Sony refuses "adult" titles wanting to release on Blu-Ray

[FulciLives]

I'm a big time horror movie fan which of course also includes stuff like cult movies and sci-fi movies and exploitation movies, etc.

There is a great website called GOREZONE.NET that updates daily with horror movie news.

This item is from the April 19th 2006 update:

** **** Sony and Blu-Ray: Just forget about Blu-Ray. Sony fucked up with Betmax and to a lesser extend with UMD... apart from the Playstation 3, Blu-Ray won't be worth anything. A post by Synapse Films head Don May Jr. at the Mobius Home Video Forum points out that Sony, who has approval power over all titles released on Blu-Ray, has already vetoed certain more adult-themed titles such as THRILLER A CRUEL PICTURE and THE IMAGE. Supposefly they have no interest in so-called "adult" titles. Are they blind?! Porn and adult movies is the reason VHS won even though Betamax was better format. Sony are blind and only think about their PS3...

Here is a link to the Mobius Home Video Forum

Here is a direct link to Don May Jr.'s thread at Mobius ---> CLICK HERE

Here is a snippit of what Don May Jr. had to say:

But, honestly, I think HD-DVD has a good chance of being the one that prevails. Why? Well, first thing... the studios aren't exactly happy with UMD sales right now and that's also a Sony "only" product. That's not going to help, since UMD is failing miserably.... the studios WILL remember this. With BLU-RAY, the studios MUST deal with Sony... with HD-DVD, any standard DVD replicator can convert to HD-DVD without having to deal with... yeah... SONY! That certainly makes a difference with us at Synapse.

Also, Sony doesn't like to deal with "adult" oriented product. Do you think there are going to be any hardcore/XXX rated BLU-RAY discs? I highly doubt it... that factor alone is going to have a HUGE impact on the format war. Adult movies really drive the home video industry and many claim that, because Sony hesitated to sign the deal for adult films back in the Betamax days (remember they pretty much all came out on VHS?) that that alone killed Sony's Beta format.

When we met with Sony to discuss titles and told them about THRILLER and THE IMAGE and that we wanted to do BLU-RAY discs of those two titles, they pretty much told us they WOULDN'T do them because of their extreme adult content! They were like "umm... well... we don't know if we can do that sort of thing." That attitude may just outright kill the BLU-RAY format. People want adult films... it's a hundreds of millions of dollars a year business... and HD-DVD will have them. It's funny how, when I bring this up (about the adult films), that people say that "they didn't think of that" when discussing which format will prevail.

Don May Jr. owns Synapse Films which is a DVD label dedicated to horror and cult and exploitation films such as the aforementioned THRILLER A CRUEL PICTURE and THE IMAGE amoung others.

Don May Jr. was one of two people behind ELITE ENTERTAINMENT and it was there that he pioneered the restoration work of many cult classic horror films ... then exclusivly for the LaserDisc format. ELITE ENTERTAINMENT brought the "Criterion" treatment to movies like the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and many others.

It is ELITE ENTERTAINMENT (with Don May Jr. at the helm) that helped to create the revival of horror to home video and labels that have specialized in that such as Anchor Bay Entertainment and Blue Underground and Shriek Show would not be around today had it not been for Don May Jr.

So ... what do YOU think about SONY saying NO YOU CAN'T RELEASE THAT ON BLU-RAY ???

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[BobK]

So ... what do YOU think about SONY saying NO YOU CAN'T RELEASE THAT ON BLU-RAY ???

Personally it would be fine with me if both Blu-Ray and Sony both died a horrible death.

But can Sony really control what's released on Blu-Ray? Perhaps if they never sell any blank disks and the only way to release something is to have Sony press the disk. And that would just be another nail in the coffin.

I think most companies will just say f*** Sony and blu-ray, although it's possible there could be lawsuits involved. Imagine Office Depot saying "we'll sell you computer paper, but you can't print adult books on it". Of Ford saying "you can buy our car, but you can't have sex in the back seat".

[lumis]

Oh Sony, you just keep screwing yourself even more. You really don't want to go to war with the pornography industry.

[ricky1756]

I'm sick of the moral police dictating what we can or can't watch

[ROBERT BLACK]

I'm a big time horror movie fan which of course also includes stuff like cult movies and sci-fi movies and exploitation movies, etc.

No shit Joe?


If the news of Sony currently being the only Blu Ray game in town are correct, well that's enough of a blow. But their refusal to support an incredbly large portion of the film industry already dooms blu ray to a niche market format at best. The only remaining reason it could survive as that is the PS 3.

[RabidDog]

WHats weird is that the japanese appetite for adult stuff is probably greater than in any other country. Used Panti-hose vending machines??, no other country would allow it!

[ROF]

Strange that Sony hasn't realized that there are two types of people who own PSPs. Those people looking to play games and those looking to watch portable porno. Didn't anyone explain to them sex sells? I thought that was taught in your first entertainment business class.

[CubDukat]

Boy, they sure do like shooting themselves in their collective feet, don't they?

