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The One-Use, Self-Destructing DVD Returns

Posted by kdawson on from the renting-a-media-experience-while-polluting-too dept.

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.

27 of 561 comments (clear)

  1. Heh, pirates ahoy! by Xtense · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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 [...]."
    1. Re:Heh, pirates ahoy! by Bios_Hakr · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If you are going to pirate a movie, don't tip-toe around it. Just download the thing from the Internet.

      --
      I'd rather you do it wrong, than for me to have to do it at all.
    2. Re:Heh, pirates ahoy! by pubjames · · Score: 5, Interesting

      This is interesting from a legal perspective. Would copying one of these be legal for the home user for home use? You have paid for it, after all.

      Are any of the many lawyers that read Slashdot able to shed a light on this?

    3. Re:Heh, pirates ahoy! by mybadluck22 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      1. Download movie for free

      2. Keep movie forever

      3. There is no step three.

      --
      If I could rearrange the keyboard, I'd put U and I together.
    4. Re:Heh, pirates ahoy! by archeopterix · · Score: 5, Funny

      If you are going to pirate a movie, don't tip-toe around it. Just download the thing from the Internet.
      And miss the joy of sticking it to the man?

      And the joy of making him 5$ richer? Umm, wait. Gotta think about it a bit more. Brb, torrenting.
    5. Re:Heh, pirates ahoy! by theheadlessrabbit · · Score: 5, Funny

      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.-
    6. Re:Heh, pirates ahoy! by Auckerman · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Here's the funny thing. You OWN a copy of a defective movie. You have every right to back it up before it can no longer be read. It's not a rental, it's a purchase of a self destructing disk at a reduced price. In this case, it's not pirating.

      --

      Burn Hollywood Burn
    7. Re:Heh, pirates ahoy! by stranger_to_himself · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I also hear some people also have entire rooms in their house dedicated to the preparation of food - and even a separate room where they eat it, complete with sets of chairs situated around a table. Surely the end of the restaurant as we know it.

    8. Re:Heh, pirates ahoy! by infalliable · · Score: 5, Informative

      If we have learned anything from the copyright cops, it's that you never own anything. Despite paying for it, and everyone other than the "MAFIAA" treating it like it was a "sale", they can (or at least try) to do anything they want with it and impose insane restrictions on it.

    9. Re:Heh, pirates ahoy! by molarmass192 · · Score: 5, Funny

      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
    10. Re:Heh, pirates ahoy! by indifferent+children · · Score: 5, Funny
      Just how many coasters do you need?

      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
    11. Re:Heh, pirates ahoy! by j_166 · · Score: 5, Funny

      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.

    12. Re:Heh, pirates ahoy! by Blkdeath · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I'm not too good at math, so help me out: How many times does this have to happen before your home theater (including original purchase, time/money for installation and periodic setup, wear and tear, preventative maintenance, taxes, loss of use of part of your house, and popcorn) begins to pay for itself?

      I know this is the popular rhetoric around these parts but I still don't comprehend it. Here we have a self proclaimed geek forum; a hangout for people who routinely spend weeks' and months' pay cheques on new computer and other electronic equipment but who can't see the beauty of a home theatre setup?

      A few points to clarify why I wanted a home theatre for myself;

      • The only people in the room are there by my choice. Cell phone etiquette, crying babies, talking during the movies is all under my control.
      • There are no sticky floors, stained seats, spilled snacks, or in the extreme case fecal coliform bacteria to worry about.
      • I can pause, rewind, stop/resume the movie at any time for any reason.
      • I control the volume, effects and lighting.
      • I can have as few or as many friends, relatives or acquaintances over to enjoy the viewing as I please and the cost is not adversely affected.
      • When these people come over, it's common practise (tradition) to bring something along. Be it a case of beer, bottle of alcohol, light snacks or even a full dish of food for a proper meal.
      • Related to the above; we can choose what to eat and drink and when to do so. If we want to eat a proper sit-down meal before or after the movie it's at our leisure. If we then want to snack and drink alcohol or even tapwater during the performance all the better - it's our choice, it's quality food of our choosing and it doesn't come at an egregious cost.
      • With gas prices on the rise and continuing to do so it's not economically reasonable to drive a group, usually in multiple vehicles, to a restaurant, then to the theatre, then out for after-show entertainment then home again.
      • Furthermore, if we do consume too much alcohol during the evening we don't have to shell out and wait for a ride home. There are always sofas, pull out couches and spare bedrooms in which people can sleep it off.
      • When I'm not entertaining or watching movies, I can use my rig to better enjoy plain 'ol television. Say what you will about it, but there are a few shows I enjoy (I won't get into a qualitative discourse), there's also news and weather. In short, everything looks and sounds better on my rig.
      • I have a gaming system connected to my home theatre which brings the games to life and really enriches the experience.
      • When I'm not watching broadcast entertainment or playing games I have my computer connected to my system. Audio traverses to my dolby receiver digitally and my desktop measures 60" diagonally. You have no idea how nice it is to sit on a reclining sofa with a wireless keyboard and mouse and do ... whatever. Banking, bill payments, web surfing, e-mail, etc.
      • As a plus to the above, any movies / television shows that I've missed and subsequently downloaded can be played directly to my theatre system.

