Self-destructing DVDs to help market new film

Five bucks buys you 48 hours to watch at home a film currently in theaters, in a rejection of conventional studio marketing wisdom.

The story "Self-destructing DVDs to help market new film" published October 19, 2004 at 10:32 AM is no longer available on CNET News.

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Did they never hear about Divx?

This sounds similar to the ill-fated Divx scheme of a few years ago. (not related to teh DIVX video encoding algorithm) This was a system where you purchased a special DVD player and bought Divx DVDs that were only playable a certain number of times or for a certain time window. This new system is better in that it doesn't require a special player, but I don't think consumers will go for it.

[the liquid man]

Good Idea

Did DIVX even have new theater releases? I think this will work. At least I would purchase them if they were movies still in the theater....for everything else there is Blockbuster.

Did they never hear about Divx?

This sounds similar to the ill-fated Divx scheme of a few years ago. (not related to teh DIVX video encoding algorithm) This was a system where you purchased a special DVD player and bought Divx DVDs that were only playable a certain number of times or for a certain time window. This new system is better in that it doesn't require a special player, but I don't think consumers will go for it.

[the liquid man]

Good Idea

Did DIVX even have new theater releases? I think this will work. At least I would purchase them if they were movies still in the theater....for everything else there is Blockbuster.

[ray08]

Can you say D-I-V-X??

Remember that one? DIgital Video eXpress? Ever hear of Circuit City? Oh, how soon you forget, or you're living under a very big rock! A "novel idea", yeah right! Didn't work then, why the hell should it work now??

[ray08]

Can you say D-I-V-X??

Remember that one? DIgital Video eXpress? Ever hear of Circuit City? Oh, how soon you forget, or you're living under a very big rock! A "novel idea", yeah right! Didn't work then, why the hell should it work now??

[zeroplane]

So um ever heard of ripping and DVD-R?

Not that I would condone this type of behavior. But, what would stop someone from buying the DVD, copying it with 48 hours to their harddrive, and burning it on a region free DVD-R?

What is the point? If a company can suck money from the movie studios more power to them. But come on? Do you really think you can control informed consumers with an iron hand?

All I can say is this is one consumer that will look for alternatives that meet my freedom.

[Crunchy Doodle]

Remember . . . .

Most people still have a 12:00 flashing on the front of the VCR they bought Wallmart on sale. That is who they are marketing to.

Bye.

Analog hole

There's always the analogue hole if they try to DRM it up too much.

[zaznet]

Would it be legal...

Would it be legal from a strictly archival point of view to record the limited-play DVD to another media source? It doesn't matter if it's DVD Ripping or your VCR/TiVo. I am not sure where courts would stand if you made a personal home copy of the DVD you purchased. If courts side with consumers, it will kill the market adoption since movie studios won't push movies on the format if consumers abuse it and get away with it.

I recently purcahased a 50 pack spindel of DVD-R's for under $50. At a $5 retail price for a 48 hour movie, that makes it $6 for me to make a potentially legal home-use copy. 50 movie copies at $300 sounds a lot better than $900 for "originals".

[zeroplane]

So um ever heard of ripping and DVD-R?

Not that I would condone this type of behavior. But, what would stop someone from buying the DVD, copying it with 48 hours to their harddrive, and burning it on a region free DVD-R?

What is the point? If a company can suck money from the movie studios more power to them. But come on? Do you really think you can control informed consumers with an iron hand?

All I can say is this is one consumer that will look for alternatives that meet my freedom.

[Crunchy Doodle]

Remember . . . .

Most people still have a 12:00 flashing on the front of the VCR they bought Wallmart on sale. That is who they are marketing to.

Bye.

Analog hole

There's always the analogue hole if they try to DRM it up too much.

[zaznet]

Would it be legal...

Would it be legal from a strictly archival point of view to record the limited-play DVD to another media source? It doesn't matter if it's DVD Ripping or your VCR/TiVo. I am not sure where courts would stand if you made a personal home copy of the DVD you purchased. If courts side with consumers, it will kill the market adoption since movie studios won't push movies on the format if consumers abuse it and get away with it.

