Disney to Begin Renting 'Self-Destructing' DVDs

[Neishaverse]

I have one of these DVDs. I have a Promo DVD for the film "Die Another Day." It does exactly what is says it will do. However 48 hours isn't to the second, mine lasted about 36 before it started skipping. It was well after 48 hours before the bottom of the DVD was totally black. Naturally the first thing I did was rip myself a copy after I opened the air-tight seal. If you hold the DVD sideways you can clearly see that only the lower/bottom half of the disc is red. So it's only the botth part of the 2 halfs that actually changes color. My DVD was only under 3Gigs so not sure if they are making dual-layered versions or not. I guess they could make them double sided if they made both halfs of the disc change colors.

Barney.

[NightWing]

Neishaverse. You brough up a very intersting point.

Are these single layers only disk and can they even make a two layer disk? If only single layer its nice that Disney liked short movies around 70 to 90 minutes long.

Just for giggles how thick and strong was the packing? Quality of the movie as in bitrate. Just wondering.

[vitualis]

If there is an advantage to having to return something after 48 hours verus not having to return it then I choose the latter. Why would I choose to make an extra trip to the rental store to avoid late fees when technology can take care of it for me.

As far as the environment how can we price the cost of the return trip. Extra petro for those that drive which is a drain on fossil fuels etc...plus the loss of time as it relates to production etc...etc. I would prefer to make one trip. Make a purchase. Put my purchases on a shelf. And view at my leisure. And yes - only get my 48 hours.

The same argument can be made about recycling. Why bother with the extra time and effort in recycling aluminium cans or PETE plastics when we could simply make MORE and throw the used ones in the trash...

Western society is already to wasteful with the excessive use of non-recyclable packaging and the quick, one-off merchandise.

This Disney scheme only adds to this mentality. It is making the potential for extraordinary waste where there is none now.

BTW, I can walk to my rental store...

Regards.

[a1anp]

The enviromnental argument is an interesting one, and one I'd never given much though to before. My nearest Blockbuster is about 10 miles away. To return a DVD uses around 2 litres of fuel, costing about £1.50, and wasting about 40 minutes of my time.

On these grounds, the self-destructing disk strangely starts to make sense. If I could pick them up when shopping in the supermarket, then I'd even save the first trip to Blockbuster. But even so, the idea of a product that is deliberately designed to become defective still sounds crazy to me...

[Northstar]

You have to ask yourself this question though.

Why is it they can make these dvds for the price of a rental and have them self destruct within 2 days, yet they cant just sell you one for the same price that dosent self destruct, surley they dont cost less to make, in fact id say they cost more to make to put a special process in it to make it break after a while, and then theres the waste as people have pointed out.

I suppose the only thing it has going for it is not having to return it as said in the post above, and online rental will become more popular as they dont have to be returned which means no more worrying from the suppliers.

I still think its stupid idea

[bchalker]

One reason:

Disney is not getting the revenue from rentals at BB and Hollywood Video. They buy in volume @ $xx.00 each - say $10 for example.

Figure rental stores buy 30 DVDs ($300). Disney only makes that $300, but BB is renting each one 20+ times (making $600 off each DVD they bought). Disney makes none of that.

This way they probably sell @$2.00 each, but rental stores would have to buy 1000 or so ($2000). Disney makes profit on rentals.

Greed...It's sad, because the Disney I remember was not the Disney my kids will.

edit:

UNLESS - Disney already has a plan or way to "neutralize" the oxidation. In which case, the movie could become unplayable after a few days and needed to be returned to the video store and be "cleaned".

If it can be cleaned, then the figures above are moot - but it would be a loss for Disney in the end (which is where the consumer will be getting it since BB would just buy the same 30 copies, but at $2 rather than $10 dollars each.

[bchalker]

I have one of these DVDs.

Oh man...can you post a pic!

thanks

[next]

let me try this again.....

[next]

If there is an advantage to having to return something after 48 hours verus not having to return it then I choose the latter. Why would I choose to make an extra trip to the rental store to avoid late fees when technology can take care of it for me.

As far as the environment how can we price the cost of the return trip. Extra petro for those that drive which is a drain on fossil fuels etc...plus the loss of time as it relates to production etc...etc. I would prefer to make one trip. Make a purchase. Put my purchases on a shelf. And view at my leisure. And yes - only get my 48 hours.

The same argument can be made about recycling. Why bother with the extra time and effort in recycling aluminium cans or PETE plastics when we could simply make MORE and throw the used ones in the trash...

