Throughout history of the movie camera it has been used for pornography, and with the arrival of the home video cassette recorder the porn movie industry experienced massive growth and spawned porn videos. One could now not only watch porn videos in the comfort and privacy yet relish on redily available choice to satisfy specific fantasies and fetishes.

It has been suggested that Sony Betamax lost the format war to VHS in becoming the general home video recording/viewing system because porn videos industry chose VHS instead of the technically superior Sony system. Other attempts at innovation came in the form of "interactive" porn videos that let the user choose such variables as multiple camera angles and multiple endings.

With the arrival of affordable consumer-level video cameras, members of the public had the means of producing their own porn videos. These were intended for personal enjoyment, or an intimate circle of friends.

The technology of the cheap hand held camera liberated the porn videos maker from the studio, and gave birth to the second development, Gonzo Pornography. In this mode of production, a wandering cameraman goes in search of members of the public and persuades them to perform sexual acts, either in an off-street location or back in a hotel room.