Flexplay: The Disposable DVD that Failed (Thankfully)

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Technology Connections

Technology Connections

5 років тому

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Have you ever run across a cool idea that you desperately hope doesn’t catch on? Flexplay is one of those. In this video, we’ll talk about what it is, why it was crazy to think it would go anywhere, and why it’s probably a good thing it didn’t.
Did you know you can follow these links? It’s pretty neat. I heard about it on the Internet.
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КОМЕНТАРІ: 9 800
@TechnologyConnections
@TechnologyConnections 5 років тому
I mentioned the tragedy of the commons a couple of times in this video. This is an old but (in my opinion) underutilized term for the concept of what happens when shared resources are used by individuals acting in their own best interest. Although the term is flawed and some situations are far more complex than can be explained in four easy words, it’s a useful reminder that things that seem harmless on an individual level can scale in ways we can’t grasp. If you’d like to learn a little more about this concept, check out this website I found; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons
@unusefulidiot
@unusefulidiot 5 років тому
Why not use the correct term and then explain it? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Externality
@TechnologyConnections
@TechnologyConnections 5 років тому
Because TotC is more eloquent and specific to the aspect of resource depletion.
@xmlthegreat
@xmlthegreat 5 років тому
That's a really neat website! Thanks for telling me about it! Seems to have a lot of really informative articles! That are editable by the common people! It's almost like a recursive example of TotC itself!
@gqh007
@gqh007 5 років тому
Technology Connections Respect the consumers
@Alex-cw3rz
@Alex-cw3rz 5 років тому
@@unusefulidiot externalities is an economic concept and focuses on the fact that they exist and what problem that causes to try and make a tangeable cost benefit analysis. Whereas the tragedy of the commons is what it is called in environmental science and is what is actually being discussed in the video the environment and the lower efficiency and waste produced over another product. Something externalities does not look at as it is focused on one product itself rather than alternatives and greater societal good.
@AntiVectorTV
@AntiVectorTV 4 роки тому
They were so proud of the concept that they made the company self-destruct as well.
@creapyalbinofish
@creapyalbinofish 4 роки тому
They used a chemical compound to destroy all their employees and management.
@cottoneyejoe8285
@cottoneyejoe8285 4 роки тому
@@gabrield.4276 I see 0 errors throughout this comment and any of its replies where "they" is the proper correction.
@jeffc5974
@jeffc5974 4 роки тому
They put that in the patent too.
@Georgey0121
@Georgey0121 4 роки тому
😂😂😂😂👌
@ForeverMan
@ForeverMan 4 роки тому
@@gabrield.4276 so as well as a idiot you're also correct people's grammar over UKposts eh ? Your life must be great
@coltyn2003
@coltyn2003 3 роки тому
Me: "Mom, can we watch Charlotte's Web?" Mom: "Sorry honey, it expired last week."
@ashspades5307
@ashspades5307 3 роки тому
We have charlottes web at home. The copy of charlottes web at home
@Theironminer-ky2pg
@Theironminer-ky2pg 3 роки тому
@@ashspades5307Great way to make a comment less original!
@DiabloXL69
@DiabloXL69 3 роки тому
Get a better movie, like a Restricted horror movie
@aidancommenting
@aidancommenting 3 роки тому
LOL I've seen your pfp before, feels weird seeing it here
@TheTyisawesome
@TheTyisawesome 3 роки тому
Nice one lol😂😂
@punishedwhispers1218
@punishedwhispers1218 2 роки тому
There is something so horribly depressing about this, I can just picture a little kid buying Chrarrolets Web and not understanding why their favorite movie just stopped
@johnfoltz8183
@johnfoltz8183 Рік тому
😢😭
@danek_hren
@danek_hren Рік тому
@@johnfoltz8183 no
@EnderShadowborne
@EnderShadowborne Рік тому
Woah there, Satan!
@blokos_
@blokos_ Рік тому
@@danek_hren no
@HalonPoisoning
@HalonPoisoning Рік тому
Yah I could see a completely ignorant parent (or Karen) buying this in a store and then flipping out about it no longer working because they didn't pay attention to the package.
@truthsmiles
@truthsmiles 2 роки тому
Another problem: The consumer is much more likely to rent another movie if they have to return the first one, continuing the rental cycle. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the “environmentalist pressure” was applied by the rental companies themselves.
@kyndness
@kyndness Рік тому
That was my first thought exactly. I hate how cynical I’ve become but I immediately wondered “how could that have been to their advantage?”
@kyarumomochi5146
@kyarumomochi5146 6 місяців тому
Its so cute that you assume companies care about environment
@0neDoomedSpaceMarine
@0neDoomedSpaceMarine 6 місяців тому
@@kyarumomochi5146 Maybe you should read his comment again.
@daexion
@daexion 5 місяців тому
I honestly doubt it since the tech would require a business model that was inflexible due to having to buy a lot of overhead that might never sell while simply renting discs multiple times has more flexibility and can off-load the discs later when that many of the same title are no longer needed. What I mean is that even if the tech worked as advertised and they managed to get enough studios to give them licenses to make all of the popular movies, it'd actually cost more to run a video rental store with Flexplay movies than it would the traditional rental plan. The profit margin would be worse for stores selling Flexplay movies than it would if they simply stocked a handful of the popular movie titles to rent out repeatedly due to the fact the initial high cost of buying the actual DVDs would be offset by the ability to continually rent them until the discs wore out making them more money in the long run. Flexplay, in my opinion, was simply not a threat to the video rental industry like streaming services and the Internet ended up being.
@Stardust420
@Stardust420 5 місяців тому
Thus creating a self sustaining economy
@tyfalcon467
@tyfalcon467 4 роки тому
Hearing "11 years ago" in reference to 2008 made my head hurt.
@WedgePee
@WedgePee 4 роки тому
And 11 years before that, it was 1997!
@TariqYasiinProd
@TariqYasiinProd 4 роки тому
I'm old!
@blockyboy1234
@blockyboy1234 4 роки тому
Same
@crystalmoon1
@crystalmoon1 4 роки тому
@name2 Subtract 1 and it's 1985, the release year of the savior of Video Games - Super Mario Bros.!
@ian_b
@ian_b 4 роки тому
Getting old is when you have socks older that the person calling you an idiot on the internet.
@hgbugalou
@hgbugalou 5 років тому
The jokes on them. I store my DVD player in an airtight box filled with nitrogen.
@Fable1Guides
@Fable1Guides 4 роки тому
good job brack
@kris_wk
@kris_wk 4 роки тому
@@Fable1Guides Brak*
@w.dwod.3682
@w.dwod.3682 4 роки тому
Pro gamer tip
@gustavgnoettgen
@gustavgnoettgen 4 роки тому
*Zorak blinks
@visualonestudio
@visualonestudio 4 роки тому
Michael O smart man!
@sonicmastersword8080
@sonicmastersword8080 2 роки тому
The rental model worked quite well because upon return, usually the consumer would rent another one on impulse.
@andrewapplegarth334
@andrewapplegarth334 Рік тому
That's not really true, as almost every rental store had the drop box just inside the front door and some form of external drop slot for when they were closed. While some folks might decide to rent another movie while they were there, stopping in front of the door while a kid shoved the movies in the slot was more common. Granted I didn't spend long hours working in a video rental store, but people watching while waiting for my girlfriend/fiancé/wife to pick out movies over the years showed me that the vast majority of people returning movies never entered past the drop box and the vast majority of people renting movies didn't drop any off as they came in.
@MegaZeta
@MegaZeta 10 місяців тому
@@andrewapplegarth334 The video rental market was largely founded on the idea of returns generating more rentals and sustained multiple national chains before digital services displaced them. As a counterpoint I guess we do have you sitting in a car prepping recall bias
@andrewapplegarth334
@andrewapplegarth334 10 місяців тому
@@MegaZeta That's a cool buzz word to try and justify ignoring observational data. Better luck next time...
@DjXilma
@DjXilma 4 місяці тому
That's why I used the drop box even if they were open lol
@natmarelnam4871
@natmarelnam4871 3 місяці тому
would have worked better if they didn't force so many people to use the dropbox. $50K late fees turning into felony charges rightfully ended that industry, epically bad leadership choices meant the public hated them by the end anyway, it was time for them all to go.
