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Would You Like Some Fries With That Download?
vodkamattvt writes The New York Times is reporting that the Walt Disney Company is hoping to replace happy meal toys with portable media players that could hold Disney movies, music, games, or photos. From the article: "The plan could work something like this: A customer enters a restaurant and buys a meal, receiving the portable media player and an electronic code that authorizes a partial download of a movie, video or other media file, which can be downloaded while in the restaurant, according to a United States Patent and Trademark Office application filed by Disney. Then, with each subsequent return, the customer earns more downloadable data, eventually getting an entire movie or game."
The two causes of extreme obesity, finally togeather at last!
And hundreds of geeks start ordering happy meals- not for the meal, but for the WiFi media player, which will soon be hacked to refer to any arbitrary URI, and creative commons content.
SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
Aren't "partial downloads" prior art as far back as, oh, the era of the floppy disk? Back when warez wasn't distributed as ISOs but as dozens or hundreds of 1.44MB fragmented compressed files? I even remember downloading Slackware like that back in 1994/1995. What exactly is "new" about this to warrant a patent?
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Just like all of these devices, from CueCats to disposable DV recorders, will be hacked. Bring 'em on!
Zhrodague.net - I do projects and stuff too.
Mabey they could earn workout videos as downloads. If they have to visit a fast food joint 20 times to get the video, then they could watch their video to lose the calories they just racked up!
"Supersize me"
Someone gets Linux on these things and creates the first McBeowulf?
dave.
honestly, this kinda crap makes me ill...after hearing more about the mcdonald's and nintendo wifi deal i was already kinda getting heebie jeebies...but this new idea, fast food as a conduit for media distribution - that really is an affront to mankind (uh, okay, that's kinda extreme)...these kids are already struggling with obesity (read the data folks, our kids are mostly fat), and putting more distractions in front of them during quite possibly the only time in which they might eat and interact directly with their parents and siblings is just wrong, absolutely wrong...and since we know it's gonna be all disney ads and crap trailers and advertaintment, what the hell is the point? why not just let the media companies bid directly with parents on ourkids.ebay.com and let parents sell their kids' attention spans in five minute increments to the highest bidding media and product firms?
enjoy life, and Gmail.pro
I doubt movies will be popular, but games may actually be a good idea.
First it rolls out trendy games (like King Kong or whatever's hot at that time).
Then every week, it rolls out new levels for the game, which can be downloaded and brought home.
Virtual Betting on Facebook for non-geeks.
The target audience for the Happy Meal is kids -- it's to give the kids something to play with during the meal and that they can take home.
Something that you can't use until after you get home won't catch on with the kids... but it could work for adults.
This sounds much more in line with the collector's drink cups or those sports-team bobble-heads you can sometimes get at fast food places than the classic kid's meal toy.
Would you like a root kit with your meal?
Bradley Holt
Once you hit 300 kgs you get the entire movie? This could provide a new way to rate restaurants: Frames per calorie.
Are you...Are you some kind of genius?
No, ma'am, I'm just a regular Slashdot reader.
If you ask me, we'll never see these, simply because a wifi media/game player costs money. Know how much a DS or PSP costs? I'm sure McDonalds can't afford to give away a $200 gaget with the purchase of a $3 meal.
A free download for an existing DS/PSP might happen, but since none to many people have such, I dout it.
Obligatory Soundbite Catchphrase
Mommy! There's a bug in my burger!
someone said an iPod has a cost of $50 or something. If you throw in some ads, ....
It's better to be the foot on the boot than the face on the pavement. ~~ tkx Kadin2048
A thousand chicken nuggets later (and 50lbs heavier), the kid can watch an entire 80 minute disney movie. yay.
After looking again, I'm thinking the writer of TFA is a little off. I can see a URL to a page to download a software media player and enter the code to download part of a movie. This business of giving away media players just doesn't make sense to me.
