INTRODUCTION

Digitalplayground.com is the official website of Digital Playground (DP), an adult film studio based in Van Nuys, California, originally specializing in adult computer games, then later moving on to producing HD DVDs like Island Fever 3. The site offers a full line-up of Digital Playground feature adult videos starring models like Jana Cova and Shay Jordan which you can watch in wide screen format using a flash-based video streaming UI, similar to those you’ll find on mainstream sites like ABC.com and FOX.com. DigitalPlayground.com promises over 100 High- Def full-lenth DVDs; does it deliver on its promises or is it a load of smoke?

CONTENT OVERVIEW

If you have no respect for paysites that try to float on other people’s content, the good news is everything you find inside DP is exclusive. The members area currently houses 134 full-length Digital Playground DVDs including the Jack’s Playground, Sexual Freak, and Deeper series. Assuming an average of 2 hours per DVD, that’s 268 hours worth of video, 68 hours more than the length of time needed to break in a new plasma and 1.6 months worth of work if you’re unfortunate enough to be stuck in a 9-to-5 job. That said, video content probably won’t be updated every day like on some other sites since each movie has to be produced and released for distribution on DVD before it can be put up on the website. DP doesn’t offer thousands of DVDs like XVN either (formerly known as 99bb). Due to the fact that DP is offering content they themselves produced, DP also currently doesn’t allow you to download any videos.

MODELS

Some of DP’s contract girls include Jesse Jane, Shay Jordan, Katsumi, Lacie Heart, Devon, and Adrianna Lynn. Other models featured on the site include Jana Cova, Carli Banks, Devon, Teagan Presley, Janine, and Sophia Santi. Jana Cova is one of my favorite European blondes of all time and Carli Banks is probably the best looking blonde American chick currently squeezing green out of the adult industry, and fortunately you won’t find a shortage of either girls’ content on this site. DP also signed several new talents recently, including Gabriella Fox (Control 9), San Diego native figure-skating beach bum Riley Steele (Pirates), and Stoya (Sexual Freak 7). That said, if you’re into fresh faces, you’re generally fresh out of luck. While you’ll find new girls here and there, Girls like Katsumi, Janine, and Devon dominate the scene. If you’re into rare models, try sites like MET Art or 1-by-day. But if you’re in the mood for a little of the old school ala Vivid or Wicked Pictures, DP will hit the spot just fine.

VIDEO SPECS

If you’re a video buff, you’ll be pleased with the quality of videos you’ll find inside DP. They’re nowhere near HD quality as the tour leads you to believe but they’re definitely above average. The default resolution is 825x480, 29 Frames Per Second (FPS), 840kb/s VBR (for true HD vertical resolution must be at least 720). The videos usually play smoothly, though if you’re on a lower speed connection you may occasionally experience buffering delays. Depending on your processor speed, videos may stutter in full screen mode. The flash UI lets you jump to any scene while still allowing you the choice of watching a movie from the FBI Warning all the way through to the credits.

PHOTOS

Photo galleries inside DP is a little more than an afterthought. To be fair, DP is fundamentally a video company, where still photos take second-fiddle to DVD production. That said, there’s no search feature, niche categorization, or pagenation. Photo resolution is mostly below 800px long side, though some new pics are as large as 1024px. Since sites like Penthouse.com and Abby Winters are whipping out 4000px digital photographs, DP photos seem pretty tiny in comparison.

SITE DESIGN

On the other hand, DigitalPlayground.com is one of the better looking paysites out there. The visuals are stylish with plenty of eye candy. Navigating around the site is a breeze. There are some innovative features like the wide screen video streaming UI and Virtual TV (which lets you randomly surf through various scenes, a cool feature when you’re not quite sure what kind of mood you’re in). One complaint is that all the search features are restricted to one search page. Having search UI instead be in a sitewide sidebar nav would have made for a more robust surfing experience. But overall, the site design is memorable and fun.

Final Judgement

Looking at the glass half empty, some of the stuff inside DigitalPlayground.com verges on glam porn. There also may be more pornstars featured inside DP than search engineers at an SEO convention. If you’re looking for HD videos, if you expect to be able to download videos to keep, or if you’re used to being able to access thousands of DVDs, you’ll probably be dissappointed. There’s also no interactivity like on other sites where you get to chat with models for a few hours every week.

That said, if you’re a fan of DP flicks, this is the place to watch them online; there are no other video sites I know of that carries DP content. Quality-wise, the videos look pretty good. If you’re tired of watching porn shot in some guy’s living room with a handheld camera (though you’ll find some of that too here, like in Jack’s Playground series), you’ll find DP’s generally stylish, high-production value full-length feature films a breath of fresh air. The action is hardcore with a softer edge and a more sensual, classy delivery compared to the standard-fare stuff. If DP levels up to truely HD downloadable videos, increases the size of their video library, bumps up the resolution of its pics, and offers interactivity with some of its contract models, it should grow to becoming a force to be reckoned with.