Disney test-marketing disposable DVDs

[Skywatcher]

MSNBC
The red DVDs turn an unreadable black 48 hours after their packages are opened, exposing them to oxygen which reacts with the disc in a process similar to how Polaroid film develops.

    The DVDs, which are being distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Disney’s home video unit, will carry a suggested price of $6.99.
   Some retailers are expected to sell them for as little as about $5 said Alan Blaustein, Chief Executive of Flexplay, which owns the self-destruct technology.
   The advantage to the disposable DVD format — known as EZ-D — is that such discs can be sold anywhere and never need to be returned, potentially making any retailer a competitor with Blockbuster Inc.

Although the disposable DVD format does not make it harder for digital pirates to make illegal copies, Blaustein said by making DVDs cheaper the effort would also undercut the incentive to make such bootleg copies.

Something tells me it won’t quite work out that way.

[gotpasswords]

Hopefully, only the seriously self-absorbed that just can’t be bothered to return things to the video shop will fall for this.

Do they really think they’ll sell a lot at seven bucks a pop compared to four bucks for a three day rental?

And what hapens if the packaging is damaged on the shelf and air gets in? Some poor shmoe buys it, and it’s already gone bad. Will the store believe them when they come back to return it?

I think Flexplay needs to be driven out of business for even introducing this landfill-filler, and BVHE needs a good spanking for trying to sell it.

[JRDelirious]

Hmmm…

Pay $7 for a one-time use, within 48 hrs of opening

Pay $4 for three days’ rental, with return

Pay $25 to keep forever

But yeah, it’s the unnecessary generation of additional garbage I’m going with as the worst part of the deal.

That, and that a serious cracker will be able to rip the contents off the disk within the first hour of having it, so they are actually making the pirates’ work cheaper.

[Skywatcher]

*Originally posted by JRDelirious *
**That, and that a serious cracker will be able to rip the contents off the disk within the first hour of having it, so they are actually making the pirates’ work cheaper. **

My thinking exactly. Pay $7, copy, toss (hopefully into a DVD recycling bin). Net result: a permanent copy for $18 less, not counting the cost of the blank DVD.