"You want to keep them wanting more; if it takes 10 visits to see a whole cartoon (or whatever), chances are that the kid will lose interest"
Not if their friends have gotten the new piece.
Kids today are all up on the collectibles... they stay interested in Pokemon, or other CCGs for years, why would they lose interest in this after only 10 weeks?
Especially if the content delivered is not the same for every download... then they 'gotta catch em all'.
Genius.
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
McDocuments
...
McFavorites
McVideos
McMusic
??
--Rob
Towards the Singularity.
When I was a young boy, I awoke every morning to the delicious smell of pancakes. My mother, and father's dojo contained within it a hot griddle perfect for making pancakes, waffles, and a multitude of other pancake-like breakfast pastries. I remember them well -- The pleasant, care-free days of my childhood in the dojo were often spent peering into the kitchen with eager anticipation as my mother prepared pancakes my family.
.. the ultimate pancake. My journey took me to the many islands of my homeland, many days away from my dojo. My hunger for pancakes became my teacher, and foolishly I let it control the path that I walked upon. My feet, sore from travel, ached as my heart and stomach did, until I came to a realization. My duty was clear. I needed to take a stand and accept my love for the art of the ninja AND my love for pancakes. It was not wrong for me to love both. I love one as a dear friend, and one as a lover. Yes--My mission was clear--I must become a ninja, a secret assassin hired by the imperial family BUT I MUST ALSO ENJOY THE OCCASIONAL PANCAKE.
As I grew older, and began my journey to spiritual enlightenment, the memories of my pancake-eating youth filled my heart and dreams with warm, fluffy goodness....Ahhh, yes..the sweet, sweet memories... The day I ate 10 pancakes... The day I placed a warm pancake between my fleshy loins and performed the forbidden dance... The day pressed a pancake to my buttocks and encouraged my dog to come eat.. Indeed, much of my childhood was spent in pure innocence -- An innocence only pancakes can provide. It was heaven. A heaven, filled with pancakes, where I sat at the throne of God, with my hand-maidens Aunt Jemimah and Mrs. Butterworth seated beside me. An indestructible triumvirate made of flour, eggs, sugar, milk, water, and love.
By the age of 15, the path of my life became unclear and confusing. Torn between my duty my village and my love for pancakes, I foolishly left home in search of karaguchi ah-nowakadesu
My adoration for breakfast cakes has placed me within an awkward position. Many ninja refuse to recognize me as their brother. I defend my father's land, but I am looked upon as weak and undisciplined. I tell them, "But, brothers! Listen to my plea! The pancakes do not weaken me, nor do they make me disobey the rule of my sword. They fill me with love." But alas, they do not understand...For the mind of a ninja is complex.
My only earthly desire is to be accepted for who I am. Yes, I am a NINJA--But I also enjoy pancakes. Will you accept me? If you were approached by a ninja who requested a pancake, would you submit to his will?
How is this fundamentally different from, say, stamp cards which allow me a free sandwich/coffe/coke/whatever after I've collected a few stamps?
Fundamentally, this is a "method of providing customer reward for ongoing purchases" (coupled with a "mechanism to ensure repeat business by children").
Big deal, so it's a digital method. They've taken the concept of reward cards, thrown in Wifi, and are claiming to have done something patentable. This is just silly.
God I hope this patent is rejected.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
It didn't taste different from the rest of the meal, but my tummy doesn't feel so good now. ***groan***
This sounds notoriously similar to drug dealing to me.
You buy the happy meal and get the device and a small for free.
Then to get the whole thing (or more) you have to pay.
*in evil sounding voice* The first one's for free! *evil laugh*
According to "TFA", it takes 30 months for patents to be approved, and they havent even started looking at it yet. Right now it sounds like this is all "just in case we want to do this some day in the far future". Not Stuff that Matters.
About a dozen years ago Mcdonald's did a campaign with video tapes, something like buy a meal and get a movie for $2.99 (I watched The Adam's Family about 1000 times as a result). I wonder if they ever tried the same concept with DVD's? It seem's a heck of a lot easier for the consumer, and you'd still have people returning to the store to get another DVD.