@OverseerMoti
@OverseerMoti Рік тому
Talking about self-destructive media storage, Hideo Kojima (that Metal Gear daddy) once thought of using this kind of CD when developing Metal Gear Solid. He said if Snake died, the PlayStation disc would be permanently unusable. Good thing this tech never took off.
@sethrael3608
@sethrael3608 Рік тому
Okay, but that would be funny
@talkysassis
@talkysassis Рік тому
You don't need that disk to do this. You can burn the dead flag at the free space of the disk and refuse to run if the flag is there.
@HighTierGod
@HighTierGod Рік тому
That would piss a lot of people off. I'd never fw hideo again if he did that shit.
@alejandrorivas4585
@alejandrorivas4585 11 місяців тому
Thats the most Kojima shit I've ever heard
@TheGloriousLobsterEmperor
@TheGloriousLobsterEmperor 11 місяців тому
@@talkysassis Oh yeah how dare Hideo Kojima not think of think of that when making Metal Gear Solid in *1996.*
@OctorokHero
@OctorokHero 5 років тому
*opens disc* Flexplay: "I have decided that I want to die."
@hugoguh1
@hugoguh1 5 років тому
THAT'S A LOTTA depression
@SuperPeterok
@SuperPeterok 5 років тому
Gauntlet Legends Narrator: Your Flexplay IS ABOUT TO DIEEE!
@vaughnkhouri1364
@vaughnkhouri1364 5 років тому
like flipping McAfee when the trial runs out
@SetsuneW
@SetsuneW 5 років тому
Flexplay was the true Charlotte all along.
@MyRegardsToTheDodo
@MyRegardsToTheDodo 5 років тому
Depending on the movie put on the disk maybe a good choice.
@TirantRex
@TirantRex 5 років тому
The flexplay patent basically made it impossible for other companies to try the same thing, so at least we can thank them for that.
@gmcnewlook
@gmcnewlook 5 років тому
Plus it wouldn’t make sense today, with Redbox and digital rentals.... (I’d imagine those would’ve eaten this things lunch eventually)
@robozstarrr8930
@robozstarrr8930 5 років тому
don't believe they received multiple patients except for what was actually " designed, prototyped & tested ". . . . . . . . . & ya don't get an exclusive patent for " Vaperware ".
@russellhltn1396
@russellhltn1396 5 років тому
@@robozstarrr8930 At one time you had to prove something worked to get a patent. But that requirement disappeared a long time ago. Which has created a mess from people who thought of an idea claiming rights to someone who did all the effort in making it work.
@robozstarrr8930
@robozstarrr8930 5 років тому
@@russellhltn1396 really, that's sad...did some patients in the 90's and we had to have a proof of concept /schematic/documentation/prototype ( that worked ). all i recall later were the renewal cost went sky high . . but if's thats the case shortly i'm gonna submit anti-gravity, backwards time travel ( at the speed of dark ) and HS dark skin gurls with short white hair, freckles and tan lines . . (cause that's my jam!)
@ArmadilloAl
@ArmadilloAl 5 років тому
@@robozstarrr8930 If anyone actually invented time travel, they'd simply go back to before you submitted your patent and submit it first.
@krudmuphinstudioz
@krudmuphinstudioz Рік тому
One of the earliest "nightmares" I had as a kid involved me reading books that destroyed themselves after 1 reading, and video games that self-destructed after you beat them. This kind of shaped me into the non-wasteful person I am now. Learning just now that something dystopian like this actually existed, makes me sick to my stomach.
@ProfessorHanger
@ProfessorHanger Рік тому
I remember hearing about a pvp game, I think it was called Yolo where if you die, you can't play the game anymore. Sounds dumb, and there was no chance that a game like that would keep a community.
@blakksheep736
@blakksheep736 Рік тому
Ngl, a premise where a kid keeps resetting thier favourite game and never beating it to stop this from happening would make a good premise for a creepy or at least sad film.
@mioko5679
@mioko5679 Рік тому
@@blakksheep736 i agree! why not make the video game characters a *bit* more self-aware after each reset? it could be little things changing, like some lines being a bit different (using different words/sentences instead of just going by the script) or the character(s) trying to outright talk to the player through the screen!
@blakksheep736
@blakksheep736 Рік тому
@@mioko5679 great idea. And halfway through the main character takes the kid aside to ask what's wrong, then it's revealed why he keeps resetting. If we want a happy ending, we can then have the two work together to break the cycle, only for the kid to realise this means he will likely not ever see his favourite game again. The movie ends with the hero comforting him, telling him its time to move onto other games, as well as the rest of his life. ❤
@MrFloat777
@MrFloat777 Рік тому
Are you in therapy?
@NoOne-fe3gc
@NoOne-fe3gc Рік тому
"You will own nothing and be happy" This DVD concept was ahead of its time
@TinMMA
@TinMMA Рік тому
Agreed!
@badxradxandy
@badxradxandy 10 місяців тому
very kosher
@kassiogomes8498
@kassiogomes8498 8 місяців тому
Streaming 😢😢😢
@SMEARGLEX75
@SMEARGLEX75 8 місяців тому
The DVD WEF wishes on the 99%.
@0neDoomedSpaceMarine
@0neDoomedSpaceMarine 6 місяців тому
I will pay nothing and I will be happy.
@JerryShugars
@JerryShugars 4 роки тому
I remember buying a couple of these just to see if it was possible to rip them to the computer before the disc oxidized. It was.
@Nate-bd8fg
@Nate-bd8fg 4 роки тому
Jerry Shugars legend
@dominusempyreus2383
@dominusempyreus2383 4 роки тому
awesome
@CurtisLittlechild92
@CurtisLittlechild92 4 роки тому
Brilliant
@UglyNTRBastard
@UglyNTRBastard 4 роки тому
and so even their greedy "if I can't have it, NOBODY CAN" idea for this failed as well...
@ZANGETSUxPR
@ZANGETSUxPR 4 роки тому
Wondering the same. 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️
@jonjohnson3027
@jonjohnson3027 2 роки тому
Thankfully, they patented every conceivable way to make a aelf destructing disc, so nobody else can create such an abomination
@vipervidsgamingplus5723
@vipervidsgamingplus5723 Рік тому
A patented idea becomes open source after some years.
@Supersayainpikmin
@Supersayainpikmin Рік тому
@@vipervidsgamingplus5723 Yeah, but it we're kinda past the era of renting DVD's.
@stevenrico3190
@stevenrico3190 Рік тому
There is a typo in the comment
@macksnotcool
@macksnotcool Рік тому
@@vipervidsgamingplus5723 *Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. Not open source, it becomes public domain. Also not JUST after some years. It becomes public domain x years after you do not pay the maintenance fees. (4, 8, 12 years depending on the patent)
@collinmckinney6952
@collinmckinney6952 Рік тому
They can sell rights to patents, and businesses have no problem buying those rights if they think they can make money with them.
@ShannonRice-hc2kr
@ShannonRice-hc2kr Рік тому
I remember my dad talking about these. They were very popular with long-haul truck drivers. You could get these things at the major truck stops, watch the movie in the off time, then toss it. Most truckers had a portable TV/DVD, but not a ton of space to store movies. And since many places, especially in the Midwest, didnt have Redbox yet, it could be hard to return a rented disk on time. Another perk was a trucker could buy these disks on the company account while buying other work supplies at the truck stops or even pay with cash. If a driver wanted to use Redbox, they woud have to use their own personal credit card. So, I guess the Flexplay system did "work", but only for a relatively small market. Of course, when truckers started using Wi-Fi or smart phones, there was no need to use disks at all.
@SaraMorgan-ym6ue
@SaraMorgan-ym6ue 4 місяці тому
disposable DVD's thank God it failed can you imagine the amount of ruined DVD's in the landfills had it taken off?
@nitroxylictv
@nitroxylictv Рік тому
Surprisingly Redbox is still popular. The one at the grocery store I work at has people standing in front of it all day. I'm glad disc rentals haven't fully died out. Watching my mom come home from work with a Redbox disc in her hand was always an awesome treat and I always got excited to see what new movie we would be watching.
@pensacolian211
@pensacolian211 Рік тому
I miss going to the video store. Sure, nowadays I can watch anything I want with just a few clicks, but it's just not the same. I'm glad I at least got to experience it though. I got to be a kid during the video rental heyday, and it was awesome!
