I know this isn't going to be a popular response here, but I actually don't see anything wrong with this. It's more convenient to rent DVDs this way. I particularly appreciate the fact that this isn't DRM, and that it isn't relying on legislation and criminal penalties preventing people from using things they've purchased.

If you don't like it, you don't have to "rent" this way.

"I particularly appreciate the fact that this isn't DRM"

I suspect that's not from a lack of desire. So far, DRM with digital media has been a public relations disaster. I would bet that Disney will introduce DRM into these DVD's when they find a good solution to do so.

I wonder if this is going to be successful. Circuit City's disposable format, DivX, failed resolutely despite backing from some big names. I tend to think that a 48 hour window isn't long enough -- that's why Blockbuster checks out titles for what, five days? And Netflix lets you have the discs as long as you want.

And I imagine that, given this is a chemical process, there's considerable variation in the time a disc works -- and which DVD players can play a disc after, say, 36 hours.

cbd.

" And I imagine that, given this is a chemical process."

I wonder if you kept it in the freezer after opening, except for playing, if it would last much longer?

I thought of that too. But more to the point, I wonder if an environment like the hot and humid paradise I live in would eat that sucker up.

I predict a future Slashdot story: some grad student physicist geek sets up a DVD player in a vacuum chamber and keeps a $4.95 Disney Disp-O-Rent disc alive for two weeks (until Dr. Whoever asks why there is a DVD player in the effin equipment). :)

cbd.

This story in Wired expresses exactly my environmentalist outrage over the prospect of disposable DVDs.

By the way, I got this link from my new RSS newsfeed! :-)

This knocks me out...what kind of disposable, consumption, BS-minded culture is being promoted here. I mean, "disposeable" is a pretty relative term here. It seems to me that from a marketing POV and as a business model, I'm not particularly concerned with the practice, but from an environmental POV this sort of practice seems pretty irresponsible.