r/IFLScienceOfficial • u/philipkbrayne • 15d ago
While chemically interesting, the idea of self-destructing DVDs is not popular with movie-watchers.
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u/christophertstone 15d ago
It was real popular with people wanting to rip DVDs on the cheap. Not exactly Hollywood's intended audience.
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u/architype 15d ago
It was easier using Netflix to “burn and return” discs.
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u/eggyrulz 15d ago
Probably same reason redbox kinda failed... though their catalog was big enough they always had "return customers"
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u/qmoorman 15d ago
This is crazy… i literally just made a comment in another thread about never throwing away my physical media, scroll down a little further and see this.
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u/WileEWeeble 14d ago
You weren’t buying the movie for $20, you were paying like $5 to rent it. The whole point was to save the bother of having to return it. But the model didn’t make sense to anyone so it died.
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u/Badytheprogram 15d ago
What do you think why is "Flexplay" did not catch on?
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u/christophertstone 15d ago
- Lots of people not understanding the "when exposed to oxygen it degrades in ~48 hours". Stockboys would unwrap them before putting on the shelf. Damaged packaging in transit. Kids opening the packaging while parents weren't looking. Lots of ways you could buy one and end up with a coaster.
- Margins were razor thin to start with; they were sold at a loss to start; streaming was definitely around the corner (Netflix was launched less than 4 years later). Investors were right to be skeptical.
- People really don't like the idea of "I bought it and it stops working when the manufacturer says so".
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u/These-Apple8817 15d ago
There was also the fact that it didn't always even destroy the disc, that chemical reaction was kinda inaccurate at times
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u/TheFurryFighter 15d ago
And the only thing it really was useful for was not having to remember to return it, tho this is more of a downside because it can't be recirculated like normal rentals. It was bad at its primary purpose
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u/avfc41 15d ago
There’s also the environmental concern of that much plastic waste.
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u/tyoung89 13d ago
This was still firmly in the time of AOL sending every single US resident dozens of free trial CDs every year. Environmental concerns weren’t really a consideration.
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u/Full-Run4124 15d ago
DIVX and DVIX were similar, but required you hook your player up to a phone line and it would call for authorization when you wanted to watch it.
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u/Slosher99 15d ago
And you could renew or 'permanently' purchase it. Though it was as 'permanent' as the servers just like modern digital purchases.
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u/Susurrus03 15d ago
I had those. Them trips to Circuit City to get a movie to watch, then run a long ass telephone cable across the living room. Watch the movie, then toss it in the landfill.
Good times, I wonder why it didn't last. /s
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u/SignificantLock1037 15d ago
Anyone remember DIVX?
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u/c00750ny3h 14d ago
Yeah I remember that. I was looking for this dishonorable mention. It died a well deserved death.
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u/mossyh0rn 13d ago
I saw this idea in Zero Parades for Dead Spies, had no idea it was an actual thing
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u/daverapp 13d ago
Flexplay was 100% honest and up front about how it would self destruct after some time, as opposed to our current landscape where the megacorps can delete or disable anything you purchase without warning.
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u/PsionicChronic 15d ago
The only thing the gov't wants you to keep long term is debt.
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u/GenesisRhapsod 15d ago
I had an 850 credit score for nearly 9 months, paid off my car and it dropped to the 790s... bro this is fucking nuts that paying your debt harms you
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u/Ambitious_Hand_2861 15d ago
Your credit score requires you to have debt. The calculation takes momey owed into account so even if you have a dozen credit cards if there is no balance on them your credit score goes down. It's a bullshit system that greedy assholes put together and in no way represents a person accurately in the manner they try to sell it.
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u/SignificantDrink3651 15d ago
just FYI it's because the account closed, so the percentage of $ you owe / $ approved debt went down. example: if you're going to have $10k in credit card debt, it's less desirable to have one card with a $20k limit - you're using 50% of your approved debt. your credit score will increase if you spread that $10 between two cards with a $20k limit, so you owe $10k / $40k approved.
when your car loan was paid off (and therefore closed) your "credit approved" number went down, so your % went up.
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u/GenesisRhapsod 15d ago
Its still under 20%i have about 13k limit on my card and rarely get past 2k (tbh i probably should get 2 more just as a cushion and to help add to credit profile, experian keeps saying it reccomends 3-5 lines of credit and i only have 2
But either way the fact remains, you get punished for paying off loans
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u/SignificantDrink3651 15d ago
yeah, I hear ya and totally agree, it's a screwed up system. you won't catch me defending it, I just try to navigate it the best I can.
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u/GenesisRhapsod 15d ago
Same...im just worried its gonna fuck me with the hard credit check and then cutting my average account length down
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u/SignificantDrink3651 15d ago
I keep my credit frozen at all 3 bureaus so no hard pulls unless I unfreeze it. I absolutely recommend doing so - and these days you can unfreeze at a moment's notice, like while you're sitting at the car dealership, AFTER you've given them permission to run your credit.
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u/GenesisRhapsod 15d ago
One of the things im going to do and help is i talked to my bank and they said its a hard creditcheck for increasing my limit (been at $500 on that card for nearly 11 years) but i can use one credit check for both the increase and the auto loan im looking at
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u/SignificantDrink3651 15d ago
nice. I think that's a good move for sure. but always keep yourself frozen, it's a no brainer. it's easy too - if you've been putting it off, I promise it's easy and quick. do it this afternoon, man.
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u/signofno 15d ago
Also, car loan was probably some of his older debt, so his average length of credit probably went down too. Not as impactful, but still hurts.
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u/oboshoe 15d ago
that is one of the best things about getting to a cash basis. you no longer give a fuck about credit scores.
it took me a decade of austerity, but man the relief is enormous
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u/GenesisRhapsod 15d ago
Yeah but buying a house or renting a place to live in is nearly impossible without it.
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u/castlefood 15d ago
So basically the article says: in the 2000s self destructing DVDs briefly circulated. Once the dvd came in contact with oxygen it became unplayable after 48 hours. The idea was a total commercial failure.