@Shinkajo
@Shinkajo 7 місяців тому
I'm guessing they weren't very fun if it was your mom™ that did the choosing
@LostStarzOfTheSky
@LostStarzOfTheSky 5 місяців тому
​@@pensacolian211It feels so much harder to discover stuff now that's not curated for you
@lawsonburghart3495
@lawsonburghart3495 4 місяці тому
Love red box. Once and a while they even sell me on a cheap buy
@DjXilma
@DjXilma 4 місяці тому
And renting video games!@@pensacolian211
@TimpBizkit
@TimpBizkit 4 роки тому
Watching Mission Impossible. "This DVD will self destruct in 10 seconds"
@therealfauxstradamus1135
@therealfauxstradamus1135 4 роки тому
Underrated post.
@9Tailsfan
@9Tailsfan 4 роки тому
Lol why didn't I think of this?
@perretti2006
@perretti2006 4 роки тому
Or Inspector Gadget
@SteelsCrow
@SteelsCrow 4 роки тому
I believe there's a patent for that...
@DiabloXL69
@DiabloXL69 3 роки тому
Tim Lewis what if your DVD player explodes along with the disc
@carlpult5235
@carlpult5235 3 роки тому
The Failure of Flexplay is one of the few indicators, that we do not infact live in the darkest timeline.
@BJCMXY
@BJCMXY 3 роки тому
The fact that my own imagination scares me more than reality does is what confirmed that for me.🤣
@MrBrightcide
@MrBrightcide 3 роки тому
True, but the fact that it exists at all supports my personal favorite argument that we live in the most ridiculous one.
@user-yg4kj2mf1p
@user-yg4kj2mf1p 3 роки тому
@@MrBrightcide For me, it's an indication that we live in the most hypocritical one. Let's be honest, the Flexplay people didn't expect anyone to come back to the store to recycle the discs, they bet on people buying the discs and tossing them out with their household trash without caring about the environmental impact. But the concept was so wasteful that even Joe Public found it a tad harsh on the environment. PS: I think some people boycotted Flexplay as a retroactive middle-finger to all those useless unsolicited AOL CDs they had received in the mail through the previous years.
@BigBangAttack-mt6pz
@BigBangAttack-mt6pz 3 роки тому
@@user-yg4kj2mf1p This was clearly about money
@KillerofGods
@KillerofGods 3 роки тому
@@user-yg4kj2mf1p Except DVDs arent gonna destroy the environment. Your being just as ridiculous here
@half-qilin
@half-qilin Рік тому
Gotta love how he managed to futureproof for Disney+ when it was about half a year away! Also, did Flexplay ever think about the obvious thing of just backing up the ISO file?
@hannahranga
@hannahranga Рік тому
I mean that's the same issue as any rental dvd
@RemoWilliams1227
@RemoWilliams1227 Рік тому
@Game Plays 1230 thought the same, if one could rip it (which I was doing with xcopy back then) to your drive, the data should be the same no?
@gnarthdarkanen7464
@gnarthdarkanen7464 Рік тому
Considering LOTS of us were still completely capable of ripping... No, flexplay didn't think about anti-piracy in the slightest. They thought "A time limit's good enough"... AND clearly never ran into someone who'd take the first opportunity of viewing the thing to go ahead and rip it down... The quality's going to be better on most rippers if you play it normally anyway... Actual technical efforts to counteract ripping would be implemented around or just after this point in time, but even that was slow to hit mainstream production, overly complicated in manufacturing means, and generally only a matter of time before some enterprising individuals would figure out "the work around" anyway... Even today, nearly any form of security that's older than 3 months has already been hacked successfully. Older than a year, and there's likely a product somewhere for your home convenience of hacking it, cracking it, or fooling it on your own. ;o)
@jacobhargiss3839
@jacobhargiss3839 Рік тому
@@hannahranga yes but at least with rentals, you dont loose the investment of the original dvd and can just rent it to someone else. Most often people rented most movies once anyway.
@Vmac1394
@Vmac1394 5 місяців тому
Future proofing not looking so good with Disney+ hemorrhaging money right now.
@sirradiodude
@sirradiodude Рік тому
I actually still have one I purchased from Staples, The Kite Runner. IT STILL WORKS! The disc has air gaps in the center that allows oxygen to slowly degrade the disc, BUT if you quickly apply superglue after opening to seal that gap.... no degradation! At the time this wasn't a mystery and info and methods were readily available online via forums. I only bought the disc for the challenge of making it permanent. I was an early Netflix and Blockbuster by Mail so even paying $5-6 to permanently own the disc wasn't that appealing because the selection was poor and I still had to drive TO the store to buy it.
@skxdsm
@skxdsm 10 місяців тому
bro found the bypass
@joshc5613
@joshc5613 9 місяців тому
so even Flexplay isn't immune to the way of the pirate 🏴‍☠️
@JoQeZzZ
@JoQeZzZ 10 днів тому
​@@joshc5613your comment is 100% factually true, but jesus christ does it hurt to call someone a pirate for modifying their own physical property.
@boredyoutubeuser
@boredyoutubeuser 10 днів тому
bro really homebrewed his dvd disc ☠️
@iviaverick52
@iviaverick52 4 роки тому
Imagine having a DVD that expires before the soup in your pantry.
@PhoenixNL72-DEGA-
@PhoenixNL72-DEGA- 4 роки тому
If it's canned soup then I'm not sure the majority of DVD's won't. Millitary canned rations from the korean war were still edible from what I read a few years back. :P
@helenwhs
@helenwhs 4 роки тому
Robert Phoenix You should watch Steve 1989. He once ate canned beef from the 1890s.
@elliot_rat
@elliot_rat 4 роки тому
imagine having a teemo pfp
@Hat-
@Hat- 4 роки тому
Imagine *dying*
@Otgel
@Otgel 4 роки тому
@@helenwhs Spoiler : It wasnt edible cuz the air seeped in and it was just dirt
@wrldoverheaven803
@wrldoverheaven803 4 роки тому
No sane person would ever return a copy of Shrek 2.
@qook1543
@qook1543 4 роки тому
Yeah I still have mine 👌
@bobobobo3142
@bobobobo3142 4 роки тому
why not?
@theginganinjaofficial
@theginganinjaofficial 4 роки тому
Some
@sparejunkaccountbecauseiam1308
@sparejunkaccountbecauseiam1308 4 роки тому
I buyed all of the copies of shrek 2 in a store and threw them off a cliffside. I SENT EM TO SHREKVEN.
@bottledproductions2012
@bottledproductions2012 4 роки тому
No sane person would rent a copy of Shrek 2, They buy a copy
@Balkter
@Balkter 11 місяців тому
Back in college, I bought one of these from Staples. I used my DVD player drive and copied it. I still have the video file even though the disc has been long gone for 15 years.
@gr6e
@gr6e 7 місяців тому
In the late 90s my mom got really into doing online surveys and stuff to earn gift cards and what not, and I remember one company who would mail us VHS tapes to react to, but they were single use. Once you played the tape, it would destroy itself. I was always curious about how that worked.
@notfreeman1776
@notfreeman1776 5 місяців тому
Another commenter down here brought up the name One-View, idk if thats what you're looking for
@Gottaculat
@Gottaculat 3 роки тому
I'm old enough to remember getting fined for bringing a VHS back to Block Buster without first rewinding it.
@aidangarvey7049
@aidangarvey7049 3 роки тому
Congrats
@WanderingBrushArt
@WanderingBrushArt 3 роки тому
What was the fine/
@chano_2k707
@chano_2k707 3 роки тому
@@WanderingBrushArt 6 months in federal prison usually
@RustyShacklefordReal
@RustyShacklefordReal 3 роки тому
Be kind, rewind
@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley
@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley 3 роки тому
@@RustyShacklefordReal Damn, beat me to saying it :)
@CdrChaos
@CdrChaos 4 роки тому
That red color does look really cool.
@lankymaccrazyhair264
@lankymaccrazyhair264 4 роки тому
that's what I was thinking
@purpshell
@purpshell 3 роки тому
600 likes and one reply? My spot
@coastercrafter1productions300
@coastercrafter1productions300 3 роки тому
There are colorfied CD roms so neat
@newCoCoY6
@newCoCoY6 3 роки тому
the disk does look like something darth vader would sell.
@yeaaaaaaaaaaahff
@yeaaaaaaaaaaahff 3 роки тому
looks like fresh blood to me
@mydigitalanalog
@mydigitalanalog Рік тому
Interestingly enough, growing up in western Pennsylvania, the best video rental store was a sub-store inside Giant Eagle grocery stores. The “Iggle Video” stores severely cut into blockbuster’s business in the area, especially since you could grab the movie while getting groceries, and the rental terms were usually long enough that it was convenient to drop it off next week when you needed more groceries, and Iggle was just closer to the neighborhood, usually, also.
