XBIZ Summer ’06 Forum: Delivering Video

LAS VEGAS — Shooting porn is the easy part. Delivering it to users’ computers is the hard part. A panel of industry experts discussed the best methods for encoding and delivering video for maximum quality and ease of use.

Panelists included Oystein Wright of Mansion Productions; Raffi Vartanian of WorldWideContent; Ali Joone of Digital Playground; Mark Prince of 2much.net; and Jason Walters of Splice Media.

“The trick is to get as much content through the fibers as possible with the technologies available,” Vartanian said.

“We’re still dealing with the same bandwidth issues we had in 1999 or 2000,” Walters added. “We’re still trying to squeeze as much volume as we can through small pipes.”

What’s changed, he said, is the codex used by companies who make delivery technologies, resulting in vastly better picture and audio quality. That is due, in part, to the growing interest in online video from the mainstream, thanks to Google Video, YouTube and others.

The two technologies vying for the lion’s share of adult use are Windows Media, Apple QuickTime and Flash, and each has advantages and drawbacks, according to Prince. Whereas Windows Media is based on Mpeg 4 and delivers a higher quality than Flash, for example, users experience a delay in delivery. Flash, on the other hand, is faster, but the quality is not as high.

“The challenge is how to reduce the delay while maintaining quality,” Prince said.

Digital rights management presents another set of challenges, Wright said, calling DRM a necessary evil.

“There are lots of rules about what you have to put on a file, and sometimes [the rules make it] unclear how to make the user experience a good one,” he said. “Anyone who owns exclusive content should use DRM, but you also want to protect the user experience. You have to find a balance.”

Digital Playground’s Joone looked to the future of content delivery and the emergence of high-definition content, saying that the main issue with delivery of hi-def content on the Internet is drive space. While many of today’s computers might have trouble with hi-def, Joone said content producers should not be shortsighted.

“It’s not about what the preferred delivery method is today; it’s about creating a library that won’t become outdated,” he said. Web operators always have the option to downgrade hi-def content for standard delivery, he added.

One telling fact: Digital Playgound offers trailers in both standard definition and hi-def on it’s site, and has seen a steady increase in users choosing the hi-def versions.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

25,000 Sign Petition to Legalize Pornography in Ukraine

An OnlyFans model’s petition to decriminalize pornography in Ukraine has amassed the 25,000 signatures required for official consideration by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

WannaCollab Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

WannaCollab has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

FSC Unpacks SCOTUS Age Verification Ruling in Webinar

The Free Speech Coalition conducted a public webinar Tuesday to help adult industry stakeholders understand the Supreme Court’s recent decision in FSC v. Paxton, and its potential implications.

UK Lawmaker Calls for Appointment of 'Porn Minister'

Baroness Gabrielle Bertin, the Conservative member of Parliament who recently convened a new anti-pornography task force, is calling for the appointment of a “minister for porn,” according to British news outlet The Guardian.

FSC Toasts Jeffrey Douglas for 30 Years of Service

n the very same evening when the adult industry was hit hard by the Supreme Court ruling supporting Texas’ controversial age verification law, HB 1181, members of the Free Speech Coalition board, staff and supporters gathered to celebrate Jeffrey Douglas’ 30 years as board chair — a fitting reflection of his reputation as an eternal optimist.

TTS Opens UK Testing Location

Talent Testing Service (TTS) has opened a new U.K. location in Ware, Hertfordshire.

FSC: Age-Verification Laws Go Into Effect in South Dakota, Georgia, Wyoming on July 1

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published a statement regarding new age verification laws set to go into effect tomorrow in South Dakota, Georgia, and Wyoming.

FSC Responds to Supreme Court Decision on Texas AV Law

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has released a statement responding to last week's Supreme Court decision on FSC v. Paxton, the Texas age verification law.

Sex Work CEO Debuts Upgraded 'GPTease' AI Assistant

Sex Work CEO has introduced the new Canvas in-chat editing feature to its AI-powered, NSFW text generator, GPTease.

UPDATED: Supreme Court Rules Against Adult Industry in Pivotal Texas AV Case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday issued its decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, striking a blow against the online adult industry by ruling in support of Texas’ controversial age verification law, HB 1181.

Show More