NEW TECHNOLOGY Disposable discs: the new thing

Technology for self-destructing DVDs advances, while many studios remain reluctant
By RON HARRIS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO -- On a dismal, rainy day, after watching Mel Gibson battle the English in "Braveheart," wouldn't it be nice to simply throw away the DVD instead of slogging back to Blockbuster to return the rental?
Technology causing DVDs to self-destruct in a few hours or days has already been developed, raising the prospect of a world without late fees.
In one recent promotion, Atlantic Records made a limited run of DVDs containing footage of the hip-hop group Nappy Roots. The footage was viewable for only a few hours before the disc "expired."
MGM Studios used self-destructing DVDs with music videos and trailers to promote the new James Bond movie, "Die Another Day." Movie critics were told the DVD would self-destruct in 36 hours -- a nod to 007's gadget-providing character Q.
In an entertainment industry where profits depend in part on multiple rentals and late fees, disposable discs represent a disruptive technology, and none of the big players has endorsed it publicly.
New York-based Flexplay, which helped create some of these self-destructing promotional DVDs, has yet to produce any full-length movies with the technology.
Providence, R.I.-based SpectraDisc developed similar technology and courted most of the major studios, but none will sign a production deal.
"The decision process has been in stall mode now for at least a year and a half," said SpectraDisc chief executive Nabil Lawandy. "It's all in the hands of the content providers. They have the leverage along with distribution."
Flexplay's chief executive, Alan Blaustein, agreed the science is ready to go, even if Hollywood is not.
None of the major moviemakers contacted by The Associated Press -- Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Vivendi Universal, MGM and the Walt Disney Co. -- would comment on any plans to make self-destructing movies.
How it works
Chemical changes slowly render the discs unusable.
Both Flexplay and SpectraDisc add a chemical time-bomb to DVDs that begins ticking once the package is open and the discs are exposed to air. SpectraDisc DVDs turn blue as the expiration time nears. Flexplay discs also turn darker, becoming so opaque that the laser inside a DVD player no longer can read the disc.
The technology can also work on music CDs and software CD-ROMs, according to SpectraDisc, but movies are the target, since people generally buy music and software to keep.
If such technology reached the market, it could force video rental stores to rethink their prices. Blockbuster gets 15 percent to 20 percent of its revenue from late fees, said Ryan Jones, an analyst for The Yankee Group.
Nonetheless, Blockbuster said it will go along if consumers demand the disposable discs -- even if it means no more late fees.
"Our goal isn't to make money through extended viewing fees," said Karen Raskopf, a Blockbuster spokeswoman. "Our goal is to satisfy customers with the movies they want in the format they want."
While self-destructing DVDs would give Hollywood more control over distribution, it would still not prevent illegal copying. Also, self-destructing DVDs would create considerable waste.