Retailer stops selling disposable DVDs

One of the grocery chains that has tested selling EZ-D discs, disposable DVDs that is, in a trial launched by Disney and EZ-D technology developer, FlexPlay, has decided to stop selling the discs.

According to the Texas grocery chain, H-E-B's representative, the reason for dropping the idea was simply the lack of interest from consumers. "It just wasn't a good fit for us," she said. "It didn't turn out to be an item that our customers were looking for."

This shouldn't surprise anyone -- priced between $6 and $7 per disc, it is far cheaper to rent a movie from Blockbusters and even pay the late fee, if feeling bit lazy.

Obviously environmentalists cheered the news and hailed H-E-B's decision to drop selling the discs that are, even as an idea, an environmental disaster. Disney hasn't decided yet whether it extends its current trials with EZ-D discs to nationwide distribution.

Source: Wired.com

Written by: Petteri Pyyny @ 30 Jan 2004 13:59

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7 comments

msb5150

I suppose I should've noticed the absence of the ezd's, but i didn't, im really not surprised that heb dropped the product, they're a family owned chain that im pretty sure has only recently gone beyond the Texas border, well I have more respect for them. Perhaps the dropping of the product had to do with the fact the for all the locations of heb's i know of(probably about 9 in the central Texas area) there is also a video rental store within about 50 yards, not an incentive for people to buy an expensive "rental"

30.1.2004 14:33 #1

Nephilim

They need to use these for all the junk AOL and MSN discs.

31.1.2004 14:49 #2

pcshateme

thats so stupid! why waste $7 when you can rent it for $1.50? also the enviromentalists are right, all that plastic thrown away- if you ask me this was a dumb idea.

1.2.2004 18:54 #3

GrayArea

I live in a rural area where people with $MONEY$ have been buying up the wilderness and building their "compounds" for a while now. Sad to say I bet if Disney had test marketed to those people (Hummer driving, living in a million dollar palace 30 miles from nowhere types*) that the response would have been much more positive. Let's hope they don't figure it out.

*Around here there's LOTS of them.

2.2.2004 10:33 #4

pbailey

I couldn't believe they were actually thinking about doing this those months ago when they first mentioned it, glad to see they dropped it, and whoever came up with the idea doesn't deserve their job.

Dumbest idea ever, especially in the light of just how much waste America (and the rest of the world for sure) is going through at the mo'.

Bailey

2.2.2004 12:38 #5

Soulreave

disposable dvds? u mean those aol disks?

25.10.2004 07:36 #6

denbid

What would be smart if you could reuse the dvd disks after they lose the content. Then I would go fo rthat idea, but if they can't figure out that then dump the idea completely

23.12.2004 13:51 #7

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