Western society is already to wasteful with the excessive use of non-recyclable packaging and the quick, one-off merchandise.

This Disney scheme only adds to this mentality. It is making the potential for extraordinary waste where there is none now.

BTW, I can walk to my rental store...

Regards.

Touche! I get the point. You are always a gentleman in your comments.

But you must admit that we live in a disposible world here in the west. From diapers to razors. Disposable. A life cycle from birth to our last shave.

Actaully the original Circuit City Divx scheme may have been ahead of its time. At least you got a package that could go back on the shelf for future 48 hour puchases. No landfill abuse.

I've actually saved my CC Divix packaging and used the DVD cases for my DVD compilations. So I guess I'm recycling.

[vitualis]

But you must admit that we live in a disposible world here in the west. From diapers to razors. Disposable. A life cycle from birth to our last shave.

I completely agree. Once we get used to the easy disposable item, it is very hard to go back. This is why I feel Disney's step here is environmentally irresponsible.

To answer someone's question of the cost of going to a rental store, etc., you will have to balance that with the ENVIRONMENTAL cost of the disposable. The environmental cost is usually not felt in the short term, but will come back to bite you in the arse sometime in the future.

Sure, you may need to expend more petrol to get your DVD rental if it so happens your rental store is further away than your supermarket (not my case). However, that inconvenience simply means you would RENT LESS OFTEN.

Now, you may think that the cost to YOU would have gone when you put the expired disc in the bin, but you have to take into account all the petrol and energy that is then expended in TAKING THAT TRASH to the dump/waste depot. And then all the energy required to BURY/BURN this additional waste. Not to mention the resource/opportunity cost involved in producing all those additional discs.

Actaully the original Circuit City Divx scheme may have been ahead of its time. At least you got a package that could go back on the shelf for future 48 hour puchases. No landfill abuse.

I've actually saved my CC Divix packaging and used the DVD cases for my DVD compilations. So I guess I'm recycling.

Agreed. I think it is inevitable that we will eventually have an electronic "rental" scheme. Eventually, it may be completely be electronic and not require the purchase of a physical medium altogether.

In the present, however, I maintain to affirm that the Disney scheme is environmentally irresponsible -- adding to the disposable consumerism that is already rampant in Western society.

Regards.

[jokerkid613]

EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT THIS NEWS. MAN, WUT AN IDIOT...

[Northstar]

Speaking of idiots....

[macleod]

Northstar. Read jokerkids other threads. That will explain everything....

[Northstar]

I did and thats why i replied like i did, i wasnt refering to anyone else in this thread only the person directly above me.

He has a way with words that isnt helping anyone at all, i suppose i shouldnt even have replied to what he said to be honest as it only aggrivates the situation further, but i thought 'what the hell'.

IMHO its total disrespect and thats all that needs to be said.

[painkiller]

Given the popularity of this entire website - and this issue alone ...
I wouldn't be surprised if some of Eisner's staff had accounts here (or not - just regularly reading the posts would be enough).

The simple business of causing all this controversy means that the internet-savvy public has just thrashed out all of the issues, pro and con, over whether to push development of this idea and onto store shelves.

Makes me wonder why a company would ever need a "PR" or "publicity r&d" department ever again.

Or have most people forgotten of the recent 'backing off' of the Disney-Moore film fiasco?

[pacmania_2001]

MAN, WUT AN IDIOT...

An idiot would be someone who comes on a public forum (one that the MPAA would probably visit regularly) and proclaim that he has downloaded a pirated movie. Especially when this board logs IP addresses and judging from the attitude and disrespect you have shown to fellow members I wouldn't at all be amazed if Baldrick or one of the other moderators handed over your IP address (which, from your elite hacking skills , you may know is traceable) to them.

But back on to the topic at hand (sorry about the partial hijacking of the thread), I believe eventually the roll out of such products is inevitable. However like many people have said above I don't think this will be the product to do so. Like DIVX I think this is a little ahead of its time in terms of what the public wants.

I picture the future time-limited, no returning movie rental to be downloaded over a broadband connection onto a storage device (similar to a VCR/DVD player) with a built in HD. After the time period expires it will simply delete itself from the device or perhaps remain there, but locked until either (a) the user activates it by paying the rental again (b) it gets deleted so another movie can be watched.

[NightWing]

Got some idea!

There are plastics that will biodegrade in the enviroment after six months. Could they combine the limited lifespan with that concept?

Or include a self addressed envelope with postage prepaid that you stick the disk in and mail it back. Some film packs had this way back when.

Over all its not that bad of an idea but you has the feeling of it not being though out fully yet.