Watch a film on DVD, then just throw it out

Watch a film on DVD, then just throw it out: printer friendly version: "'Noel,' a Christmas-themed independent film starring Susan Sarandon, Penelope Cruz and Robin Williams, did not attract much interest from mainstream distributors at the Toronto Film Festival this year. But one company is hoping a disposable DVD format could get the movie out to a wider audience. Convex Group, based in Atlanta, bought the distribution rights to the film and is releasing it on a few dozen U.S. screens. After a short run, the movie will be available in the disposable EZ-D format for $4.99 on Amazon.com. It also will air once on the U.S. cable TV channel TNT at the end of this month.

The movie's producers and distributors say they hope this 'trimultaneous' roll-out will prove the public is willing to 'rent' movies that must be tossed in the trash after just a viewing or two. Disposable DVDs look and play like normal DVDs, except that their playable surface is dark red. Each disc contains a chemical time-bomb that begins ticking once it is exposed to air. Typically, after 48 hours, the disc turns darker, becoming so opaque that a DVD player's laser can no longer read it."