Pandering to cheap DVD promos and bargain bins, a German company has developed the disposable DVD, which effectively begins eating itself after a couple of days, rendering it unplayable.
The €3.99 (£3.19) DVDs contain a special chemical which begins working on the disc once removed from its vacuum-packed casing. It's not clear whether the disc eventually disintegrates, but I've a feeling environmentalists are going to find a few things wrong with the concept.
Reportedly, the DVDs have no DRM protection on them, so it would be possible to copy them before they stop working.
Previously, Flexplay distributed ED-D DVDs which were supposed to be made of recyclable polycarbonate, but they never really took off. I seem to recall, from the one EcoDisc I tried, that they didn't work in slot-loading drives, which is a pain for Mac users.
If you believe that the DVD market will gradually die out to downloads, then you may wonder why companies are investing in new manufacturing methods, particularly ones that sound distinctly "un-green". However, the company believes that the concept will take off in various European markets.
Expect to see slowly rotting shiny discs on a landfill site near you in the next couple of years.
Einmal DVD (via The Register)
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