@CelesteWuff
@CelesteWuff Рік тому
Western PA gang represent!!
@hp67c
@hp67c Рік тому
@@CelesteWuff Ah yes, the Dirty Bird, where the floors are mopped once a year whether they need it or not
@sennacherib_
@sennacherib_ 3 місяці тому
Gian Iggle
@Transference90
@Transference90 2 роки тому
8:50 "grocery stores probably didn't want to deal with all that" Back in the hayday of physical rentals, every grocery store I knew of had a rental section.
@feartheghus
@feartheghus 5 років тому
“This message will self destruct in...” I want every mission impossible dvd rental to do this.
@kabob0077
@kabob0077 5 років тому
Fearghus Keitz It has to start smoking like an FRH or explode, then it will be the best.
@feartheghus
@feartheghus 5 років тому
kabob 007 exactly!
@kabob0077
@kabob0077 5 років тому
Fearghus Keitz Also it has to hiss when you open the packaging.
@GhalidiusTrident
@GhalidiusTrident 5 років тому
Y E S THIS IS THE PERFECT IDEA
@lilmajx
@lilmajx 5 років тому
And a fingerprint sensor
@AnimeMangaViewer
@AnimeMangaViewer 5 років тому
3:52 when the technology is so bad that even the DVD player is laughing at how bad it is
@crazEgamer201
@crazEgamer201 5 років тому
I'd go further than that, it sounded like Muttley snickering.
@williama29
@williama29 5 років тому
I laughed when the DVD player made a thunk whirring noise
@araujofi
@araujofi 5 років тому
lol I'm dead!
@alternatelives8559
@alternatelives8559 5 років тому
Well played, good sir or madam!
@Flandz420
@Flandz420 5 років тому
AnimeMangaViewer you know it’s bad when it’s a funai
@KeithPickeringGuy
@KeithPickeringGuy Рік тому
It's hard to say if this is more or less dystopian than the modern streaming subscription model. Nowadays your license to view a movie you enjoy can be revoked at any given time with no warning, and I have to imagine the massive servers have an environmental impact as well
@ekscalybur
@ekscalybur Рік тому
Not only that, but someone other than you or even the people who made the media can censor the media.
@MaaZeus
@MaaZeus Рік тому
And because of that, movie piracy has pretty much come back. Netflix, much like Spotify, almost killed piracy in their own segments when they arrived but now that every movie studio wants their own pies instead of sharing it like music streaming services do a lot of people went back to downloading.
@alejandrorivas4585
@alejandrorivas4585 11 місяців тому
​@@MaaZeus thats what I did!
@keegan854
@keegan854 11 місяців тому
Also they can edit their content at any time (to comply with the latest fashions in politics, for example, or because a government forced them to) and you'll never be able to watch the old version or even know for sure that it was changed. Soon this can be done with AI deepfakes so that it is possible to "re-shoot" a scene with different dialogue and action, without the participation or consent of anyone involved in the original production. I think those who archive digital media (legally or not) are doing a great service -- they ensure that people in the future will be able to watch what we watch, and understand our own era better, as it really was and not as the censors of the future want it to have been.
@Shinkajo
@Shinkajo 7 місяців тому
Literally everything has an environment impact
@GuyXVIII
@GuyXVIII Рік тому
I loled SO hard at the "open before 2009" on the inside of the sealed wrap! Another great early 2000's tech :)))
@ThatBritishSnep
@ThatBritishSnep 4 роки тому
Imagine if the disc destroys itself whilst you're still watching it haha
@MetalTrabant
@MetalTrabant 4 роки тому
Yeah, don't even start it in the 47th hour... :D
@rikustorm13
@rikustorm13 4 роки тому
BIG OOF
@metleon
@metleon 4 роки тому
And it's a horror movie so you just think the glitching out is part of the movie.
@gnupfo
@gnupfo 4 роки тому
Now I want to know what that would've looked like.
@ThatBritishSnep
@ThatBritishSnep 4 роки тому
@@gnupfo Probably a couple of glitches, freezing and the director's cut straight to the DVD player's splash screen xD
@quite1enough
@quite1enough 3 роки тому
I'm a risky man. I'd watch Mission Impossible on those, two hours before expiration.
@johnbernardlambe8582
@johnbernardlambe8582 3 роки тому
"Mission: Impossible" actually featured a view-once video tape (at the end; Smoke emanated from the tape). It would be easy to implement. For example, you could have a battery in the gap in one corner of the tape, other electrical components (mainly a capacitor) in another corner, and an explosive that can be detonated by an electric current (RDX would work work well, as long noone drops the tape) between the reels in the middle. Then there would be two electrodes (maybe metal wheels) in contact with the tape at one point, and a piece of the tape at the end replaced with aluminium foil (to make an electrical connection between the electrodes when that point is reached). Of course, people might complain if it blew up their whole room, or you might lose repeat business if customers were killed by the shrapnel of the video recorder. You could make an incendiary version (more like the film) by putting vials of potassium permanganate and glycerol in the gaps between the reels, with a mechanism to open a door between them (to cause them to mix).
@alt8791
@alt8791 3 роки тому
@@johnbernardlambe8582 just to be safe we should put you on the no-fly list and ban you from coming within 500 yards of a chemical lab.
@Rebellions
@Rebellions 3 роки тому
@@alt8791 You kidding? Airlift this dudes DVDs to North Korea and watch the hilarity that ensues
@foxtrot1962
@foxtrot1962 3 роки тому
@@Rebellions bold of you to assume they know DVDs
@WingMaster562
@WingMaster562 3 роки тому
@@foxtrot1962 They know and use DVDs well. However it is a taboo to watch foreign DVDs in North Korea, but most citizens do it anyway. Most are smuggled from China or sent by South Koreans via balloon, along with post cards, diskettes, hand written notes, drawings, posters and etc., as a campaign to educate, inform, show love, and piss off North Koreans.
@kleerude
@kleerude Рік тому
I remember walking through an airport terminal and seeing a kiosk that was renting DVDs along with portable players. I don’t know if the DVDs were destructible, but the DVD players certainly weren’t, so you’d have to return something (again, negating the self-destruct feature).
@psirvent8
@psirvent8 Рік тому
Weren't users supposed to return the players and discs before boarding their flights by any chance ? (Therefore renting and returning the stuff at the same airport)
@derekchristenson5711
@derekchristenson5711 Рік тому
Ah, I remember these. I remember reading about them before they came out and hating the idea immediately. So much waste, so much greed, so much pointlessness when other solutions (video rentals, especially) already existed. I was very pleased to find that most of humanity agreed with me, and this stupid product failed hard.
@nairbvel
@nairbvel 4 роки тому
The irony is that the local supermarket has an endcap loaded with regular DVDs costing $2.99-$7.99 each -- none of which will commit suicide after 48 hours. :-)
@coreylineberry8557
@coreylineberry8557 4 роки тому
And some good ones, to boot.
@JPTyler
@JPTyler 4 роки тому
Lol!😂
@Smokr
@Smokr 4 роки тому
Though in some cases, the DVD has seemingly already committed suicide before you buy it.
@HowardLive
@HowardLive 4 роки тому
Blu-rays, even.
@MASJYT
@MASJYT 4 роки тому
Or get a pirated DVD for a buck, it'd last a lot more. Piracy offered a lot of advantages back then.
@lrmclinn
@lrmclinn 3 роки тому
I just imagine someone taking that special someone out for dinner and then coming home for a movie blowing the dust off of the plastic wrap and being like "I've been saving this for just the right special occasion" smelling the freshly open dvd and being like "ah yes this was a good year." popping it in and being like "damn why isn't it working?!" And the whole night is ruined because they didn't print the best by date on the outside of the package smh
@DisDatK9
@DisDatK9 3 роки тому
Like saving a condom lol, at least those don’t destroy themselves after 48 hours, that’d be awkward.
@liambergstrom8183
@liambergstrom8183 2 роки тому
@@DisDatK9 48hrs!? Most of us would be happy to get a couple minutes out of them!
@eddierayvanlynch6133
@eddierayvanlynch6133 2 роки тому
@@liambergstrom8183 Oh, dear God! Think of the chafing! 😬 Show off!