I recently purcahased a 50 pack spindel of DVD-R's for under $50. At a $5 retail price for a 48 hour movie, that makes it $6 for me to make a potentially legal home-use copy. 50 movie copies at $300 sounds a lot better than $900 for "originals".

[Earl Benser]

Seems to me....

...that if the movie is worthwhile, a regualr DVD of it could be
sold for $10-$12 and get a much larger number of sales.

If the movie isn't worthwhile, no sales either way.

I'll bet the DVD costs would be less too. If profit is the motive,
fast corrosion DVD's aren't like to be the answer.

LIke the above comments, wasn't one DIVX example enough???
Circuit City lost their shirt on that one.

[volterwd]

Absolut proof that DVD manufacturers are ripping us off

they can make and sell a DVD that corrodes for 5$... so why dont they sell normal ones for 10$ instead of 20-30

[Earl Benser]

Seems to me....

...that if the movie is worthwhile, a regualr DVD of it could be
sold for $10-$12 and get a much larger number of sales.

If the movie isn't worthwhile, no sales either way.

I'll bet the DVD costs would be less too. If profit is the motive,
fast corrosion DVD's aren't like to be the answer.

LIke the above comments, wasn't one DIVX example enough???
Circuit City lost their shirt on that one.

[volterwd]

Absolut proof that DVD manufacturers are ripping us off

they can make and sell a DVD that corrodes for 5$... so why dont they sell normal ones for 10$ instead of 20-30

[bdennis410]

Disposable DVDs - we're almost there.

I hope disposable works, because then it is only a dollar's throw to the holy grail of entertainment -- New Release movies on Internet simultaneous with theater release, or even...gasp!... instead of.
I personally think that Initial New Release movies will make more money for studios on the Internet then in theaters. The movie theater experience will evolve into a "destination" experience, maybe with dinner, drinks, tables and cubicles instead of row seating. (It is already being tested in New York and elsewhere).
I certainly hope that cable companies don't get "first shot" at New Movies; with their overpricing for Pay-Per-view and even standard cable, cable is still a monopolistic sponge soaking up unearned, maybe even illegal, dollars.
What that might do for the movie industry? Well, with lower costs for distribution they might invest in more and better movies, because a minimum audience of say ten million at six dollars each would cover the cost of 90 percent of all movies released. Those are good numbers!
This concept is evolving in music (IPod, Sirius radio) and it is just a matter of time.
I do wonder if the studios will be able to resist the siren call of commercials, however.
Ya think?

Barry Dennis
Netweb/Omni, LLC

[bdennis410]

Disposable DVDs - we're almost there.

I hope disposable works, because then it is only a dollar's throw to the holy grail of entertainment -- New Release movies on Internet simultaneous with theater release, or even...gasp!... instead of.
I personally think that Initial New Release movies will make more money for studios on the Internet then in theaters. The movie theater experience will evolve into a "destination" experience, maybe with dinner, drinks, tables and cubicles instead of row seating. (It is already being tested in New York and elsewhere).
I certainly hope that cable companies don't get "first shot" at New Movies; with their overpricing for Pay-Per-view and even standard cable, cable is still a monopolistic sponge soaking up unearned, maybe even illegal, dollars.
What that might do for the movie industry? Well, with lower costs for distribution they might invest in more and better movies, because a minimum audience of say ten million at six dollars each would cover the cost of 90 percent of all movies released. Those are good numbers!
This concept is evolving in music (IPod, Sirius radio) and it is just a matter of time.
I do wonder if the studios will be able to resist the siren call of commercials, however.
Ya think?

Barry Dennis
Netweb/Omni, LLC

[johnchristopher1]

Bad Idea

This is the wrong idea! Why create more junk for the landfill?
Deliver your content over the web. Let viewers create their
own discs on re-writable media. Or, simply watch the film on
their computer.

[the liquid man]

Solution to the problem

How about after 48 hours it turns into an AOL disc? :p hahaha

I guess they can start a pile next to the AOL CDs in the landfill

[johnchristopher1]

Bad Idea

This is the wrong idea! Why create more junk for the landfill?
Deliver your content over the web. Let viewers create their
own discs on re-writable media. Or, simply watch the film on
their computer.

