Porn Stars Find HD Makes Things Look A Little Too Real

from the extreme-close-up dept

Mon, Jan 22nd 2007 12:30pm — Joseph Weisenthal

It's something of a cliche to say that the battle over which format will rule the next generation of DVD players will be decided by whichever format the porn industry chooses. This is in part because the adult industry does have a reputation for embracing new technologies, and because of its size, whichever one it chooses will affect the purchasing decisions of many viewers. But what if porn and HD didn't go hand in hand, as had been assumed? According to some in the industry, high definition makes porn look much worse. All of a sudden, you can see every little imperfection -- warts and all. It's unlikely that this will really stop the industry from eventually migrating to the new technology, and they do have techniques to make things look a little better. But if fans can't get used to HD porn, then then the impact of the industry's choice may be less than anticipated.

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37 Comments

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Jason Bateman, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:00pm

Maybe we will get some "more-better" attractive porn stars - and thus, setting the standards even higher for non-porn star girls. Heck, with plenty of girls out there already wanting to look just like "xxx porn star", i think HD will improve this overall quality of man's life.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:06pm

I like "imperfections"
I, for one happen to like seeing what some would call "imperfections" on the girls when I watch porn. I like to see the person as a real person that I might see in real life, not some fake plastic girl. A little pudge around the waiste, little freckles on the chest.... you know.
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Joe Schmoe, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:23pm

"...All of a sudden, you can see every little imperfection -- genital warts and all..."

fixed that for ya
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:24pm

nothing like a few moles on some assholes!
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dude rancher, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:29pm

i must agree with #2...
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Erv Server, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:30pm

HD see's right thru all the makeup and organ extensions
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Gerald Holt, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:31pm

I LIKE PORN.
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Eddie Martin, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:33pm

Pr0n 4 teh win!!!
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:35pm

Re: I like "imperfections"
amen brother. the artificial environment of lo-res porn has created some unnatural things.
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Gerald Holt, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:36pm

THE GAYER THE BETTER.
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Ross Orwick, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:38pm

But what does HD do for animal porn??? This is an area that often gets overlooked.
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Gerald Holt, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:40pm

and when my wife shoots those ping pong balls, I feel like I should be wearing safety goggles!!!!
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Eddie Martin, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:41pm

And don't even get me started on my wifes donkey videos!!!!!
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Reed, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:43pm

Time to make some ajustments for HDTV
Besides being able to actually see the pimples on some guys ass while he is pounding a girl who looks like she just turned 13 there are other issues as well.

HD makes everyone look bad including porn stars. Have you seen some of these guy newsreporters and politicians in HD? They have so much makeup on it makes Tammy Fay Bakker look like she just puts on lip gloss.

The whole industry is going to have to start changing the way they do makeup or they are going to have to get some good HD filters to make everyone look better.

Maybe you could just watch HD on a Vista system? I hear if you use a digital signal it automatically downgrades the signal and makes everything look slightly blurry. Sounds perfect for watching porn and newsfeeds in HD. I guess MS was thinking ahead with that one, lol.
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Gerald Holt, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:44pm

I called Ross's wife on the phone the other day to say hello, and she gave me an ear infection. Maybe she could use some HD porn instead of visiting those male prostitutes.
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Intelle-gents, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:51pm

bobby prize
now we won't have to wait & see if they float to know if they're real or not...we'll see the actual scar tissue...aka suture marks...ahh but I digress if they can get rid of all those suspension wires in those trendy Hong Kong Flung movies...a couple of scars will be gone in a minute. Guess we have to rely on the freeze frame for closer inspection of exposed area. Oh ya & #2 that little pudge...turns out to be a ton of pudge after a few years on that real person you might see...then you'll be right back to the want of perfect porn...bin there done that
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Ross Orwick, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:51pm

and HD Cams are expensive enough! Imagine the price tag of the Panoramic HD cam they used to film all of Geralds wifes ass!!!
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Eddie Martin, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:53pm

And don't even get me started on my wifes donkey videos!!!!!
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Intelle-gents, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:54pm

that's alternative species erotica...not animal porn
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Gerald Holt, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:56pm

I guess you would know, perv.
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Ross Orwick, 22 Jan 2007 @ 1:57pm

Gerald prefers to be called a "furry"
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Gerald Holt, 22 Jan 2007 @ 2:00pm

and Intelle-gents, if you have any of those "alternative" videos, can you post a copy?
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ibcj, 22 Jan 2007 @ 2:14pm

HD Porn? Thing of the past..
Porn in HD has been around for years. Bateman is right, it just requires that the producers shoot better looking talent. I was at the AVN show earlier this month in Las Vegas and saw some wicked looking pr0n from a company in LA called Lurid HD Entertainment. They were showing off super hot girls that they shot one to two years ago, and it was the best looking stuff at the show. They even distribute their stuff in HD (720p) so that I can watch it on my PC. Their samples rocked and my roommate won't stop watching them. HD is here to stay for porn, I'm sure of it.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2007 @ 2:17pm

