nameless1: Videobox is the closest thing to a "Netflix of porn". 1 price for unlimited access. It's not exactly like Netflix--it's actually simpler. Everything they have is available for download or Instant Watching. No DVD's in the mail. No "100 minutes for $20". No DRM. No "$20 to download the latest new release from Falcon." Plus the owners blog and respond to customers publicly. I get the strong sense that they care first about customer service, which is why they win. It's kinda like a tubesite but with high-quality downloads and better search capability.
Thanks again guys. Like I said before, I'm totally leaning towards Videobox. I had it pretty much narrowed down to Videobox and Hotmovies. But I kept going back to Videobox. Anyway, looks like I might have to get a few terabytes of disk space soon...lol Even though I'm looking for an alternative to DVDs, I'll still go to actual store from time to time. I did notice on the sites that they don't have EVERYTHING. That would be impossible for a website or even an actual store. There's SOOOOO much out there.
pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world 12377 Posts 9/07
Posted - Feb 25 2011 : 5:15AM
My early-twenties-self was hardly some kind of porn consisseur. I was just looking for something decent to jerk off to. The shitty porn was stuff I literally couldn't jerk off to because the sex was mechanical, the girls looked bored or even disgusted and the endless shots of gentalia bumping against each other looked more like open-heart surgery than sex. Rex Borsky's films were particularly terrible so that's why Rosebud came to mind(Ed Powers was another one). As I said there was some decent stuff there too, but you contradict your own argument by bringing up JJ, as you yourself said the average fan is not picking up a title becasue JJ directed it, they can't tell what is actually going to be any good and what's going to suck. Check out any thread here about dling and you'll find people complaining about all the years they rented shitty porn and how they felt ripped off and now they're justifying their theft of porn as payback.
Gravity as Curved Space: Bootymeister's Theory of General Relativity 1589 Posts 11/08
Posted - Feb 25 2011 : 10:23AM
In the three areas I have shopped for porn, porn shops have been closing for over a decade. Even the bigger chains that remain in business have closed some locations, reduced space dedicated to porn replacing it with other sexual products and begun a steady increase of stocking shelves with compilations instead of genuine new releases. The major adult retail chain in my area which used to carry about 80% of all new releases now carries about only 20% of the new releases. Illegal downloading hurts the paying porn consumer more than the industry. The porn industry was fat and ripe for contraction. What kind of asshole downloads porn that is not worth a rental fee?
I don't contradict myself because I was addressing 2 separate points to the same topic. I was pointing out I believe the average porn watcher isn't that picky about their porn. Then you mention what you consider "crap" and name ROSEBUD and I disagreed with you pointing out that ROSEBUD not only had movies with pornstars I liked but also they have stuff from Jules Jordan's early career (I don't think JJ got to where he is by producing "crap" back then).I still maintain that the people who post here aren't the "average" porn audience. To use what's said here as a measure of what the average porn watcher thinks or does is very unrealistic. I wouldn't even use this site as a guage to what the "above average" porn audience is like. You talk about people here complaining about the "shitty porn", for many here apparently all porn is "shitty" because they complain about pretty much everything. It's within their rights to feel that way but it certainly isn't a reflection of "average" porn watchers.
Why you think the net was born? Porn, Porn, Porn! 363 Posts 8/09
Posted - Feb 25 2011 : 10:14PM
Since Elegant Angel started making their scenes available online I haven't seen a need to go to a video store. I used to be hesitant about the quality of web video versus DVD, but with Hi-Def there's really no great loss of quality and the convenience is just a major bonus. I can get a subscription for most of my favourite studios (Elegant Angel, Zero Tolerance, Brazzers etc) and save money and pick the scenes I want to watch. I expect adult video stores will follow Blockbuster into oblivion quite soon.
Gravity as Curved Space: Bootymeister's Theory of General Relativity 1589 Posts 11/08
Posted - Feb 26 2011 : 8:49AM
Are any of the internet porn consumers watching their porn on a TV screen rather than a computer monitor. Are they sitting on a lounge chair or sofa, rather than a desk chair?