@grok8211
@grok8211 2 роки тому
If it were that special, you would buy the full dvd, not a 2 dollar rental.
@reanetsemoleleki8219
@reanetsemoleleki8219 2 роки тому
Can't even express your displeasure in a strongly worded email because the company no longer exists.
@Raven1024
@Raven1024 Рік тому
The problem I have with the proposal that streaming is worse environmentally is that you also have to *ship* the DVDs everywhere, and it's a lot easier to solar/wind power a data center than to make a delivery fleet that doesn't burn dinosaurs.
@c.rutherford
@c.rutherford Рік тому
Another reason no doubt movie rental stores in their heyday surely didn't want Flexplay, aside from making it so much easier for store outlets everywhere to compete with them.... is that it kept customers from coming back a 2nd time. And that second time often resulted in renting more movies, or at least seeing them. Anyway this guys videos are well researched and interesting! good work
@nikhilpaleti3872
@nikhilpaleti3872 2 роки тому
I am SO glad they were overconfident and patented everything under the sun. Now no other company, no matter how foolish, will get to doing this
@RAndrewNeal
@RAndrewNeal Рік тому
Until the patent expires in another 10 or so years.
@jcrowley1985
@jcrowley1985 Рік тому
@@RAndrewNeal who still watches DVDs though ?
@RAndrewNeal
@RAndrewNeal Рік тому
@@jcrowley1985 That wasn't really the point. Though it's best to own everything you buy on physical media, which can be ripped to a hard drive.
@skyzophrenyk
@skyzophrenyk Рік тому
I'm sure the current owner would license it cheap.
@asdfpoop33921
@asdfpoop33921 Рік тому
@@jcrowley1985 there's some old fogies who still use VHS, so I wouldn't doubt that there's many DVD users out there
@BinBintheRiceCake
@BinBintheRiceCake 5 років тому
Man, companies always finding ways to make you not own anything.
@letcreate123
@letcreate123 5 років тому
Some things just don't change over time, do they?
@johnjames4834
@johnjames4834 5 років тому
@@letcreate123 yes red dvds change over time to black dvds :)
@JetpacksWasYes2
@JetpacksWasYes2 5 років тому
@@WoodlandChill Thanks to capitalism and corporatism that'll be a thing though. Welcome to the 5g control grid where we own nothing.
@Rad0nite
@Rad0nite 5 років тому
You know your name can have a very fishy meaning, right?
@il45y78
@il45y78 5 років тому
*google stadia intensifies*
@mikeymladi9279
@mikeymladi9279 2 роки тому
Imagine you just got your Freeplay-CD, then you try to watch it a day after, but the DVD-player suddenly burns in a second and explodes. That would be terrifying.
@tarantantam
@tarantantam Рік тому
the good thing about their patent thingy is, if anyone had had that idea again in the 10 or so years until the patent runs out they wouldve had to pay that patent too in whatever way they wouldve made the selfdestrution of the dvd into reality. so they pretty much ensured it wouldnt be a problem ever again :D
@Jaymac720
@Jaymac720 3 роки тому
Broke: e-waste Woke: *T E C H N O T R A S H*
@arcstaff
@arcstaff 3 роки тому
Stroke: blood for the blood god
@gamersgambit7517
@gamersgambit7517 3 роки тому
SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE
@shadowfire04
@shadowfire04 3 роки тому
technoblade: you talkin bout _me?_
@sirhandsoap3953
@sirhandsoap3953 3 роки тому
Technoblade fans: "write that down write that down!"
@meskonyolsen6657
@meskonyolsen6657 3 роки тому
Dreams: *T E C H N O T R A S H*
@technicality
@technicality 5 років тому
To show you the power of Flexplay, I sawed the movie rental industry in half!
@defaultmesh
@defaultmesh 5 років тому
*_IT EVEN WORKS UNDERWATER_*
@alex0589
@alex0589 5 років тому
NOT VERY TOUGH
@F3ST3Rfilms
@F3ST3Rfilms 5 років тому
You win the comments section
@CorkScrewDood
@CorkScrewDood 5 років тому
Technicality Whoaa you're the man from that one Braille Skateboard video
@TS_Mind_Swept
@TS_Mind_Swept 5 років тому
Shoulda saw that coming
@marctronixx
@marctronixx Рік тому
everything from 2:40 on is hilarious! Your humor and sarcasm is top choice mate! the cuts used ( and then you cut and you're not sitting there) -- i just love it. ive literally watches that section up until you get up to see the tv 4 times.
@plonk420
@plonk420 2 роки тому
I got one of these to test out, but by the time I was in the mood to watch what it was, the disc was already unreadable on multiple drives and a perfectly working PS3
@misterkaos.357
@misterkaos.357 4 роки тому
Casuals: "E-Waste" Me, an Intellectual: "technotrash ケ壱ま"
@RyosukeTakahashiRX7
@RyosukeTakahashiRX7 4 роки тому
@D3lkatty same
@somedude8714
@somedude8714 4 роки тому
*B U E N O*
@stardy8131
@stardy8131 4 роки тому
@Sharkbyte399 it looks like an insult to all of the lucario fan community And thats exacly why i love it
@santocuban7086
@santocuban7086 4 роки тому
I love your comment, and your profile pic.
@MultiRobotnik
@MultiRobotnik 4 роки тому
So vaporwave.
@Negasuki
@Negasuki 3 роки тому
That disc packaging is like software that has the user license inside the package that states "By opening this package you agree to the Terms and Service."
@WickerBasket9
@WickerBasket9 2 роки тому
Or the E U L A.
@georgeparkins777
@georgeparkins777 Рік тому
Although in that case (as in the case of most EULA) it would be legally unenforceable
@maxcorrice9499
@maxcorrice9499 Рік тому
@@georgeparkins777 most Eulas are probably unenforcible
@georgeparkins777
@georgeparkins777 Рік тому
@@maxcorrice9499 that's what I said
@CoyoteSeven
@CoyoteSeven Рік тому
@@georgeparkins777 No you said they'd be unenforceable. He said they'd be unenforcible.
@BigAL68xyz
@BigAL68xyz Рік тому
There was actually an attempt to market a self-destructing VHS format. I think it was called One-View. The tape would somehow erase itself as you watched it. Not sure if the resulting blank tape could be reused for recording or not.
@notpublic5159
@notpublic5159 Рік тому
I have a faint memory that inside that cassette was a gear that destroyed the tape when it was played.
@ShannonRice-hc2kr
@ShannonRice-hc2kr Рік тому
The tape wouldn't erase itself while watching. They were set up to erase all content when the tape was rewound. You could watch the tape once, but if you tried to rewind it and watch again, all you got was static. In the mid 90s, I was in a focus group for one of the major TV stations. I would get one of these stupid tapes every few weeks to preview new shows, mostly pilots. No, you couldn't record onto the tape afterwards. I'm not sure how it worked.
@sihamhamda47
@sihamhamda47 10 місяців тому
Wow, it was the pioneer of the "view once" featured on many messenger apps
@AaronOfMpls
@AaronOfMpls 3 місяці тому
@@ShannonRice-hc2kr A bulk-eraser magnet that swung into place when the tape was pulled the other way to rewind, maybe? Or else what @notpublic5159 said. And I'll bet _some_ people out there opened these up and defeated the destructive mechanism. Or moved the reels to a regular cassette's shell _before_ rewinding.
@entropic-decay
@entropic-decay Рік тому
the fun thing with these is that you could, if you had a home computer (most had CD drives at this time), burn it to your computer and have a permanent working digital copy.
@aaeiou90
@aaeiou90 4 роки тому
Disposable DVD: fails as a commercial product Sea turtles: [sigh of relief]
@jamesbond9975
@jamesbond9975 3 роки тому
Nah the sea turtles are still pissed about all the AOL floppy disks.
@falleithani5411
@falleithani5411 3 роки тому
There are 3 Flexplay DVDs worth of waste in a 2L (½ gallon) soda bottle and 1½ Flexplay DVDs worth of waste in a 600mL (20 oz) soda bottle. The sea turtles are not impressed.
