Disney to Begin Renting 'Self-Destructing' DVD's

[Templejazz]

Disney to Begin Renting 'Self-Destructing' DVDs

52 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - This disc will self-destruct in 48 hours.

That is the warning The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS - news) 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.

The discs stop working when a process similar to rusting makes them unreadable. The discs 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.(NYSE:GE - news)

The technology cannot be hacked by programmers who would want to view the disc longer because the mechanism which closes the viewing window is chemical and has nothing to do with computer technology.

However, the disc can be copied within 48 hours, since it works like any other DVD during that window.

Buena Vista did not disclose pricing plans but said the discs, dubbed EZ-D, would be available in August in select markets with recent releases including "The Recruit," "The Hot Chick," and "Signs."

This is really what we need, more waste and bigger landfills.

How can they be certain that the advantages will weigh out the disadvantages??

Any comments?

Edited May 16, 2003 by Templejazz

[Ed S]

Reminds of the old Mission Impossible series. "This tape will self destruct in 20 seconds (or whatever time it was).

[Ed S]

I understand their marketing angle but I don't like the environmental consequences of it either. Just what we need - mountains of disposable DVD discs, unless these are in someway recyclable.

[Claude]

This is not new. EMI has recently started selling self-destructing SACDs

[RDK]

Can anyone say "Divx?"

[Christiern]

I hope this fails, just like Divx did.

[Ed S]

I have no idea what Divx is/was, but I guess that underscores your point.

[Christiern]

I have no idea what Divx is/was, but I guess that underscores your point.

Divx was a system backed by Circuit City. DVDs were encoded so that they could only be played on special equipment and with a phone-connected subscription serviced that charged for each playing. It was a dumb, obviously unmarketable idea that deserved to to die.

Edited May 16, 2003 by Christiern

[Ed S]

Did they charge extra for the hoops you had to jump through or did they throw them in when you bought the special equipmet?

[chris olivarez]

People like that who are totally focused on maximizing their profits usually don't concern themselves with issues like the enviroment. Mickey is obviously giving the finger to the land, water and air.

[Soulstation1]

[Claude]

However, the disc can be copied within 48 hours, since it works like any other DVD during that window.

This is the weak point.

If Disney want to use this technology to sell cheap "one view" DVDs (they will have to be a lot cheaper than regular DVDs, in the pay-per-view range, maybe $5-8), these discs will probably attract more people attempting to circumvent the limitation by copying the DVDs before they selfdestruct (although DVD-copying is not yet as easy and cheap as CD-copying) than people really using it for it's meant purpose.

I can imagine that Disney will try to make the price even higher than that (half the price if a regular DVD, i.e. $8-10). Like the record industry which thinks it can sell downloadable albums for more than half the price of a CD.

They will inevitably fail. I wonder what goes on in the brains of those marketing guys, especially after the DivX experience.

Edited May 17, 2003 by Claude

[shawn·m]

What happens if the "rental" is resurfaced as with CDs? Can the chemical layer be removed to extend the lifespan? If so, Mickey’s fingering himself.

[Simon Weil]

This concept will self-destruct in ten seconds.

Simon Weil

[Jim Alfredson]

Wouldn't it be nice if all Disney movies would self-destruct and we wouldn't have to watch them at all anymore? How about all the Elton John Lion King records too, including the master tapes.

Man, I can think of thousands of movies/records I would love to have self-destruct never to return.

Alas, such a fantasy.

[Claude]

News on the "EZ-D" DVDs:

DVD's Meant for Buying but Not for Keeping (New York Times)

[Guest ariceffron]

do you know there is a disney mickey mouse cartoon from like 32 i think but i could be wrong, that had greta garbo in it, in cartoon form. she even looked hot as a cartoon.

[BruceH]

This is bound to fail, but meanwhile it will remind people just how much contempt for the consumer Disney has. It's good to be reminded of that once in a while.

[Cali]

The environmental problems are key concerns. However, I've heard reports that Blockbuster profits $10 billion a year on late fees alone. Maybe these self-destructing DVD's will force video rental stores to re-think their pricing.

[Shrdlu]

This is par for the course for the Disney Corporation. They have always been very good at wringing as much money as possible out of their products, even if they are ancient, recycled items. There's certainly no free lunch, not even a glass of water, with that bunch!

One thing that really ticks me off about them is that there were about 200 Donald Duck cartoons made, yet you hardly ever get to see them. I must have seen only about a dozen in my lifetime. I happen to be very keen on DD cartoons. The one with the dripping tap that kept him awake really broke me up when I first saw it. Occasionally, they release a video with about 6 cartoons, for an astronomical price.

[Daniel A]

do you know there is a disney mickey mouse cartoon from like 32 i think but i could be wrong, that had greta garbo in it, in cartoon form. she even looked hot as a cartoon.

Actually, I think I recall it was a Donald Duck cartoon.