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So if they get scratched too badly, etc

For one thing: SkipDr. For another: DVDs of old live-action TV series aren't as likely to get scratched as animated DVDs are because your kids aren't likely to want to watch them and thus won't be as likely to look for them, provided that you keep them separate from discs containing programming targeted at children.

Eveventually DVD will be replaced by the HD standards and then it will become difficult to find anything play my "forver" DVD.

Difference is that DVD has such an installed base and an identical shape to the new high-definition video disc formats that it'd be market suicide to make and sell a player that doesn't play customers' existing DVD Video disc collections in at least EDTV (480p/576p) resolution. Even today, many DVD Video players are capable of playing legacy MPEG-1 discs such as VCDs.

if I can get things as a digital file without a bunch of hinderances

Not likely. The business models of the entities controlling exclusive rights in huge back catalogs rely on digital hindrance management.

Speaking of scratched DVDs...and I guess CDs too since people inevitably store plenty of downloaded um..."free"...content on CDRs, does anybody know how reliable the toothpaste/deoderant method is for cleaning scratched discs? I have a lot of scratched ones since I keep them in spools and I think I'm just going to save myself a bunch of trouble and buy a SkipDr. Anybody ever use one of those before? Would you recommend it?

People are complaining about this off the bat.

1) Yeah, you have to own a Neuros first to even develop this.

2) Yeah, you could look at this like Neuros is changing contract pay to a prize.

But ...

A) No one said you personally must participate -and- the neuros community has alot of developers. This was targetted as a bonus for existing Neuros owners who develop, not to try and snooker a bunch of non-Neuros-owning people. Face it, it got put on /. "Developers", so it gets about 1% the traffic of a normal post, its not exactly a marketing coup.

B) Which is better ... a developer doing this on their own (which likely would have happened eventually assuming Neuros users care about podcasting) for nothing or have the company say "hey, while you're doing all this free stuff, try this and if it works we'll pay ya for it"?

NOTE: Yes, I own a Neuros (had 2 until one was stolen) and yes I know the owners of Digital Innovations which created the Neuros and when I had the time I was even helping them start to open source parts of the Neuros. However, I don't use my Neuros right now (when the other got stolen they got my upgraded drive and both sync cables and ... well .. I'm procastinating because I'm still pissed). I have never worked for DI nor have I developed anything for it (I'm thinking of getting back into it, but my SqueezeBox is also a tempting hack target). Point is ... I know the product and the company. Those who don't shouldn't make comments about things they don't know about.

"Now, if they could only invent an anti-scratch coating for game rental discs..."

I haven't heard of one yet, but there's this...

Looks like a job for the great SkipDoctor! At least if the special chemical is just on a layer and not dissolved in the platic.

I hate how every time I go in to EB, they try to push a "game doctor" on me. Like I'm going to Pay $30 for a device to clean CD's when I can do it myself for little or no cost.

Get yourself a Game Doctor MD, and repair the scratched disk instead of replacing it.. This is of course assuming it's not the label side that's scratched.

dvd scratches, smudges, get's dusty.

at least tape's are protected by the plastic casing.

"something that physically abrades the surface of the underside of the disc".

Web site here.