@RF_N
@RF_N 3 роки тому
@@TheFalseShepphard no
@brunoslybruno
@brunoslybruno 2 роки тому
@@falleithani5411 they would be if it had taken off not that theres not worse things, but it certainly wouldnt make anything better poor turtles
@falleithani5411
@falleithani5411 2 роки тому
@@brunoslybruno Even if it'd taken off, it'd be a drop in the bucket compared to most other products. Subtle enough that the turtles probably wouldn't have _noticed_ the change, although it _would_ have increased fatalities. That said, it's good it was stopped, because every detail _does_ matter, but it's _very_ important to put this stuff in perspective. Hank Green's response to this video on the Vlogbrothers channel (Called "The Worst Product Ever") does an _amazing_ job of putting this issue in perspective.
@anti_honey
@anti_honey 5 років тому
If they made a VHS version, would it be called Flextape?
@alessandroceloria4573
@alessandroceloria4573 5 років тому
They made something similar to VHS with a mechanism that slowly lowers a magnet towards the tape. I would pay for it if someone calls it flextape 😂
@sonoda944
@sonoda944 5 років тому
Hi Phill Swift here for Flextape
@astracrits4633
@astracrits4633 5 років тому
園田 I SAWED THIS BOAT IN HALF!
@Jakepearl13
@Jakepearl13 5 років тому
*THATS A LOTTA DAMAGE*
@glori0usoce
@glori0usoce 5 років тому
*pulls vhs out after it self-destructs NOW THATS A LOTTA DAMAGE
@HunterShows
@HunterShows Рік тому
In the distant, forgotten past...some grocery stores did operate video departments. Now they're all banks or Starbucks or UPS stores. Record stores did it too, forestalling their inevitable demise.
@AlexanderRM1000
@AlexanderRM1000 Рік тому
11:51 I was thinking when you mentioned allowing other stores to get into video rentals, "it'd be nice if they could have a video rental system where you could return to any rental location and not just the one you bought from, even business travellers going to a different city could just return it there", glad to hear somebody else had the same idea and made it work.
@CaptainWumbo
@CaptainWumbo 4 роки тому
Never eat an expired DVD no matter how much your father insists it's fine.
@nyanSynxPHOENIX
@nyanSynxPHOENIX 3 роки тому
It hasn't killed me yet.
@angelvu
@angelvu 3 роки тому
I wanted to eat cereal and my dad sniffed it and said the milk was fine I smelled the milk and goddamn it was sour
@cursedcliff7562
@cursedcliff7562 3 роки тому
The blue flame _is not_ cold
@mind-of-neo
@mind-of-neo 3 роки тому
Omg i thought this was just my father
@BigBangAttack-mt6pz
@BigBangAttack-mt6pz 3 роки тому
I want to know the story behind this one
@aswqegty
@aswqegty 3 роки тому
me and the homies running home before the charlotte's web dvd kills itself
@randybradley4151
@randybradley4151 Рік тому
I seen something similar to this earlier at my local Goodwill store. There was 5 DVDs that had a price on the back on rental fees. I didn't bother looking at the disc but I feel it's the same thing. They were different from the one you featured in this video. The cardboard cases were just that. Thin cardboard DVD cases.
@andrewapplegarth334
@andrewapplegarth334 Рік тому
A lot of rental stores used stripped down versions that did not include special features and such that were included on the retail discs. These are usually clearly marked as rental versions and are more likely to be what you found than the type of disc this video was about.
@emmitbrown2501
@emmitbrown2501 Рік тому
Rip probably was worth alot should always pick shit like that up could be a good little flip
@glasshorse6893
@glasshorse6893 Рік тому
honestly I like that they patented pretty much every way to make a self destructing disks so that no one, not even if they wanted to, could make something so useless as a self destructing disk
@grandmoffpuppeteer
@grandmoffpuppeteer 3 роки тому
Truck Driver here: these were cool, but kinda on the expensive side if I recall. They were great for us, as getting back into a place to return a DVD could never be guaranteed. Hence, the truck stops you mentioned them being in: captive audience. Except that audiobooks were cheaper, and in only a year or two, smart phones were available so these were much less useful.
@Nexus9118
@Nexus9118 3 роки тому
I don't remember but was it possible to return BlockBuster movie anywhere in the country? Like Redbox?
@grandmoffpuppeteer
@grandmoffpuppeteer 3 роки тому
@@Nexus9118 no
@Nexus9118
@Nexus9118 3 роки тому
@@grandmoffpuppeteer Well, thought so.
@StrokeMahEgo
@StrokeMahEgo 2 роки тому
@@Nexus9118 you could sometimes if you could convince the person at the counter, but I don't think it was an officially supported thing.
@Bacteriophagebs
@Bacteriophagebs 2 роки тому
Truckers was the market I thought of, too (I have a friend who's been one for 20 years). Get the disk at the truck stop, watch it when you stop for the night or a break so you don't drive too many hours, and toss it. But it turns out that Netflix worked pretty well for that, too. My friend would get his three DVDs, take them on his trip, mail them from wherever, and have three more waiting for him when he got home.
@rowanmcclantoc5418
@rowanmcclantoc5418 3 роки тому
It's probably a good thing the patent included so many different ideas for self-destructing discs. Imagine the waste if people kept trying to make the idea stick and one of them did.
@jpdemer5
@jpdemer5 2 роки тому
The patent only protects what's written in the patent's claims. Those are usually a lot less expansive than the written description, since you have to actually make it work before you can claim it.
@playsauce
@playsauce 2 роки тому
Not how patents work.
@monhi64
@monhi64 2 роки тому
It’s really not the worst idea I’ve ever heard of, it just sounds dystopian but definitely has a purpose. Older people who only use physical or you know someone without cable or internet maybe taking a trip to a cabin etc. I’d wager it might even be less wasteful than some trips back to return a dvd in person. Pretty niche tho lol
@Superboologan1
@Superboologan1 2 роки тому
There is nothing wrong with the U.S. patent system :) /s
@harrylane4
@harrylane4 Рік тому
@@monhi64 ewaste that can be easily avoided does not have a purpose beyond creating waste.
@sultanofsick
@sultanofsick 2 роки тому
I was working a summer job during my college years at Staples in 2008. We got a single one of those cardboard stand things that are in the middle of retail aisles (I forgot the fancy retail jargon word we had for them) to put out. I thought it was the most random thing ever, about maybe 50 at most discs of a random assortment of movies, mostly very old. I had heard of the "no return" dvd concept before, but never actually seen it. I doubt we ever sold any (never during my shifts at least), and we DID get at least a few complaints about participating in that wasteful nonsense.
@catspurr2599
@catspurr2599 Рік тому
The word is endcap! :)
@wonderfuljoey23
@wonderfuljoey23 2 роки тому
I remember seeing these at my local Food Lion back around 2008 or 2009, and I read the front and was like “well that’s really stupid”.
@eliaswilliamsson8553
@eliaswilliamsson8553 3 роки тому
They thought I was crazy to fill my DVD player with nitrogen, but look who's laughing now!
@goatsmiserable555
@goatsmiserable555 2 роки тому
You maniac
@xXponyinthestarsXx
@xXponyinthestarsXx 2 роки тому
This was actually my first thought as well.
@sex_man_3788
@sex_man_3788 2 роки тому
The voices aren't laughing now, now your the boss.
@Resin_Kingdom
@Resin_Kingdom 2 роки тому
Plus nitrogen can be used as laughing gas so you can finally enjoy an Adam Sandler movie
@halofreak1990
@halofreak1990 2 роки тому
You'll still expose the disc to oxygen between the package and the DVD player... At best, you'll slow down the decay of the disc, if at all
@mazda9624
@mazda9624 3 роки тому
Tested one of these back in the day by leaving it constantly running in a DVD player. After about a day and a half the image began to get scambled and it was unplayable within an hour
@lgasc
@lgasc 3 роки тому
Potententialy, you filmed it
@mazda9624
@mazda9624 3 роки тому
@@lgasc ?
@lgasc
@lgasc 3 роки тому
@@mazda9624 Apparently you did not
@joelhoon1707
@joelhoon1707 3 роки тому
@@lgasc that is, like, piracy or something
@PlatoonGoon
@PlatoonGoon 3 роки тому
@@lgasc I'm not sure if you're aware but we didn't have phones with decent cameras until a decade ago... Camcorders weren't common either.
@FlameDarkfire
@FlameDarkfire 2 роки тому
A classic case of a solution looking for a problem. I'd assume if it had caught on with the traveling subset there'd be enough disposal bins scattered about at travel stops and the like that one could just discard the disk on their next stop, but everything you pointed out still applies.
