Slashdot Mirror
The One-Use, Self-Destructing DVD Returns
BonrHanzon writes "Looks like DivX (the stupid one, not the codec) has been resurrected in the form of Flexplay. Staples will be selling these movie disks for 5 bucks a pop at the checkout counter. The disks can be played in any DVD player, but a special adhesive will render the disk unplayable 48 hours after the package has been opened. As if our landfills weren't already overflowing with enough crap." The blog post notes that Flexplay has actually been around for 5 years; the Staples distribution deal is what's new.
2. Discover a cheap 'hack' work around (boil in water, spray with hairspray etc)
3. Keep the disposable movie
4. ????????
5. Profit?
The dvd's will come standard as part of a kit: the degrading dvd will be bundled with a writable dvd.
And the joy of making him 5$ richer? Umm, wait. Gotta think about it a bit more. Brb, torrenting.
so, now can I make the claim that I can not on good conscience rent or purchase a movie due to pollution?
My deep rooted concerns for our environment, the glaciers, the ozone layer, my grandchildren, his grandchildren, and even your grandchildren prevent me from paying for movies, since it will add more worthless junk to our overflowing landfills.
Downloading movies produces significantly less waste; therefor, pirating all my media is the only way any responsible, eco-friendly person can be entertained, and still be able to sleep at night.
does that sound good to everyone else?
-I only code in BASIC.-
... are the movie and music industries ran by a bunch of monkeys suffering from Alzheimer's disease? A three years old would immediately see all these new attempted business models of theirs as unbelievably idiotic ideas. How on Earth is it possible that somebody actually believes such crap could possibly work? This is beyond me. Please, if you are a CEO of a "content" production company, could you enlighten me, pretty please?
I would if it exploded. Now that would be cool....uhm wait a minute it has a countdown right?
Thank you employee of Flexdisk or what ever company you are speaking for.
Given the quality of films today can they make them so they self destruct with bad movies "before" they are played? Could save a lot of pain and suffering especially with Uwe Boll movies.
A zero layer disk. I'd like to see that
It also wastes the oil to transport anything else you need recycling which you care to enclose in the packaging!
Tyres... house bricks... siblings...
Of course, we must increase the number of pirates if we want to stop Global Warming!
Torrents of the world, unite!
And most of all, no profit. So I guess it has to be illegal in some way. If not, it'll soon be made illegal. It's so un-american to charge nothing for nothing.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
My deep rooted concerns for our environment, the glaciers, the ozone layer, my grandchildren, his grandchildren, and even your grandchildren prevent me from paying for movies, since it will add more worthless junk to our overflowing landfills.
Downloading movies produces significantly less waste; therefor, pirating all my media is the only way any responsible, eco-friendly person can be entertained, and still be able to sleep at night.
does that sound good to everyone else? Yep.
One more thing... pirating movies is good for the environment in another way.
It takes money out of the pockets of directors, producers, and actors. You know. Those guys who live in mansions, fly private jets, and own dozens of sport cars while getting up on their high horses about the environment and how we all have to "pitch in" and "do our part."
Pirate enough movies and they won't be able to afford those mansions, private jets, and sports cars. Their energy consumption will go down, their carbon footprint will be reduced and they'll be spewing far less hot air, all of which will help to reduce global warming.
Old news... They put TWO in every spindle of CD-R/DVD-Rs... One on the top, one on the bottom.
Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
Microsoft also uses a similar model. Their popular Windows product starts to deteriorate immediately after installation with all of the bloatware and is unusable within 48 hours.
I agree completely, most of my friends' parents at Yale have similar setups. I asked my sister who goes to Harvard (ugh) and all of her friends have the same at their parents' homes. In my mind it has gone beyond just that, it's not just in homes anymore. We have a movie room on our yacht and my dad is seriously thinking of adding one to the company jet. Heck, I remember having a theater room at our chalet in Vail FOREVER. I'd even bet that our Mexican grounds crew have one in their shanty, but I don't really talk to the hired help, I'm just assuming there.
Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws-Plato
Back in the day, no one asked this question. It was pretty well accepted that AOL would decide how many coasters you needed.
Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it. --Mark Twain
Obviously, they must be running out of people to sue for downloading movies. This new technology is clearly designed to frustrate even more consumers, and drive them to download so they can keep their profit margin high with lawsuits.
Fortunately (for me), there hasn't been a movie coming out of Hollywood in 20 years that I have the slightest interest in either wasting money on, or risking an infringement lawsuit for downloading.
"Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket." -- Eric Hoffer
You seriously ask 5-10 people to /chip in/ for a $3.50 DVD rental?
How much do you charge per kernel of popcorn?
But do they have two robots who sit next to them and talk back to the movie? That's what really matters.
We solved that problem by getting a colorful live-in hobo, Pantload Tim. We usually lock him in the basement on the other nights, but on movie night we let him camp out on the floor and thrill us with his insane ramblings.
I think you have overlooked the fatal flaw in your plan: that it hinges on students paying attention in English class.
That's why I covered the bottom of my plasma-mounted-over-the-fireplace with tinfoil. Tinfoil stops EVERY bad element from getting in anything.
"But this one goes to 11!"
You insensitive clod, some of us enjoy spending 12 bucks to see a movie while listening to babies cry, having the back of your seat kicked for a few hours, and be cramped in with a bunch of assholes.
Anyone ever notice how a movie going experience is a lot like a plane ride?
Belief? Hope? Preference?The Existential Vortex
It's so un-american to charge nothing for nothing.
not if you do it repeatedly.
--
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."