Oh my god will you 4th graders take it somewhere else. Seriously someone ban their IPs.
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Tashi, 22 Jan 2007 @ 2:21pm

LOL! Like a few blemishes is gonna make people watch less porn. :D
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2007 @ 2:25pm

Porn pushing tech? Interesting...
Call me crazy, but most of the porn on DVDs these days is pushed over from VHS. I'm not saying the industry isn't making new smut. They are, and it is a beautiful thing to behold, but a vast majority of the porn sold is "cheap porn" and that means it is older porn.
The same garbage is going to come over to any new format that is adopted. After all, the porn industry isn't going to be any more anxious to throw away decades of work any more than the corporate sector has been to abandon outdated code bases (cobol,fortran, etc..) They invensted tons and they want to stretch the returns out as long as they can.
So what does that mean? I would imagine that newer and more productive porn houses will adopt any new technology in an intelligent move to try to push the fly by night guys out of production, while at the same time selling the fly by night guys their old footage to be sold on "4 HOURS OF FUN" movies. In effect relegating the competition to the status of distributor.
The reality is, the porn industry isn't all that different from any other big business. They explore any crack they can find in the market and plant their roots as deep as they can in anticipation of that glorious pay off in the end. They'll keep pounding away at the...
Well, you get the idea.
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charlie potatoes, 22 Jan 2007 @ 2:25pm

come off it, AC
Porno is the only reason most of us even own a pornograph... er...computer
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anon, 22 Jan 2007 @ 3:50pm

Re: I like "imperfections"
I like imperfections too, but that isn't why I watch porn!

If I want imperfections, I'll bang my gf.

Seeing imperfections isn't what porn is for!

...and we usually see enough without HD anyway... which is why I mostly stick to either no porn, all hot lezzie porn, or anime porn (which shouldn't be called Hentai btw, that word means strange, not porn for all you wanna-be japs.)
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2007 @ 4:10pm

No one here sees the problem of millions of men having sex with their TVs and Computers? Away with the porn, and away with shirts!
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b_has_opinions (profile), 22 Jan 2007 @ 4:13pm

What an idiotic article. People have been using a format with much higher resolution than HD for years now. It's called film. Does anyone complain that movie stars look 'too real'?!?

Today's motion picture film has 5 to 10 times the resolution of HD.

You just need to shoot and light it properly and have good makeup artists. (Yes, they have makeup artists on porn shoots.)

Badly shot footage will always look bad, whether it's a home video or an HD porno.
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lil bit, 22 Jan 2007 @ 4:27pm

Porn pushing tech? Interesting... by Anonymous Cow
AC - do a little research! The CES that happens every January in Las Vegas started out as the consumer electronics and PORN show, when they first introduced VCRs. It's only since the CE industry has exploded with cell phones, HDTV, home theater and all that junk that CES grew to it's current size - huge - and caused the heads of CEA to get together and kick out the porn expo. That's why they alsways have the two at the same time in Vegas.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2007 @ 4:33pm

Re: Re: I like "imperfections"
I like imperfections too, but that isn't why I watch porn!

If I want imperfections, I'll bang my gf.

Seeing imperfections isn't what porn is for!

I guess everyone watches it for a different reason. Plastic skin and rubber tits just don't turn me on I guess.
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XxXxXx, 22 Jan 2007 @ 4:59pm

HD might make those pixelation squares in Japanese porn clearer...

Mmmmm... sharper squares....
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Eric, 22 Jan 2007 @ 5:44pm

Porn already chose a new format
And they chose the web, sans DRM.

Seriously, who gives a shit about HD DVD or Blu-Ray? I can't imagine that porn sold on shiny plastic discs is a growth market as compared to internet porn, regardless of the format.

And while the **AA is running around crying "Pirates! Pirates everywhere!", pornographers have been figuring out business models for selling their wares online that both turn a profit and don't rely on DRM.

That's the area where I'd like to see Hollywood follow suit. I don't care what they decide on Blu-Ray or HD-DVD, because neither one of them interests me.
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Adult Talent Agency, 4 Sep 2007 @ 8:03am

HD Will Only Help!
I run an adult agency in southern California, and we shoot everything is HD. I think the technology will only benefit the industry by forcing movie and website producers to find higher quality talent.
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Become a Porn Star, 5 Oct 2007 @ 3:10pm

HD is Amazing!
It’s hard to believe that some people posting here don’t like HD porn. Are you crazy? It’s like having the porn stars in your living room, sitting on your face!
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Oct 2007 @ 9:21am

Re:
umm.....HD is maxed at 1080p..as is film....because the tvs simply cant go that high..i think ur thinking of video games, which go about 3 times the resolutionof high definition
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