@AaronOfMpls
@AaronOfMpls 3 місяці тому
Other commenters have mentioned these being somewhat popular with long-haul truckers in that second attempt. Buying regular DVDs was more expensive, and space inside a sleeper cab was pretty limited anyway. Redbox didn't have kiosks everywhere in rural areas, so it could be a challenge to return rentals quickly enough. And cellular data wasn't good enough for streaming actual movies yet. But trucking companies often have fuel deals with truck stop chains, that keep their drivers going to the same chain everywhere they can. So many truckers were bound to stop at another location, drop their no-longer-playable discs in the recycling, and buy some new discs for their next few rest breaks.
@melkaman8200
@melkaman8200 6 місяців тому
Glad I found this! I was working for Staples when we started selling these and I never knew how they worked (and people asked all the time!). They were not a big seller. You'd sell a few here and there. I don't remember the return/recycle part, but that was quite a few years ago.
@TAPriceCTR
@TAPriceCTR 4 роки тому
I think that red color is gorgeous.
@MikinessAnalog
@MikinessAnalog 4 роки тому
Agreed
@kevinragsdale6256
@kevinragsdale6256 4 роки тому
Me too
@blarpo7385
@blarpo7385 4 роки тому
me three.
@EssexAggiegrad2011
@EssexAggiegrad2011 4 роки тому
Me four
@xyz360400
@xyz360400 4 роки тому
@@EssexAggiegrad2011 Me forty-six, but I agree :P
@Journey_Awaits
@Journey_Awaits 5 років тому
Somewhere in a alternative dimension dystopia, the world is full of giant red piles of discs
@NickDalzell
@NickDalzell 5 років тому
AOL has you beat for over a decade
@Volvary
@Volvary 5 років тому
Instead of K-Cups? I'm curious which one is worst.
@isaacroder3025
@isaacroder3025 5 років тому
My favourite SCP
@diegodekruif3772
@diegodekruif3772 5 років тому
Wall-e
@scritoph3368
@scritoph3368 5 років тому
@@isaacroder3025 my immediate first thought. www.scp-wiki.net/scp-093
@xineohpinakc264
@xineohpinakc264 7 місяців тому
At the time it may have worked if not for the fact that renting a movie from a video store then was between 2.99-3.99 and getting one of these destructive discs was 5.99-7.99 depending on the movie.
@rkoharchik
@rkoharchik 2 роки тому
Thank you for preparing such a cool presentation. Thoroughly enjoyed this and learned something completely new!
@summersolstice255
@summersolstice255 4 роки тому
The subtle "It's back, how'd tha-" followed by him just continuing to speak at 8:58 made me laugh quite a bit for some reason.
@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley
@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley 3 роки тому
His timing and tone was absolutely perfect, lol.
@kapitanXbomber1989
@kapitanXbomber1989 4 роки тому
Disposable DVD what a nice way to produce huge amount of plastic waste.
@serges4429
@serges4429 4 роки тому
kapitanbomba1989 in comes keurig, hold my coffee cup.
@rumahhafidzahbekasi1354
@rumahhafidzahbekasi1354 4 роки тому
*cough* like plastic water bottle *chough*
@rustywastakenwastaken
@rustywastakenwastaken 4 роки тому
Disposable bottles what a way to produce huge amounts of plastic waste
@fernandor4617
@fernandor4617 4 роки тому
less disposable things
@DSCKottawa
@DSCKottawa 4 роки тому
I was thinking the exact same thing.
@chriskaprys
@chriskaprys Рік тому
It’s interesting what’s described as “disposable,” meaning single-use. I was just listening to someone talking about transitioning in their lifetime from traditional batteries to everyday rechargeable lithium batteries, and it occurred to me how retroactive the term “disposable” is, now that the idea of reusability is more popular in the public conscience. I wonder how these dvds were referred to / thought of at the time.
@septemberrises1090
@septemberrises1090 Рік тому
8:58 Honestly, I was enjoying this video and will likely check out future videos from this fella, as I actually remember these, and they didn't work very well when they were new either. But this moment was genuinely hilarious, and you have earned a sub.
@mrbeaver6000
@mrbeaver6000 5 років тому
Flexplay: Suicidal Flextape: Immortal
@knownas2017
@knownas2017 5 років тому
So, just Flextape the Flexplay.
@Nicox2
@Nicox2 4 роки тому
Immovable object vs unstoppable force
@ThePreciseClimber
@ThePreciseClimber 4 роки тому
@@knownas2017 Still slightly more effective than placebo.
@maximal9857
@maximal9857 4 роки тому
@İlker Kesal even*
@-umph
@-umph 2 роки тому
The tiny moments that kept dystopia dialed down. Imagine if in addition to region locks and DRM, companies could destroy your DVD remotely.
@Teh_Random_Canadian
@Teh_Random_Canadian 2 роки тому
Everything is digital now, you just lease everything you pay for online. If your account gets banned or the service goes down, you lose everything. You don't own anything in the digital age.
@gas-station-sushi
@gas-station-sushi 2 роки тому
@@Teh_Random_Canadian Everyone knows lol, people pay $5 for streaming services because they want to watch some stuff on the go, they don't care about "owning" movies or shows. If they did they'd just buy the DVD and then copy it
@gamespender8605
@gamespender8605 Рік тому
@@Teh_Random_Canadian yarr harr if you ask me sort of like how buying original cartridges to legally rip them for emulators is something some people do. Just a thought
@Teh_Random_Canadian
@Teh_Random_Canadian Рік тому
@@gamespender8605 I get that, if you follow the law by the letter then sure. The money you use to buy a hard copy so you can play on a emulator isn't going to the developer anyways, just a third party. What I mean is if for some reason steam goes offline in a few years there would be billions of dollars worth of purchased games that people would no longer would be able to access
@lilith2295
@lilith2295 Рік тому
@@Teh_Random_Canadian In all fairness many steam libraries simply dwarf what would be possible with physical disks. Most people simply don't have the room for thousands or even just hundreds of games. As long as the game is physically installed to your pc and is playable offline, you'll be able to play it for as long as you have it installed.
@need2connect
@need2connect Рік тому
0:57 is exactly the reason that I enjoy your channel. Thank you sir. You’ve done a grand service to the community.
@cyrollan
@cyrollan Рік тому
He's so gosh darn hilarious
@jayarcamp
@jayarcamp Рік тому
Late to the party, recently found your channel and I'm really enjoying it. Had to click on this one, because I remember grabbing a self-destroying copy of Reign of Fire back in '03. Then I never saw these things again. Had no clue they were released again in '08, but by then they wouldn't have made much sense I guess. Thanks for the video
@skyclaw
@skyclaw 3 роки тому
“I’ll take 600!” (The rental person hands over two copies of the film _300_ .)
@forestsmills
@forestsmills 3 роки тому
Alright I'll take two to make 600
@ZeldagigafanMatthew
@ZeldagigafanMatthew 3 роки тому
I'll take bad puns for 300 Alex. OOOOOH, Daily Double.
@zacharybyford8200
@zacharybyford8200 3 роки тому
Clerk gives you 12655723162254307425418678245150829297671403862274660768187828858528140823147351237817802795619571074765208532598060224803240903782164769430795025578054271906283387643826088448124626488332623608376164081221171179439885840257818732919037889603719186743943363062139593784473922231852782547619771723889252476871186000174697934549112845662596182308280390615184691924446215552586523740084932807259056238962104689731522587564412231618018774350801526839567367444928206231310973619440354723718012867753019556135721376207959558860559933052856914157120622980057169891912595926540427596853441276985006724869558201930657900240943007657817473684008944448183219124163017666607770667585082169598239230274035517738648065600492702095732843492708856036920219883363111527988109277392696562776813446645651238419301586157342867860646666350050113314787911320639668510871569846664873595017518995670958477806411667505346462590471136862647349666243426242677175204732314281064417939041868653741187423064985189556742640111598580035644021835576715752869397465453828584471291269955890393294448315746500268702149708808053100406398480942695623586049403348084970064668900206251516968479727515576425962392136269169089884609794271331061018895634421094082310408889752954265842691732460538911784960000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 disks.
@niclas8777
@niclas8777 3 роки тому
Is two 300 or 300 and 300: rise of an empire
@limecyanizer4394
@limecyanizer4394 3 роки тому
@@zacharybyford8200 Is that 600 factorial?
@fulkthered
@fulkthered 5 років тому
800 million flex disk in the trash?AOL said "hold my beer".