Why you think the net was born? Porn, Porn, Porn! 363 Posts 8/09
Posted - Feb 26 2011 : 10:31AM
^ I have my computer connected to my HD screen so I can watch anything I download through my TV on my big comfy couch. The quality is not quite Blue-ray (mind you Brazzers is bloody close) but it's definitely a giant leap forward from the old 32 hex 240 pixelated video days. As usual porn leads the way in video technology.
^ That's what keeps me buying DVDs. I have no desire to watch porn, any movie or tv show on my computer. I'll watch short clips of stuff but that's about it.
Now people use HTPCs (home theater PC) with media players such as XBMC, that will automatically recognize the movie title and download the cover, and additional info so everything is neatly presented. You can think of an HTPC as a giant DVD jukebox: when you want to change the movie, you don't have to go get the box, open the tray, swap discs, put everything back in place... You just push a button. I know some people like DVDs, but I really don't. I like downloaded movies from ztod or else a hundred times better.
^ Yes, but for that I'd have to buy special hardware, pay subsrciptions fees, probably not getting as clear a picture, have a limited selection and I can't own the content. At some point perhaps all that will be more attractive to me but for now the DVDs are just easier to deal with.
See, it's kind of a catch 22. On one hand, I don't mind purchasing DVDs and supporting the stores, but as time goes on, and with the ever so fast advancement of good 'ol technology, the ease and convienience of going the digital route is looking like the way to go. There are way more pros than cons going that route. Let's face it, for all we know, DVDs will be obsolete soon anyway. Look at how we live our lives now: internet, cell phones, GPS systems, laptops, iPods, etc, etc. We must adapt and evolve, even with our consumption of porn.
To hear most of them talk, you would think so on the latter. Suppose I'd have to see it to believe it, because I'm just not convinced. Doesn't seem like it'd be the same, but again, most seem to say it is or nearly is.
Torris, The next time you're in Vegas, come by one of my stores and see me. I will hook you up with a discount on anything you buy (except my 4 dvds for $15 rack, can't really go lower than $3.75, and magazines since there is no markup). I stock alot of new releases (not all of them), and have some great deals on stuff from Evil, Elegant, JJ, Tom Byron, etc all under $20, some even under $10.
^ I live in Vegas. Which stores do you work for? If you prices are what you say they are I'd rather buy from a store for a few dollars more than order and wait for DVDs through the mail.
I'd have to think that most would rather watch it on a tv screen but since some of the stuff they watch is only available through the computer and so much of it is free, they're willing to watch it on the computer and have just grown used to it.
Why you think the net was born? Porn, Porn, Porn! 363 Posts 8/09
Posted - Feb 27 2011 : 1:42PM
A year ago I said the exact same thing, so I can understand your concern, but trust me it's a completely different world a year later on. I'm not talking about watching cheap, highly compressed, low resolution videos on xtube or whatever can be had for free at some porn forum. Regardless of the screen on which you watch a bad quality video it remains just that, a bad quality video. I'm talking about the videos available from Elegant Angel, Zero Tolerance, Brazzers, Bang Bros, Naughty America etc. They all have excellent quality that when played through an HD screen either directly from your computer or through a networked PS3 is just as good if not better than a DVD. As I noted in an earlier post, in the case of Brazzers, their 1080p videos are as close to Blue-ray as you can possibly get without having an actual disc. It's nothing like watching videos on your computer monitor.Your computer, an HD screen and an HDMI Cable, that's all the equipment you really need. The picture quality is great, I cannot stress that enough. The selection is practically unlimited --most reputable sites have daily updates with top name performers and the studios put their releases on-line almost immediately--, plus you can download directly to your hard drive, transfer them to your laptop if you wish and watch them whenever you want without any licensing issues, so you do own it in the same way that you own a DVD, but much better than owning a DVD, you only need to download the scenes you want and not have to put up with any filler. Plus I'm pretty certain that you can probably even burn any content to a disc if you prefer to have a hard copy. A year ago I had all the same apprehension about on-line videos you have now, but believe me the technology and quality available is such that I really don't see DVDs and rental stores lasting much longer. Edited by - malandro on 2/27/2011 2:02:27 PM
It's 2011 people. There's a whole new class of products called digital media players. A small box about the size of VHS tape which can play all your downloaded media on any TV you want. Or connect to Netflix or other popular online streaming services. Priced between $50-$100. You don't need to choose between meager selection/availability (i.e. the porn DVD world) and cramped viewing conditions (i.e. the internet porn world).
pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world 12377 Posts 9/07
Posted - Feb 28 2011 : 6:12PM
I don't think the posters here are probably an accurate measure of the average porn viewer, but then what is? Your completely subjective opinion of what the 'average porn viewer' wants? When Padoga use to post here more often she said the stuff that moved the most at her porn store was she-male titles. Does that fit your notion of the 'average porn viewer'? I remember talking about porn with my buddies in our early twenties we all noted how 'shitty' and 'boring' most of it was, I don't think that's a minority opinion. We can only arrive at opinions based on experience or evidence, I'm using experience, what are you using? Edited by - BlackSix on 2/28/2011 6:21:06 PM
I'm not joining in the debate -- I just have a query out of my own curiosity and my research interests. How would you describe the people who use this site? As in, what could this site be a gauge for, if anything? I wonder about this myself fairly often, especially in regard to what academics call "fan cultures." The study of forums and fan groups has become relatively popular as a way of assessing genre audiences (not just porn -- in fact, mostly non-porn).
I would call the users here "wonks." One of the message boards I frequent is at SportsLogos.com. There's general discussion of sports, but the focus is on the logos and uniforms. Users there discuss and debate things that most sports fans would not even care to notice, like the serifs that the Boston Bruins added to their trademark "Spoke-B," which you see in my avatar. On topic, most porn buyers would probably think of Melanie Jagger (one of my personal Hall-of-Famers) as just a chunky redhead with big, soft tits. But I was able to find out from a user on here - MichelleJ - in what scenes Mel was wearing her nipple and clit rings, which is fucking hot, by the way.
Draxxx, I manage the Deja Vu stores in town. Come see me at the Love Boutique on Industrial Road. My e-mail is thorn7025@yahoo.com, e-mail and I'll tell you when I'll be in office. Trust me, I'll get you a good deal on most studios.
Aspen Stevens is hot and sexy Aspen Stevens is the most beautiful woman in the Observable universe 139 Posts 10/07
Posted - Mar 1 2011 : 10:37AM
Videobox has DRM. I had Videobox for 4 months .. downloaded 400 plus videos. None of the videos i downloaded I was able to view on my tv. I have to watch them on my computer. but after 6 months of not have videobox.. some of the video i am not able to view on my computer. So, if they are saying No DRM thats bunch of bull shit. I would stay away from videobox . when I sign up they had 5000 videos. maybe at the time they had non Drm and never remove it from there videos. i bet that costly.. maybe the new stuff isn't DRm. I haven't been with videobox since the hit the 5000 videos .. overall ... i would stay away from them. ..
The majority of the stores customers are now: -Low income people who have no access to the latest technologies, don't have the means to pay for them, or don't even know most of them exist. That's why the cheap garbage titles sell well. -Old dudes who just recently learned to use a dvd player and still yearn for the days when vhs ruled the world. -People who like watching their porn on a tv. Most down-loadable porn looks like shit on a big tv unless you download the HD stuff but most sites have limited downloads when it comes to that. Take into consideration the time etc it would take to hook up your tv to your computer and figure all that shit out...a person would rather pay for the disc or rent it and burn it just to avoid the hassle. Some people find that too time consuming.
I'd say this is still the most significant reason, other than the joys of owning tangible objects. Then there are particular releases that warrant a purchase because they come with fancy packaging and booklets and stuff (ok, so Platinum Elite movies...). I think I already mentioned that before, but it bears repeating. For me, it's a thrill to own the DVD of something like the PE Deep Inside Annie Sprinkle (booklet, finger puppet, beautiful packaging). If I had faith in the mainstream porn-buying public (which I still sorta do, because I want to believe), I would say this is the way to go if you're aiming to sell DVDs.
