Here's my candidate for "stupid idea of the day."

[Archae]

Sheesh.

Self-Destructing DVDs Would Be Unplayable After 48 Hours

POSTED: 7:40 am EST January 18, 2005

PORTLAND, Maine -- Art LeBlanc thinks his company has a better idea -- DVDs that don't last.

Maine-based Flexplay is marketing DVDs that self-destruct in 48 hours after being opened. But they would last a year in the wrapper. A chemical reaction causes the DVD to turn black when exposed to air, making it unplayable.

http://www.themilwaukeechannel.com/technology/4102668/detail.html

[aden_nak]

1. I give that about a month before someone hoses that plan.

Spray on transparent sealant, anyone?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

2. Enough time to copy it in a computer. (nt)

[motely36]

3. What could possibly be the purpose?

:crazy:

[LiberalVoice]

4. Obviously you've never worked with inspector gadget.

:eyes:

[Archae]

5. To make tons more landfill waste.

:argh:

[NoPasaran]

7. The idea is that you don't have to return the rental

Just fill up the landfill instead.

I think it was test marketed around these parts already.

[Sydnie]

9. The purpose is to make non-returnable rentals for one

It would be less expensive to purchase but would have a shelf life. The other thought that is circulating the industry is -- limited showings dvd's. In other words, you could purchase a dvd that will allow 2 showings or 9 showings or even unlimited showings for a set time period (although I always thought it would be more than 2 days!), say 6 months to a year.

It's really a mute point as the "industry" is moving toward mini-dvd's faster than a rabbit can reproduce. They are also considering doing away with "release windows", meaning you can see a movie in the theater and then buy the dvd of that movie on your way home if you want. Look for many tests coming down the pike on the future of the home video market.

And ... don't shoot this messenger please! LOL

[unblock]

6. ah, superior resource allocation through planned obsolescence

[sui generis]

8. make that unbuyable

why would anyone bother? They should go ahead and do it; I guess the next thing they'll do is get a law passed requiring us to buy a quota of DVD's every year or else go to jail. Anyway, market forces will be the best lesson.

[On the Road]

10. DIVX Redux

and it will suffer the same fate.

[Acryliccalico]

11. My 16 year old son can

burn a copy of a CD or DVD so fast it would make your head spin.;-)

[nutsnberries]

13. :) (nt)

[Zuni]

12. The Poll on the site about this---80 percent said it was stupid

80 percent of those polled felt this was a stupid idea. I do too. It is even dumber than Ali G's "ice cream glove" that he tried to market

[bloodyjack]

15. Wow! An ice cream glove! I would buy that!

So, what is it?

[Zuni]

17. a glove that protects your hand from melted ice cream

You have to see the skit of him trying to sell this to actual marketing executives
I almost pissed my pants. Ali G is too f-in funny

[GreenPartyVoter]

14. Shame on him. I think we oughta kick him out of our state

-------------------------------------------------------
Join the new Boston Tea Party!
http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/index.htm#shopping

[GOPBasher]

16. That's cool! What about self-destructing automobiles????

That way, we wouldn't have to spend money on gas, oil changes, tune-ups, repairs and all other maintenence. We can just buy a new car every few days. Whacha think? I'm excited! :bounce:

[Xithras]

18. Been there, done that. What is it with these Divx clones?

You'd think the hundreds of millions of dollars that Hollywood, Circuit City, and the HW manufacturers lost would scare people away from the concept. Divx proved, without any doubt, that people WILL NOT BUY time limited content, even if it's offered at a lower cost.

1. Nobody will purchase these for their home collections for obvious reasons.

2. No rental place will offer these for equally obvious reasons.

3. Most rental places, including Netflix, are moving towards "Movie Pass" type memberships where you can view unlimited movies for a flat fee. This model won't work if the media has to be replaced after every rental. Besides, the entire appeal of this method is that you get to keep the movie as long as you want.

[asthmaticeog]

19. No rental place will offer these.

A LOT of their business comes from people impulsively picking up something else to watch when they stop back into the store to return a rental. Self-destructing rentals will cut them off from a significant amount of money.