Disposable DVDs quietly died away
02-10-05, 12:03 PM
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Disposable DVDs quietly died away
Amazing how we all saw this coming but Eisner never listened.
http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,66513,00.html
Disney has stopped selling its movies on 48-hour DVDs, but that doesn't mean the technology is disappearing.
Flexplay developed the technology that renders a DVD unreadable after a set period of time. The company has been sold to Atlanta-based Convex Group, which plans to release content in this format.
The EZ-D was marketed to consumers as a way to avoid late fees from movie rental shops. Once opened, the EZ-D can be played unlimited times in 48 hours. Then a chemical compound on the disc combines with oxygen, rendering the DVD opaque and unreadable after two days. Movie fans can throw away the expired disk or pack it off to a special recycling facility to be recycled.
Flexplay developed the technology that renders a DVD unreadable after a set period of time. The company has been sold to Atlanta-based Convex Group, which plans to release content in this format.
The EZ-D was marketed to consumers as a way to avoid late fees from movie rental shops. Once opened, the EZ-D can be played unlimited times in 48 hours. Then a chemical compound on the disc combines with oxygen, rendering the DVD opaque and unreadable after two days. Movie fans can throw away the expired disk or pack it off to a special recycling facility to be recycled.
02-10-05, 12:10 PM
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With the price just a couple of dollars below outright owning and same as or more expensive than Netflix & Blockbuster it was doomed to be a stillborn concept. Even moreso now with the advent of downloadable movies.
02-10-05, 01:10 PM
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Originally Posted by heavy liquid
Good riddance. I couldn't believe that they were trying this after the Divx debacle.
02-10-05, 02:29 PM
#12
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Why does everyone hate this idea so much? I mean, don't get me wrong - if they were talking about replacing *all* DVDs with crap like this, I'd be royally p****d off too. But as I understand it, these discs were supposed to be aimed at people in airports, hotels, truckers - basically people that wanted to watch a movie, but might not necessarily want to keep it.
Of course, the stupid pricing is what *really* killed this. I might have tried one if they were offered in my area and were about the same price as a rental. But I'm not paying $7.99 for it.
Of course, the stupid pricing is what *really* killed this. I might have tried one if they were offered in my area and were about the same price as a rental. But I'm not paying $7.99 for it.
02-10-05, 03:08 PM
#15
Originally Posted by Rex Fenestrarum
Why does everyone hate this idea so much? I mean, don't get me wrong - if they were talking about replacing *all* DVDs with crap like this, I'd be royally p****d off too. But as I understand it, these discs were supposed to be aimed at people in airports, hotels, truckers - basically people that wanted to watch a movie, but might not necessarily want to keep it.
Of course, the stupid pricing is what *really* killed this. I might have tried one if they were offered in my area and were about the same price as a rental. But I'm not paying $7.99 for it.
Of course, the stupid pricing is what *really* killed this. I might have tried one if they were offered in my area and were about the same price as a rental. But I'm not paying $7.99 for it.
So why does everybody here hate the idea so much? Because everybody on this board is generally a collector, and not people on the go like you described above.
02-10-05, 03:29 PM
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i cant believe this concept has not died yet...i wonder how many more times some new company is going to try and push this type of technology when its aparent the consumers dont care about it.
02-10-05, 03:33 PM
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I knew immediately that this idea wouldn't work at all, especially at the price point they used.
ATTN Buena Vista Home Video: once you fire the guy who came up with this great idea, wasting a bunch of company money, can I have his job?
ATTN Buena Vista Home Video: once you fire the guy who came up with this great idea, wasting a bunch of company money, can I have his job?
02-10-05, 03:53 PM
#19
Originally Posted by moonlimb
Terribly idea in my opinion. Inconsistent quality, too costly, adds to much to the landfill (environmentally bad), time demands to watch, etc
02-10-05, 04:04 PM
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calhoun07,
I've heard of Penn and Teller but don't understand what you are talking about. Please explain. My comments were my opinion only based on personal experience with these disks. I used one as a test sample and then it became useless. The waste in materials and added garbage make these extremely unappealing. If these disks can be recycled I could change my mind. Can they be recycled or not?
I've heard of Penn and Teller but don't understand what you are talking about. Please explain. My comments were my opinion only based on personal experience with these disks. I used one as a test sample and then it became useless. The waste in materials and added garbage make these extremely unappealing. If these disks can be recycled I could change my mind. Can they be recycled or not?
Last edited by moonlimb; 02-10-05 at 04:09 PM.
02-10-05, 04:44 PM
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I thought it was a great concept and the best reason for buying one is you could
give a really good movie "rental" you liked to a friend or family member as a GIFT
without the burden of having to return it. What doomed it was price. It should have
been same as a rental or less since it only had two days of activity. Instead it cost MORE than a rental. that was backwards...
give a really good movie "rental" you liked to a friend or family member as a GIFT
without the burden of having to return it. What doomed it was price. It should have
been same as a rental or less since it only had two days of activity. Instead it cost MORE than a rental. that was backwards...
02-10-05, 04:58 PM
#24
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by hifisapien
I thought it was a great concept and the best reason for buying one is you could
give a really good movie "rental" you liked to a friend or family member as a GIFT
without the burden of having to return it. What doomed it was price. It should have
been same as a rental or less since it only had two days of activity. Instead it cost MORE than a rental. that was backwards...
give a really good movie "rental" you liked to a friend or family member as a GIFT
without the burden of having to return it. What doomed it was price. It should have
been same as a rental or less since it only had two days of activity. Instead it cost MORE than a rental. that was backwards...
A regular barebones DVD could be produced, packaged in a tyvek sleeve and sold for the same price as these disposable discs. They wouldn't have to be returned either. But the whole disposable angle is simply a cynical method for generating more revenue...and protect the higher-priced "purchase" market.
It's a solution looking for a problem. And that's why it failed... and will continue to fail.
02-10-05, 07:02 PM
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Originally Posted by sracer
Yeah, $0.99 would be a great price... then we can all rip them and reburn them to lasting media.
A regular barebones DVD could be produced, packaged in a tyvek sleeve and sold for the same price as these disposable discs. They wouldn't have to be returned either. But the whole disposable angle is simply a cynical method for generating more revenue...and protect the higher-priced "purchase" market.
It's a solution looking for a problem. And that's why it failed... and will continue to fail.
A regular barebones DVD could be produced, packaged in a tyvek sleeve and sold for the same price as these disposable discs. They wouldn't have to be returned either. But the whole disposable angle is simply a cynical method for generating more revenue...and protect the higher-priced "purchase" market.
It's a solution looking for a problem. And that's why it failed... and will continue to fail.