High Def Home Entertainment (HDHE), a new distribution company specializing in the High Def DVD format, has opened business, starting with the release of several adult titles in the format Sept. 8.
HDHE plans to release a variety of content — including feature films, concerts, music videos, extreme sports and documentaries — in addition to the adult fare. Most titles will contain both High Def and standard NTSC versions, meaning they still will function in any regular DVD player.
Working with Japanese company I-O Data (www.iodata.com), HDHE has also helped to bring the first High Def DVD players — the AVeL Linkplayer — to the U.S. market. These players allow for full High Def resolution playback, but can also still play standard DVDs, as well as connect to a computer for playback of other files, including video, photos and music.
One does not have to own one of these players, however, to enjoy full High Def playback of HDHE’s titles — they can also be played in full resolution on tens of millions of computers using Windows Media Player on (approximately) a 2.4GHz or better PC.
This format will provide optimal viewing experience for consumers who have invested in HDTVs. And although other forms of high definition discs — namely Blu-ray and HD DVD — are due on the market early next year, the High Def DVD format purports to present several advantages over those, including versatility (it plays multiple types of discs and computer files), price (it uses red-laser DVDs, making the cost of replication no more than for any standard DVD, and the players cost substantially less than estimates for either of the other technologies’ players) and availability (now).
HDHE has decided to release adult titles first because of the adult industry’s significant role in the proliferation of new entertainment technology, including VHS, DVD and particularly the Internet. Among the initial releases will be the most famous adult film of all time, Deep Throat, from Arrow Productions. It is currently being transferred and digitally restored from the newly rediscovered film negative. (For more details, visit www.HighDefXXX.com.) Mainstream titles will follow soon, with up to 100 titles planned for release within six months.
HDHE also is working to bring High Def to the Internet. Working with Adult DVD Empire, they will soon offer downloadable clips in full High Def resolution.
To learn more, visit www.HighDefHomeEntertainment.com.