[the liquid man]

Solution to the problem

How about after 48 hours it turns into an AOL disc? :p hahaha

I guess they can start a pile next to the AOL CDs in the landfill

Salty, yellow revenue stream

This is just idiotic. "Disney has been marketing with some success?!??!". No, more like Disney is pulling out after all the stock just sat on store shelves. To quote a Wal Mart employee "more were being stolen then sold".

More PRO-DRM articles from c|net! Yipee! Their really ramping up lately...

[zaznet]

Self Disolving Evidence!

Why not steal them? If they are vapor-ware after 48 hours, by the time you see a judge to face charges, there is nothing on the disc you "stole". Oh that's almost too funny! :)

Salty, yellow revenue stream

This is just idiotic. "Disney has been marketing with some success?!??!". No, more like Disney is pulling out after all the stock just sat on store shelves. To quote a Wal Mart employee "more were being stolen then sold".

More PRO-DRM articles from c|net! Yipee! Their really ramping up lately...

[zaznet]

Self Disolving Evidence!

Why not steal them? If they are vapor-ware after 48 hours, by the time you see a judge to face charges, there is nothing on the disc you "stole". Oh that's almost too funny! :)

[ddbpack]

throw away dvds

arent we wasting enough plastic! considering it comes a petroleum product. ie oil!!!

[ddbpack]

throw away dvds

arent we wasting enough plastic! considering it comes a petroleum product. ie oil!!!

[ryan.steele]

Download would be the best but I will take this!

As a father with 3 small children I don't get the chance to get to the theater for the newest movies. It takes 6 months to a year for them to come to DVD. So I usually barrow a "downloaded" copy from a hacking friend to watch while waiting for the DVD release. I would be more than happy to pay the $5 or what ever to see the movie @ home when it first hits theaters. Downloading it to my PC or TiVo would be ideal but if the only way is a DVD that becomes unreadable I'm all for it. I don't perfer it because of the waste it creates(like Divx)but if that is my only choice I will take it.

My 2 cents

[ryan.steele]

Download would be the best but I will take this!

As a father with 3 small children I don't get the chance to get to the theater for the newest movies. It takes 6 months to a year for them to come to DVD. So I usually barrow a "downloaded" copy from a hacking friend to watch while waiting for the DVD release. I would be more than happy to pay the $5 or what ever to see the movie @ home when it first hits theaters. Downloading it to my PC or TiVo would be ideal but if the only way is a DVD that becomes unreadable I'm all for it. I don't perfer it because of the waste it creates(like Divx)but if that is my only choice I will take it.

My 2 cents

[boomslang]

Great, more waste to put in the landfill...

and don't give me any male bovine waste about the recycleability of these things. I have a difficult enough time recycling plastics right now. With petroleum hitting $55+ a barrel, this is a really sane and brilliant use for this non-replaceable resource.

[boomslang]

Great, more waste to put in the landfill...

and don't give me any male bovine waste about the recycleability of these things. I have a difficult enough time recycling plastics right now. With petroleum hitting $55+ a barrel, this is a really sane and brilliant use for this non-replaceable resource.

[jspam]

Contact Amazon.com and tell them....

Contact Amazon.com and urge them not to carry these! The environment needs your help!

[jspam]

Contact Amazon.com and tell them....

Contact Amazon.com and urge them not to carry these! The environment needs your help!

Dumb Idea

Besides being a waste on par with those ridiculous AOL discs, why in the hell would anyone pay $5.00 for a DVD that becomes unplayable after 48 hours? The reason for buying a DVD or for that matter, recording a movie on a DVR or videotape (for those old school holdouts) is that you can watch it anytime you want.

I understand the timing issue but Hollywood has been utilizing a concept for weak-drawing movies since the advent of the videotape, it's called "Straight to Video."

Dumb Idea

Besides being a waste on par with those ridiculous AOL discs, why in the hell would anyone pay $5.00 for a DVD that becomes unplayable after 48 hours? The reason for buying a DVD or for that matter, recording a movie on a DVR or videotape (for those old school holdouts) is that you can watch it anytime you want.

I understand the timing issue but Hollywood has been utilizing a concept for weak-drawing movies since the advent of the videotape, it's called "Straight to Video."