More stores are opening all the time in my area. Of course they sell alot of things other than porn though. Such as toys, lingerie, weed paraphanelia, etc.
So I checked out Videobox. Do they have anything new? It's all older stuff. :( I, too, want a site like Netflix where I can pay a reasonable amount of money and stream whatever I want. At ADE, a streaming 7 day rental of "Raw 6" is $23. WHATever. Seriously, when will the companies get a clue? Things are not the same. They never will be again. The gold rush is ovah.
Personally, I don't care about any of those types of extras when it comes to porn DVDs. What'd I'd like is more film content for my money. I remember when Blu-Ray was first being introduced and the selling point was how much more information a disc could hold. I thought that would translate into more content on a disc but that doesn't really happen. It's usually the same amount of movie content and the HD (that I usually don't think is that much better) takes up most of that space and if there is any space left over it doesn't seem to get used for anything. I doubt I'll ever buy any HD porn because I don't think the higher price is justified. I don't think DVDs are going away for quite awhile. The music industry has been hit pretty hard by downloading music and many music stores have closed but CDs are still available. I think there'll always be enough people who like owning CDs/DVDs to keep that market going for years to come.
I remember going to some stores and then not browsing because they had $1 admission fees, which would be refunded with purchase. A general video store required registration with a $5 fee before going in to the adult section to see if there was anything worth renting. Instead of paying the fee I asked the owner to check the database for some titles, which were not in stock, so goodbye. Edited by - charn on 3/10/2011 2:22:31 PM
I wonder how many of us porn obsessives on this list started out with massive collecting habits as kids: comic books and baseball cards. I pretty much paid off my student loan debts by selling both of my collections.
M.B.: first I want to say that your posts over these years have helped me tremendously. I never said that before because I wasn't admitting to everyone on ADT that I was a retailer, but your posts in particular have been educational and thought-provoking. Thank you, bro!I don't know if I'd agree that poverty leads to like of cheap porn. In my stores an Andrew Blake film costs the same to rent as a 90s Leisure Time comp. I'd disagree that not being able to afford a computer means that you don't know about them. They've been in every school for at least 25 years, and almost all workplaces have them. I'd posit there may be some prejudices at work here, since you don't really know the yearly income of your customers. No judgment--we all have them. A highly-educated grad student is likely to be poorer than a poorly-educated guy who only gets up from the TV to hunt on the 400 acres his family's owned for 95 years. But the stereotype is that the country bumpkin is poorer than the fashionable hipster student. Even in my own example I'm stereotyping that higher education means like of bigger-budget porn (not so).Yes! And thank Goddess for this customer. The boomers are hitting retirement now, and they're a HUGE market.Let's not forget *the customer who doesn't watch that many movies (once a month or less) *the customer who buys used DVD's (cheaper price but not necessarily cheap porn) *the impulse customers for whom waiting for a mail delivery is not satisfactory
pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world 12377 Posts 9/07
Posted - Mar 20 2011 : 9:17AM
Most of the young men I know have their computers set up so they can watch whatever they have on the computer on their TVs. I agree about owning DVDs for the best of features and gonzo, I have the Deep Inside Annie Sprinkle and Score DVDs on order right now, but I think we're very much in the minority. I don't know if there are enough of us to sustain even boutique DVD/Blu-Ray releases (many fine cult film companies have gone under in recent years).
Gravity as Curved Space: Bootymeister's Theory of General Relativity 1589 Posts 11/08
Posted - Apr 24 2011 : 8:00PM
^ How many of these young guys actually pay for porn? Many young people I know have their TVs hooked up to the computer also, but I do not know of any that pay for porn. Even if they do not pay for porn now, at some point that customer who prefers porn via internet will dominate and the industry will push the change pre-maturely. I just do not think the death of the DVD is coming as soon as some people think.
Posted - Feb 22 2011 : 10:06AM
WHATever. Seriously, when will the companies get a clue? Things are not the same. They never will be again. The gold rush is ovah.