Disney to begin renting 'Self-Destructing' DVDs, disc will self-destruct in 48 hours.

May 17, 2003

Crabbyappleton used our news submit to tell us about a new technology used by Disney that will sell self destructing DVD discs. The discs are packages oxygen free, and as soon as the discs come in contact with oxygen the discs starts its process to become unreadable. The technology is made not to limit pirated copies, but to make the rental process much easier. Video stores do no longer need a system to administrate who has rented what and when it has to be back.

Buena Vista hopes the technology will let it crack a wider rental market, since it can sell the DVDs in stores or almost anywhere without setting up a system to get the discs back. The discs work perfectly for the two-day viewing window, said Flexplay Technologies, Inc., the private company which developed the technology using material from General Electric Co.GE.N

Chief Executive Alan Blaustein told Reuters he was also in conversations with other companies to use the self-destructing discs. The technology cannot be hacked by programmers who would want to view the disc longer because the mechanism which closes the viewing window is chemical and has nothing to do with computer technology. However, the disc can be copied within 48 hours, since it works like any other DVD during that window.

Buena Vista did not disclose pricing plans but said the discs, dubbed EZ-D, would be available in August in select markets with recent releases including "The Recruit," "The Hot Chick," and "Signs."

Source: Reuters.com