Smutty films, long touted as the pivotal factor in the VHS vs Betamax war of the 1980s, will not play a similar role in deciding whether HD DVD will beat Blu-ray Disc or vice versa, it has been claimed.

Instead, porn producers will sit on the fence and release content on both formats, sources from within Taiwan's optical disc drive manufacturer community have alleged, according to a DigiTimes report.

The source pointed to US-based mucky movie maker Vivid Entertainment's decision to support both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Apparently, creating an adult feature for either of the next-generation optical disc formats costs five times as much as it shooting for DVD does. With players still very pricey, porn peddlers worry they may not yet cover their costs.

Consoles, however, may change that. According to the source, adult film-makers are keenly anticipating the arrival of the Sony PS3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360-oriented external HD DVD drive to bring high-def pre-recorded content to a broader audience. ®