      There are definitely some cost savings benefits to the home theatre, but that's not the only benefit.

      As to the costs associated; I choose what to buy (component wise) and when to buy it. Usually I'll find a piece or set of equipment I want then wait for a sale. I also make what I believe to be rational purchases; for example, I want a PlayStation 3 which will double as a high definition Blu Ray player, it'll play regular DVDs as well as take over as the home network media centre.

      If done correctly you don't have to pay an arm and a leg to get a very good theatre setup and with 0% finance options at the big box stores you can leave your money in the bank earning interest while you pay small instalments. When you factor the cost of an evening's entertainment even for as few as t

      --
      BD Phone Home!

      Shameless plug. Like you weren't expecting it.

  2. They Are Recyclable by TheMiddleRoad · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://flexplay.com/recycling/

    You can recycle them. You can return them to the store you bought them at for recycling. You can even get a free mailing label and ship them to flexplay for recycling.

    You can also shoot yourself in the face if you're dumb enough to buy this crap.

    1. Re:They Are Recyclable by YeeHaW_Jelte · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "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."
  3. Why? by jcd2025 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why would anyone do this when you can usually rent it for a week cheaper?

  4. This is going to work... by Firas+Zirie · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

    1. Re:This is going to work... by Spy+Handler · · Score: 5, Insightful

      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.

      So you're saying that having a less-than-brilliant business model should be illegal? As in, Congress or state legislature should pass a law banning bad business ideas? If so you're just as screwed up as this FlexPlay crap.

  5. Advantages over rental by 91degrees · · Score: 5, Informative
    If you rent a DVD
    • You have a limitted time in which to view it.
    • You have to return it. Not everyone lives near a video rental store.
    • you will be charged if the disk gets damaged or lost.
    If you buy a self destructing DVD
    • You can buy it on spec and watch it some other time (these have a shelf life)
    • You just throw it out when you're done with it.
    • The maximum cost is the cost of a disposable DVD.
    The environmental damage isn't as big a problem as people seem to think. Much smaller than takeout, and probably less than the waste from a day's food for most people. That and they're recyclable.

    The main problem is making people realise that this is a rental and not a purchase. When they own the physical media they think they own it. Prices are also a little high, but they don't need a vast number of customers. Just enough movie fans for stores to justify the shelf space.
    1. Re:Advantages over rental by Gerzel · · Score: 5, Funny

      Thank you employee of Flexdisk or what ever company you are speaking for.

  6. Re:How's that different from... by zakezuke · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well, how's that different from...

    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.
  7. Ah, good old NewSpeak by BenBenBen · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "FlexPlay"

    No flexibility, and after 48 hours no play!

    --
    The Slashdot Paradox: "100% Overrated"
  8. DIVX vs DivX by WaXHeLL · · Score: 5, Informative

    DIVX is the crappy circuit city DVD rental program. DivX is the codec.

    Case matters.

    --
    The troll with karma.
  9. Re:How's that different from... by jamesh · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is the disc single layer or even less due to the disposable nature of the disc?


    A zero layer disk. I'd like to see that :)
  10. Re:How's that different from... by evilviper · · Score: 5, Funny

    A zero layer disk. I'd like to see that :)

    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
  11. Windows uses same model by GottliebPins · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.

  12. $5 by Floritard · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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?