Flexplay attempts to revive Divx
Some people just don’t learn from history at all. This time Flexplay Technologies is bringing the exact same Divx technology we all despised in 1998 back. Like a reoccurring nightmare, this 48-hour lifespan disc just won’t quit.
If you remember, Divx was introduced in 1998 and about six-months later it was discontinued. You would think companies would have figured out that this technology just wouldn’t work, but in 2003 Buena Vista created the EZ-D disc with the same properties only it would play in any DVD player, not just special Divx players. Again, less than six-months later this attempt failed miserably. Now we have Flexplay (who developed EZ-D in 1999) trying again using the sales channel of Staples (the office supplies store).
The problems are two-fold. The first is this disc is temporary so you have 48-hours to view the content once the seal is broken. The second is this disc is temporary, and in this overly-consumeristic society we’re concerned about the amount of waste we’re producing. In both cases, this is an idiotic move.
Never mind that DVDs are already cheap (in the $10 range), so this $4 to $6 price is outrageous. Hell, when you rent a movie from Blockbuster you get it for five-days, not two! Not to mention the title availability is going to be minimal with only Paramount, New Line, DreamWorks and Warner Bros. on board.
Flexplay Is at least trying to quell the fears of the environmentally minded by providing recycle bins at the place of purchase or postage-paid mailers for recycle. But honestly, most consumers don’t recycle their aluminum cans and they actually pay a fee for those when they buy them. If the movie studios were actually committed to protecting the environment – as they all say – they would abandon this technology right out.
There must be a tax shelter for idiotic business plans.
Credit: Home Media Magazine