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.
1. Buy cheaper disposable movie.
2. Rip it to harddrive.
3. Dispose of movie.
4. ???????
5. PROFIT!
"We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams [...]."
Why would anyone do this when you can usually rent it for a week cheaper?
Here in Australia they're selling once-mainstream DVDs for $6-$8 all over the place. If shoppers would just exhibit a little patience instead of rushing out to buy the latest shiny, they too would benefit from the eventual lower prices.
I saw the first full page ad for Blu-Ray disks in a supermarket catalogue today. If the shops keep pushing those, DVDs are only going to get cheaper and cheaper.
Hal Spacejock: Science Fiction with Nuts
These things positively scream "rip me! rip me!"- and if they came with that right, I'd probably buy them just to save me the trouble of downloading them. Until then, sorry guys, combining the shoddy packaging of a pirated copy with the transience of a rental is pretty much a prescription for failure.
Yes... After all it didnt stop the oil industry why should it stop the MAFIAA?
09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0
+2 Troll is Slashdot's way of saying groupthink is confused
"Flexplay® discs are fully recyclable and conform to all applicable EPA environmental standards. Flexplay has partnered with GreenDisk and local environmental organizations to develop several closed-loop recycling options to test with consumers. As distribution of Flexplay discs increases, Flexplay will continue to work proactively with content providers and recycling partners to broaden the collection and recycling program."
Read: technically, we could recycle them, but this has not been important enough for use to develop. We have not come beyond some pilot programs that could have been tested by consumers if we bothered to actually implement them. We will keep telling you the discs are recyclable till people notice we're not actually recycling them.
---
"The chances of a demonic possession spreading are remote -- relax."
Oh, so you want me to pay you $5 for something that will self destruct in two days? Sure I'd be glad to... NOT! Who the hell came up with such a stupid idea? Why on earth would I buy this piece of crap when I can rent a DVD for less than that? This shouldn't even be legal and if it is then humanity is more screwed up than I thought.
Flexplay® discs are fully recyclable
To add to your point, just because something is recyclable does not mean there are no energy costs to recycle.
1. Rent movie.
2. Rip it to harddrive.
3. Return it.
4. ???????
5. PROFIT! You get a case with what I presume has a decent cover.
Rental $2.50
Longbox $.50
Photo paper $.25
Ink - $.75
To copy a rental could easily cost you $4. For an extra $1 I presume you get the case and cover. That's not so bad.
There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
"FlexPlay"
No flexibility, and after 48 hours no play!
The Slashdot Paradox: "100% Overrated"
How is a disposable DVD different than all the water bottles, plastic bags, yogurt pots, polystyrene trays, etc. that are currently being dumped by the trillion?
This is a drop in the ocean compared to that. Heck, the snack foods consumed while watching the movie will probably create more garbage than the DVD.
No sig today...
...the submitter picks up on the worst one. There's plenty of landfill space. That doesn't mean we have to go and waste it all right now...The environmental damage from creating/disposing of the self-destructing DVD is probably actually less than that from driving to the video store to return it.
Indeed. Ultimately -everything- is recyclable. Every atom in every product could, in principle, be used for a new product. If that is -practical- or -cost-effective- or even environmentally friendly is a completely different question. (if the recycling requires lots of energy and nasty chemicals, it may be that it's a net loss to do it)
That's kind of steep. I can get $5 movies at the bargain bin at Best Buy, Wal-Mart, etc. Or I can rent a movie from Blockbuster for $4 and keep it for 2 weeks. Or I can use netflix and rent a bunch of movies for $10 a month, or I can download it from Xbox Live. There seems to be better alternatives to watch a movie.
Can I bum a sig?
I really hope someone sues the company responsible for putting all of these toxic chemicals into landfills.
and yes, discs are made with toxic chemicals.
This is just a horrible waste of resources. Especially when the content could be distributed in harmless electron format.
They're using their grammar skills there.
So what they're really saying is that they can profitably manufacture, distribute, and sell DVD movies for the low price of $5, even after paying some company to add their technology to the disc which not only doesn't enhance the consumer experience, but seriously degrades it. So why do they charge $20 for the other discs again?
Actually, wouldn't you be making a backup copy in case your original stops functioning. IANAL, but wouldn't this mean that the DVD that you would burn as a backup count as your legal copy of that media? --The FNP
So, I've been thinking of this idea to help reduce this kind of landfill-feeding stupidity. What about a scheme where companies are forced to pay a tax on the percentage of a product they produce that is not recyclable. For example, let's say a DVD is 100% non-recyclable. The company would then have to pay an n% tax on 100% of their selling cost (or some similar scheme). Sure, they could pass the cost on to customers, but companies who made "greener" products could then sell for less. What say ye?
Twenda Learning: Educational Apps that Engage.
1) Open self-destructing DVD 2) Spray said DVD with something that prevents oxygen from reaching the disk, cheap hairspray seems like a good candidate here but there are probably even better materials that could be used. 3) Your self-destructing disk fails to degrade? This is aside from just ripping the, of course. And perhaps you could then return it demanding a refund because it was defective, it failed to seld-destruct!
An earlier poster suggested spraying, boiling or doing something to treat the "DVD" to keep it from decomposing. Assuming something like this is possible, is that a violation of DMCA? I mean, is spraying a special coating on a digital reproduction hacking? Are we going to have "intellectual property" owners lobbying Congress to plug the "hairspray hole?"
At what point do we as a people say enough? It's time for these dinosaur media conglomerates to die out already. They don't make art and music. They don't provide a useful service to society (certainly not for the outrageous profits they rake in at the expense of both consumers and artists). A long time ago when distributing film and music was a comparatively enormous and complex undertaking these businesses may have had a use. Today they merely serve to stifle creativity, exploit artists and gouge consumers. We don't need them.