As if the "no-used-PS3 game market" debacle and the rootkit business weren't enough. Now I have even more of a reason not to buy Sony stuff.

But, I have to admit, the idea of porn in HD is somewhat unsettling. Who wants to be able to count every hair on Ron Jeremy's back <LOL> It seems like such a waste of technology, somehow. maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I see.

But still, I think it's ridiculous of Sony to push such a rule, seeing as nobody seems to be biting on Blu-Ray anyways. They have to know that they're not in that good of a position to be so choosy. Neither of the HD disc supporters really are, but especially not Sony.

[FulciLives]

The strange thing is that even though the movies have what would be XXX porn they are not really XXX porn movies ... not in the "modern" traditional sense.

Both are more like "real" movies with some hardcore XXX porn thrown in.

I mean they aren't like a modern porn film or even a Debbie Does Dallas kind of thing.

Which makes it even more strange that SONY said NO to them.

Of course the real issue here is ... you can't release a movie in the Blu-Ray format without the approval of SONY?!?!

That's ******* retarded man.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[The Stinger]

That is really retarded. But I have to question the truth of any of it because, now correct me if I am wrong... But Blu-ray isn't a Sony owned format. Doesn't Pioneer and Panasonic own as much of Blu-ray as Sony does? This article sounds fishy to me. How could Sony say no to anyone if it isn't just their format to begin with?

[FulciLives]

That is really retarded. But I have to question the truth of any of it because, now correct me if I am wrong... But Blu-ray isn't a Sony owned format. Doesn't Pioneer and Panasonic own as much of Blu-ray as Sony does? This article sounds fishy to me. How could Sony say no to anyone if it isn't just their format to begin with?

The story is true. Don May Jr. has been in the industry for years now. It came direct from a post he made on another forum (links are provided in my first post of this thread).

He is not someone to make things up. He is a very well respected person in the industry.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[ROF]

Are you 100% sure it was him that posted that? Afterall I could be Jessica Simpson or Ron Howard.

[jntaylor63]

I guess Sony also found out that some of the Adult Studios were going with Blu_ray because of all its goodness. (Disk space, DRM, inter-active features, ect)

Digital Playground makes movies now in HighDef flicks using WMVHD on DVD and want to go Blu-Ray:

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2006/01/20/adult_film_maker_digital...picks_blu_ray/

BUT, if Sony gives them a polite F-off, then I guess they'll go HD-DVD. This is more ammo in the format war. As stated before, sex sells by the billions.

[FulciLives]

Are you 100% sure it was him that posted that? Afterall I could be Jessica Simpson or Ron Howard.

Yes he posts regularly on that forum and has done so for a long time now.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[ROF]

Are you 100% sure it was him that posted that? Afterall I could be Jessica Simpson or Ron Howard.

Yes he posts regularly on that forum and has done so for a long time now.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

I'd say the whole post sounds a little fishy to me, but what I can say I post regularly here, my sister can not sing, and I am sick and tired of people calling me Opie.

[The Stinger]

I don't doubt that is post is what it is, but it doesn't make any sense at all. Sony isn't the primary company over Blu-Ray. What I am asking is why would Sony ever say the porn industry can't put their content on Blu-Ray if it isn't Sony's to begin with. The post it self is very odd to me. If this guy is big in the buisness like you say, he should know by what he said and posted would sound contradicting. Sony doesn't own Blu-Ray, plain and simple.

[FulciLives]

Well I would think Don May Jr. knows better than you "The Stinger" when it comes to trying to release a movie onto Blu-Ray.

After all he has dealt with LaserDisc and then DVD and now Blu-Ray and he said SONY said NO so are YOU so sure SONY has no say so when it comes to Blu-Ray SOFTWARE ???

Because it appears to me they have the final word on the topic.

Maybe they only own the SOFTWARE rights 100% but not the HARDWARE rights.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Bullworth]

Sad, sad, sad. I wonder if Sony will EVER learn from past mistakes. They come out with great products but instead of making the process of adopting the technology easy to others they act like the bouncer at the door of an exclusive club. Don't care who you are or how much money you have, if we don't like your look you're not coming in.
Each time they seem to look back at their mistakes and just figure "This is what we did wrong then, but if we do it like this instead it will work!" When wil they learn that they are only A major player not THE major player?

[RLT69]

Perhaps this will make sense of SONY's stance on the porn versus blue-ray debate:

Following reports that several Japanese producers of pornographic movies are planning to release them in the UMD format used with Sony's hot-selling PlayStation Portable device, Sony issued a statement Wednesday saying that there was no way that it could legally block distribution and sale of the disks. A public relations official at Sony Computer told the Asahi Shimbun: "It is utterly undesirable, but we cannot stop software makers from selling such videos."

http://www.showbizdata.com/contacts/picknews.cfm/38844/SONY_SAYS_IT_CAN'T_STOP_PORN_PRODUCERS_FROM_RELEAS ING_FILMS_FOR_PSP

Thus SONY was trying to prevent porn from being played on playstations but could not. It could be that SONY is trying to prevent porn from being played on the PS3, not keep porn off blue-ray media in general.

