things have turned around.

"Porn is following the mainstream these days," said Farley Cahen, vice president of new media at Digital Playground. "We're seeing new technologies and delivery methods all the time."

That motion-sensing Web cam was on display at CES, after all, not at AEE. And the Blu-ray/HD-DVD battle came about because of mainstream studios and distributors (and the PlayStation 3), not because Digital Playground or Vivid or Wicked or any other big-name adult studio or distributor put their weight behind one particular camp.

Sure, there are new adult toys that are more technologically advanced every year, but even something as seemingly inventive like the just-announced FreeStyle — a wireless and rechargeable music-driven sex toy — is basically just a Bluetooth earpiece with force feedback that vibrates.

Even a major company like Evil Angel isn't always looking to do the next, newest, greatest thing anymore.

"We're very behind the curve," owner John Stagliano said. "I don't think it's necessary. We have 13 other directors besides myself, and they shoot how they want to shoot. My guy who has the best quality here? He doesn't shoot high-def. First of all, it doesn't sell enough pieces to justify it right now, and he shoots the best standard def with the prettiest lighting."

From the talk around various booths at the adult expo, it appears that most companies are looking at technological advancements not just as a way to provide the best product, but also as a method of protecting against declining market share, thanks to pirating.

"Our biggest motivation is getting the consumer something that's completely different, on all levels, on all series. Giving them a really great experience," Cahen said.

Digital Playground is looking to mobile devices (namely the iPhone), improved Web sites featuring user-chosen mash-ups of video playlists and galleries, and features like BD-Live, which allows you access to Internet-only content via your purchased Blu-ray disc, to keep giving fans a reason to spend money rather than just download.

"I think the piracy of Blu-ray is going to be difficult," Cahen said. "Standard def DVD, obviously, is easy to pirate, but they're going to downgrade (Blu-ray), and people are always going to want the best. I think a higher-quality experience people will pay for."

For Pink Visual, keeping an eye on emerging technologies and staying on the cutting edge has been helped by being a business started on the Web, rather than in DVD sales. The company launched a free mobile site at AEE last year that was so popular it created a mobile pay site that now is outperforming its traditional member sites.

According to brand and product manager Kim Kysar, the company saw big spikes in traffic and membership sign-ups after Christmas, thanks to people who received new phones as gifts. Not only are smartphones that can play video becoming more and more popular, but they offer a level of privacy when it comes to viewing pornography that computers and televisions can't.

"Your cell phone is probably your most personal piece of technology," Kysar said. "You usually always have it with you. You hardly ever share it. You don't really leave it unattended, and you can lock it, which keeps a lot of prying eyes out."

The industry isn't against using its eyes to keep tabs on what you're downloading. Kysar said the industry is working on technology that will allow companies to see exactly what IP address is downloading a film so it can directly message the downloader.

"We wouldn't want to be the Metallica of porn, and go after the people who are downloading our stuff because they love it," Kysar said. "They probably think, 'It's just me, I'm not really hurting them,' but multiply that by millions and it adds up."