Is there heaven? Is there Hell? Is that a Tuna Melt I smell?-Primus
This idea won't work unless they find a way to make the downloads into choking hazards. The public won't accept them as authentic Happy Meal toys until the customary nationwide safety recall has been issued.
I have to come in multiple times to get a full prize? This never would have flown with what an impatient child I was (and still am). I would have been so pissed during Lego or Popoid promotions (anyone else even remember Popoids?). Yay, I come in for a Happy Meal and get... A single Lego brick. It's like those Star Trek chess sets where you get one piece every three months, so you should be ready to sit down and play some chess by 2154.
I saw some toys the other day that were like that. You bought an action figure, and it came with an arm or a leg of another action figure.
Of course, transformers-style toys have done that forever, but this was just an arm roughly the size of the action figure's leg, nothing "rideable".
Of course, unless they're complete idiots, they wont really be selling peices of movies, they'll be selling episodes of crappy somethingorother that will be trendy for three months.
Of course, they could over-DRM this and entirely forget the benefit of collectable/tradeable stories in bubble gum or trading card packs. ("They're supposed to BUY the new chapters, not buy some of them and trade some with their friends!")
-- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
So, now they are encouraging addiction to high fat, high calorie diets. And, the reward is sitting back, watching a movie. Sounds like a great way to add inches to our kids waste lines.
I believe they are encouraging acceptance of heavy-handed DRM schemes, and the reward for this acceptance is a fat/glucose hit. Sounds like a great way to raise a new generation of docile sheep for Hollywood.
Then, with each subsequent return, the customer earns more downloadable data, eventually getting an entire movie or game."
That's it. Civilization is over. We had a nice run.
lorem ipsum, dolor sit amet
Little Kids can't drive themselves to McDonald's. The truth is that when I was small child we went to McDonald's maybe once or twice a MONTH. We got Pizza maybe once or twice a month. Parents need to quite blaming McDonald's for their kids eating habits. Cooking at home is the key to better health. It isn't just fast food. If you eat out every night at TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesday, Olive Garden, Longhorn, or even a good high quality restaurant unless you you have a LOT of self control and order a salad you are going to get fat!
Restaurants are supposed to be treats. They have become a way of life.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
When I was a kid, trading cards packages would often have a special cards that could be combined to form a mural. I know that I was always excited to see the picture come together as I got the pieces. Having a very small allowance, the motivation wasn't enough to get me to buy more cards than I would have otherwise, but I am sure that it did have some effect for those kids with more disposable income.
Anyway that was the first thing that came to mind when I read the article, but there are tons of other examples, like the transformers that combine. Also the monopoly lottery game that McDonalds did - people got much more into that than other lottery games where the anticipation begins and ends as soon as you scratch the game piece.
Part of the success probably depends on if the individual pieces are usefull (or have percieved value) on their own or not. If you have to wait till you have all ten before you can watch any of the flick, then it probably wouldn't create as much anticipation. However, in general, "Gotta catch them all" has long been a successfull marketing gimmick, and will continue to be.
What seems a bit bigger of an obstacle is how do you get a device cheap enough that can actually handle playing a movie.
The cheapest device at the moment must be the GBA micro and that still is 100 dollars. Of course you could deduct Nintendo's and the retailers profit from it but how low could you possibly get?
Current happy toys are cheap chinese made plastic toys costing less then a dollar for the most ambitious campaigns.
Surely they know that any free tech device of any capacity is going to be hacked?
As for kids remembering to bring their player with them. A bit hopefull. Lending the device out temporarily would also be prone to cheating and asking for a deposit would effectively double the cues at the till for people wanting to give the device back after eating.
Nice idea but wouldn't it be simpler to put the media player in the table? That techonology can be readily bought from airline seats supliers.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.