The only way SONY could accomplish such a feat is if EVERY movie studio had to go to SONY for a license to release their film on blue-ray. If SONY is the only issuer, then yes SONY could deny you. However, that seems highly unlikely. According to wikipedia:

The Blu-ray standard was jointly developed by a group of consumer electronics and PC companies called the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc

These are the companies who comprise the BDA:

* Apple Computer
* Dell
* Hewlett Packard
* Hitachi
* LG Electronics
* Mitsubishi Electric
* Panasonic (Matsushita Electric)
* Pioneer Corporation
* Royal Philips Electronics
* Samsung Electronics
* Sharp Corporation
* Sony Corporation
* TDK Corporation
* Thomson
* Twentieth Century Fox
* Walt Disney Pictures
* Warner Home Video Inc.

Thus SONY would need approval from all members to bar porn from being distributed on blue-ray. This sounds like a red-herring.

To recape: Porn on PS3 - NO. Porn on blue-ray - YES.

[Cornucopia]

Yes, but Blu-Ray on PS3 is supposed to be supported (heck that's supposed to be one of the big draws!), so how can they tell people "don't put that (kind of) disc in there!"?

Scott

[The Stinger]

Well I would think Don May Jr. knows better than you "The Stinger" when it comes to trying to release a movie onto Blu-Ray.

Man I hope so, cause from that post he makes it look like he assumes Sony is Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray is Sony, and all faults that exist with the format is Sony's fault.

After all he has dealt with LaserDisc and then DVD and now Blu-Ray and he said SONY said NO so are YOU so sure SONY has no say so when it comes to Blu-Ray SOFTWARE ???

Again I have no idea, I would assume that is why in my first post I said to correct me if I am wrong and if I am I stand corrected.

Because it appears to me they have the final word on the topic.

If true, than that isn't good for Blu-Ray, but doesn't matter anyway, both formats will tank anyway in my opinion.

Maybe they only own the SOFTWARE rights 100% but not the HARDWARE rights

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[NiteLite]

The strange thing is that even though the movies have what would be XXX porn they are not really XXX porn movies ... not in the "modern" traditional sense.

Both are more like "real" movies with some hardcore XXX porn thrown in.

I mean they aren't like a modern porn film or even a Debbie Does Dallas kind of thing.

Which makes it even more strange that SONY said NO to them.

Of course the real issue here is ... you can't release a movie in the Blu-Ray format without the approval of SONY?!?!

That's ******* retarded man.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

As an owner of both movies I can agree they are nothing more than hard NC-17, maybe "soft" X., but certainly not XXX or X-rated as anyone would think. There are NO "money shots" therefore not tripleX rated. I have seen a "money shot" in an NC 17 , "In The Realm Of The Seneses". You can buy it at Amazon.
For Sony to single out these types of films is a sign of ignorance of what constitutes adult themed films from pornography. There is a difference.
When the Porn industry went to video it became a multi-billion dollar business.
Someone will continue to make all that money.
And of course Bill Gates has stated he will "bury" Blue-Ray. And what Bill wants he usually gets.

Quote from RLT69 post: ____A public relations official at Sony Computer told the Asahi Shimbun: "It is utterly undesirable, but we cannot stop software makers from selling such videos."
Undesirable? To whom? However, in Japan you cannot show pubic hair. If you buy any modern Japaneese DVDs that region of the body if shown is blurred out. Weird...

Probably the REAL reason... is that Sony is asking BIG favors from the US government in the form of legislation to help their profits. The current power in control would like to do away with all adult material. Therefore Sony sucks up to the US to help get what they want. Doesnt politics play into every decision.
What's funny is imagining Sony counting the lost profits while trying to smile and suck up to the US powers that be. I would guarantee that profits will "eventually" win out.

Interesting thread.
Cheers,
NL

[RabidDog]

Why the hell is it called BLUE-ray then!??

[yoda313]

As if the "no-used-PS3 game market" debacle and the rootkit business weren't enough.

Is it still supposed to have some kind of one-time only owner fingerprint on it??? That has got to be really stupid.

[Bullworth]

According to this the fingerprinting tech is true but doesn't apply to the PS3.Here.

[Xylob the Destroyer]

an interesting stance from Sony considering that there are "adult" and "porn" titles available on UMD...

[Bullworth]

Hypocrites I shop at DVD Empire quite frequently and each time I checked the UMD page their best seller was a virtual lap dance disc. It may not have even been so initially but they made sure to put that disc at the forefront. They may not want their actual Sony label associated with that kind of material but I'm sure that they have other companies that benefit them with these products somehow. Take Disney for example. While they use the Disney name to put out products that are targeted towards small children and families they're not stupid about letting the 12+ consumer market slip away. They own Miramax and Touchstone movie studios which put out movies that are less than family oriented. Sony may be taking this stance publicly but privately I wouldn't be surprised they're gearing up to launch adult titles just as long as it's profitable for them.

[nwo]

Death to Blue-Ray & Sony