http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/05/19/disney.dvds.reut/index.html exerpt ------------ LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- This disc will self-destruct in 48 hours. That is the warning The Walt Disney Co. will issue this August when it begins to "rent" DVDs that after two days become unplayable and do not have to be returned. Disney home video unit Buena Vista Home Entertainment will launch a pilot movie "rental" program in August that uses the self-destruction technology, the company said on Friday. How it works The discs stop working after a change in color renders them unreadable. They start off red, but when they are taken out of the package, exposure to oxygen turns the coating black and makes it impenetrable by a DVD laser. Buena Vista hopes the technology will let it crack a wider rental market, since it can sell the DVDs in stores or almost anywhere without setting up a system to get the discs back. The discs work perfectly for the two-day viewing window, said Flexplay Technologies, Inc., the private company which developed the technology using material from General Electric Co. ---------------- This is wasteful of our natural resources. There are all these recycling and waste reduction programs going on and then this. You know you have an advanced civilization when you have the audacity to engineer things to break. Are late fees that big a deal?
Divx failed b/c their players cost more and the system dialed in, reporting what you were watching. This could gain acceptance if there is no marginal cost to the consumer relative to renting at blockbuster.
This sounds like the same concept as iControl pay per view. Rent the movie for 3.95 you can watch it, stop it, pause it, whatever for 8 hours. No late fees. This is just more crap for the landfill.
I agree....Divx was a bad idea. As long as these things work as advertised, this is a good idea. Rent movies....don't worry about returning them. It WILL appeal to the people who still go to Blockbuster and rent movies. It will be more crap for the landfill though.
Divx at Circuit City was great for me. We got an RCA DVD/Divx player using my son's employee discount for $199.00 (back when DVD players were much more expensive). When Divx went out of business, they sent us a check for $100.00. We never watched a Divx movie. We only got that player, because they were giving a great employee discount on it.
Actually, Divx failed because it was a scam to fleece consumers. The players were nearly the same cost, sometimes less, sometimes more. These types of things allow the movie companies to rack up rental income and then raise the prices of their for sale dvd's. Since this isn't a DVD site, I won't get too in depth, but this will fail too. DVD's are not rental items, they're purchase ones. Divx tried to head that off so the studios could keep the cash cow known as rental around past its due date.
Well I guess this means the DVD will go straight from the packaging into a DVD burner for "permanent" storage. Is it just me or is Disney getting too greedy...
why is this greedy? it's an innovative idea that many consumers will appreciate. you can rent a dvd and not have to worry about bringing it back...no chance of late fees!
It's my warped point of view when it comes to DVD's. I usually buy and not rent, your right this is a great idea for those who usually just rent. The greedy comment was aimed as Disney in general, not just the DVD situation.
Madmax, why not just go for video on demand then? No need to purchase a DVD player at all for that and the technology exists to make it available to most everyone. I'll get you started... no kickbacks from video stores. As for pure economic incentive (greed), if you want to purchase a movie, gotta wait a few years until the rental window is closed (you know that new videos often cost like $90s?). During that time the only avenue really available is to rent the movie...multiple times. This is how the studios can milk every friggin penny out of people and why they prefer rental systems like VHS had over the purchase one that DVD has. Divx was the first attempt to alter the market, this is the second. This is before you get into any cinefile territory like O.A.R., extras, and the like that would be greatly cut back on in these types of releases. It's not "just another option" it is the first step in altering, and limiting, the market. Video stores are also able to control content and availability because they wield the power of being the only place people can really get new movies. Blockbuster won't stock certain films, etc.
I'm not sure if I agree with you, but only time will prove one of us right or wrong. I agree video on demand would make a better alternative, but some people are still caught up in the whole blockbuster/rental type thing. This will appeal to their senses. Not to mine, and obviously not to yours....but there is a market for this. The real way to make this work is to release the self-destructing DVD's for rental weeks before the real DVD's go on sale. Then you get rental dollars and you might still get the sales dollars. I'm not crazy about this idea because if they can make it work, it will raise the cost of the sale DVD's, but from a business persepective, I think it's a pretty good idea. Also, if it does work, it will change my habits. I'll be less likely to buy a more expensive DVD that I've never seen before, so I probably will try the rent thing out.
Video on demand for EVERY movie down at my local Blockbuster? How expensive would that technology be? Plus...there's something about driving down to the store and picking out a movie with someone that I appreciate. No, iI don't work for Blockbuster.
Gosh...only 2 days...I am sure they can rip it in a few minutes...this is doomed to fail. Ummm, why? Renting DVD's hasn't failed and they can be copied the same way. The only difference between this system and the current rental system is that you don't have to return the damn thing, a convenience many people would certainly appreciate. It also allows you to rent from stores (impulse buys) rather than only at video rental places. What exactly is the downside to this?
I'm with you Major....I don't understand the aversion. When divx came out, I immediately knew it was doomed. I just don't see that with this.....it's really a pretty elegant idea--from a business standpoint. As a self-proclaimed DVD "collector," I won't be crazy about it if it drives up the price of DVD's, but I do respect the idea.
1) These DVDs will be thrown away after viewing and thus wasting valuable resources even if they are recycled. 2) There will be an increased demand on shipping. This will could potentially create higher gas prices if this takes off and create more pollution. This will at least mutliply the shipping needs of the DVD "rental" industry by 20X. Honestly, I have no idea how much shipping blockbuster does, but they rent a lot of movies.
