Destructible DVDs
Netflix sent me an e-mail survey today, asking about how likely I'd be to purchase a destructible DVD. Disney (Buena Vista Home Entertainment) home video earlier announced their plans to issue destructible/disposable DVDs based on Flexplay technology. Open the DVD and 48 hours later the surface oxidizes enough to render the DVD unplayable.
The idea for Netflix or other "rentailers" would be to ship those to customers instead of the normal DVDs, saving Netflix the return postage costs and returns processing infrastructure burden.
Unfortunately, while the idea sounds economically clever, I would never commit even the measly sum of $3 for such a DVD because I rarely have the time to finish a movie in 48 hours. It usually takes me a few days to finish a movie when I'm working.
Of course, in other avenues of life I routinely spend on goods that depreciate in value rapidly. Take bananas. Out of a bunch of six bananas, usually two end up as black corpses.
The idea for Netflix or other "rentailers" would be to ship those to customers instead of the normal DVDs, saving Netflix the return postage costs and returns processing infrastructure burden.
Unfortunately, while the idea sounds economically clever, I would never commit even the measly sum of $3 for such a DVD because I rarely have the time to finish a movie in 48 hours. It usually takes me a few days to finish a movie when I'm working.
Of course, in other avenues of life I routinely spend on goods that depreciate in value rapidly. Take bananas. Out of a bunch of six bananas, usually two end up as black corpses.