Disney's Disposable DVDs Deemed Duds

[Towncrier]

From an article posted on slashdot.org this morning:

It looks like disposable DVD's are headed the way of the dodo bird. Consumers (ahem, customers) in several markets are rejecting the $7 self destructing flexplay discs. Some stores have decided to stop selling. According to the stores, 'Customers aren't interested in paying more than $6 for a limited-play DVD when they can pay $2 at the video store. Even with a $2 late fee, it's cheaper than buying a disposable DVD.' and 'he hasn't seen one customer purchase an EZ-D, though some of them have been shoplifted out of the store.'

I can't say that I'm sorry to see this format fail. You would have thought that Disney would have learned a lesson from the Circuit City DIVX debacle.

 

[KNWVIKING]

I liked the idea of the disposable dvd's, but I think the $7.00 cost was way to high. depending on the title, I'd have paid 2-4 bucks just to avoid the trip back to the vid store, but I'm not totally lazy.

 

[YoHo]

You would think they would have figured this out with the DIVX debacle, plus, you can just order movies online for less with no preset return date and no shipping costs. It seems dumb to me.

 

[Chuck S]

What stores carried these things? I probably would have bought a few at $4 to $5. I hate having to make a trip into town to return videos. I've never heard of them, except for the defunct DIVX, and I didn't have a DVD player then.

EDIT--OK, it looks like HEB sold then in Austin. Really, I don't think of HEB as a "video" store...at least not in San Antonio, they've closed all their video rental outlets, and the "for sale" displays in the store are tacky, tacky, tacky to say the least. If I's seen them at a video or electronics store, or discount store like WalMart or Target I may have bought them. HEB is a grocery chain, not a place where folks go for video.

Link to main story

 

[WDWHound]

Originally posted by Chuck S
EDIT--OK, it looks like HEB sold then in Austin. Really, I don't think of HEB as a "video" store...at least not in San Antonio, they've closed all their video rental outlets, and the "for sale" displays in the store are tacky, tacky, tacky to say the least. If I's seen them at a video or electronics store, or discount store like WalMart or Target I may have bought them. HEB is a grocery chain, not a place where folks go for video.
Link to main story

They weren't just in HEBs, but they weren't in the elctronics storeds either. I live in the Austin area and we saw these in our local HEB and a few department stores. At HEB, the DVDs were by the cash registers (for the impulse buy) and in the camera department (where they already move quite a few normal Disney DVDs).

The DVDs sat there like lead. No one, and I do mean no one, bought these things. The price was around $6.00 (too high). Only a few titles were released, so the selection was abysmal. To top it of, most people in this area already have movies on demand via cable (its called Icontrol here), which makes this mission impossible DVD format even less attractive.

 

[Figmentrocks]

The disposable DVD is such a shame, and good to see that it looks like it is on the road to failure. I love how the company espouses environmentality at the theme parks and hotels, then manufacturers DVD that you throw in the garbage can.

 

[mitros]

Maybe if they were edible as well? Hmmmmm.........