@Yeen125
@Yeen125 5 років тому
joseph fulks I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where Flexplay got the idea.
@grandetaco4416
@grandetaco4416 5 років тому
I remember when AOL was on floppy, at least you had free reusable disks, then they switched to CDs and you had drink coasters and landfill.
@TheBrokenLife
@TheBrokenLife 5 років тому
I think AOL sent me, personally, at least 800 million discs...
@EddieTheGrouch
@EddieTheGrouch 5 років тому
Now that's funny
@fixman88
@fixman88 5 років тому
@@grandetaco4416 At least one of them they sent to me actually came in a fancy metal tin (like an Altoids one, but bigger and thinner). I was impressed, but I already had AOL at the time.
@jebidiahkerman4600
@jebidiahkerman4600 2 роки тому
2:14 Astronauts on the moon:"Sweet it wont happen to me!"
@pandanurse
@pandanurse Рік тому
I'm excited to check out more of your videos cause I really like your way of presenting!
@ironheavenz
@ironheavenz 3 роки тому
Ez-d doesn't sound like easy dvds at all It actually sounds like a male escort service...
@TecTitan
@TecTitan 3 роки тому
affordable-d XD
@bojangles2492
@bojangles2492 2 роки тому
Hangs around for a few days then is gone, sounds about right.
@450AHX
@450AHX 2 роки тому
@@bojangles2492 A few *days*? Geez, who has that much stamina?
@danielle5160
@danielle5160 2 роки тому
@@450AHX An EZ-D, that's who
@bepeplia5086
@bepeplia5086 2 роки тому
@@danielle5160 need me some easy d's
@DarthChrisB
@DarthChrisB 5 років тому
The movie industry finally found a solution to the problem: Simply make movies that noone would wanna watch twice!
@ThyKorey
@ThyKorey 5 років тому
*Cough* rim shot *Cough*
@acidphaze
@acidphaze 5 років тому
Disney already did that when they made The Last Jedi.
@c_huntermc
@c_huntermc 5 років тому
The funny thing is, that's exactly what I used to do with DVDs. I would go watch the movie in the theater, then dutifully buy the DVD when it came out and then never watch it.
@jeallen10x
@jeallen10x 5 років тому
This is funnier than it should be. Made me lolirl
@ExtremeMadnessX
@ExtremeMadnessX 4 роки тому
@@acidphaze And still it make over billions dollars, just saying...
@insertgoodchannelnamehere
@insertgoodchannelnamehere 9 місяців тому
I think its great that the patent covers basically every way to make a self destructing dvd, because it helps prevent anyone else from thinking it up.
@kiapandora2094
@kiapandora2094 Рік тому
This channel is so binge-watch worthy!!
@Fr4ncM
@Fr4ncM 5 років тому
Say whatever you want, but this is the perfect format for "Mission Imposible" movies.
@command_blockling_400mc9
@command_blockling_400mc9 5 років тому
lol
@MrVuckFiacom
@MrVuckFiacom 5 років тому
Or fight club. Fun fact: they actually replaced the Fight Club Blu Ray menu with a chick flick movie menu.
@gregorymirabella1423
@gregorymirabella1423 5 років тому
@@lucusthedreamer6426 i will wait for that
@lucusthedreamer6426
@lucusthedreamer6426 5 років тому
time to explode my comment
@gregorymirabella1423
@gregorymirabella1423 5 років тому
@@lucusthedreamer6426godamnit you damaged my replying comesaolFJDnsnflsnaklljndsknLk;SJFkjesDEFEds:F:LSF;fds..';.'][;];',;].;],;].,;;.[,;.][,---------------------
@maximrukinov3101
@maximrukinov3101 4 роки тому
I like how in the US people were constantly thinking about creating a service that lets people rent movies cheaper and more convenient way, while in Russia people were constantly thinking about how to make their torrent trackers become more reliable and accessable for everyone who wants to illeagaly download a movie and watch it.
@VideoArchiveGuy
@VideoArchiveGuy 4 роки тому
Wow, a Communist country didn't care about the property rights of others? What a shock.
@bootmii98
@bootmii98 4 роки тому
@@VideoArchiveGuy Now obviously this was the New Russia where the CPRF isn't all that popular.
@augustovasconcellos7173
@augustovasconcellos7173 4 роки тому
@@VideoArchiveGuy >Torrent trackers: invented and popularized in the late 90s and early 2000s >Communist regime in Russia: ended in the mid to late 80s
@VideoArchiveGuy
@VideoArchiveGuy 4 роки тому
@@augustovasconcellos7173 You don't actually believe the current Russian government isn't communist, do you?
@mikemarks6136
@mikemarks6136 4 роки тому
@@VideoArchiveGuy they're Russian they probably fall for all the bullshit their government tells them the same way most Americans do
@califaern3sto
@califaern3sto 2 роки тому
This was the first video I ever saw on this channel a few years back, been lovin' it ever since
@somethingsomething7899
@somethingsomething7899 3 місяці тому
As a truck driver we utilized those disks since we would not be able to return the disk to locations. Redox locations were placed for the general consumer convenience and not for truck drivers. It was nice having a movie to watch and not having to try to figure out how to get a truck to a return location. Not to mention we can't get movies mailed to locations since we were never sure where we would be at a specific time or date.
@WillSmith-wg4hs
@WillSmith-wg4hs 4 роки тому
I could see this being useful for one purpose. The need to transfer information that is sensitive. Having a set period of time would limit the chances of other people using it to get that information.
@Harryw007
@Harryw007 4 роки тому
That’s some mission impossible shit right there
@craZivn
@craZivn 4 роки тому
"...as usual, in the event that you or your IM force be captured or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your organization. This disc will self-destruct in 48 hours, long after your mission is complete and the information becomes irrelevant anyway."
@jakaalatas8938
@jakaalatas8938 4 роки тому
@@Harryw007 *_MI music start playing_*
@DonnyStanley
@DonnyStanley 4 роки тому
@@craZivn I'd wager they can probably adjust the formula to have the disc destroy itself much faster. 48 hrs was the desired rental period, not a happy accident.
@animasonanamericanmangaka2115
@animasonanamericanmangaka2115 4 роки тому
Mind if I use that in a spy story I'm writing?
@nickrubixx4611
@nickrubixx4611 4 роки тому
Can’t wait for flexplay2.0 when they make it so it blows up your DVD player after 48 hours
@pauls5745
@pauls5745 3 роки тому
they missed out on the opportunity to put in the patent, making the disk from tightly packed nylon or polymer filament, so that it unravels if you watch it a 2nd time, like cassettes sometimes did haha
@windestruct
@windestruct 3 роки тому
It would be destructive if you love watching dvds
@roisinnigcrainn7722
@roisinnigcrainn7722 3 роки тому
thats what I thought this was when I clicked the video haha
@rbnzo25
@rbnzo25 2 роки тому
3:43 the way you forced the tray in, instead of pressing the button, that. that brings me back man 😭
@percyorsomething2641
@percyorsomething2641 Рік тому
My grandpa invented the plastic used in these DVDs (I am not joking). His sister lived near the test market and so she bought a whole bunch. We still have a copy of Holes sealed in its package.
@realcartoongirl
@realcartoongirl 8 місяців тому
no he didn't
@RedFail1-1
@RedFail1-1 5 місяців тому
Right. And you’re a real cartoon girl too. Why did you even bother to reply?
@joe4illinois
@joe4illinois 5 років тому
There was a VHS version of this in the early 90s. It would self erase itself with the mechanism that would slowly lower a magnet onto the video tape as you watch it after five times. Needless to say it didn't work well when they realize people can just open up the video tape and remove the magnets.
@Journey_Awaits
@Journey_Awaits 5 років тому
As if vhs can survive for long anyway, it's good we got rid of tapes
@sithlorddread8721
@sithlorddread8721 5 років тому
@@Journey_Awaits yeah I remember leaving one on my dash back in the Blockbuster days and it literally melted!
@Journey_Awaits
@Journey_Awaits 5 років тому
Never underestimate a heated car
@lunaticliberal7115
@lunaticliberal7115 5 років тому
dam i was looking for this comment and found it...thanx. i remember this also and thought it was stupid.
@bledlbledlbledl
@bledlbledlbledl 5 років тому
Yeah I got one of those once; it had some kind of STUPID promotional thing on it, nothing worth watching. Took me about 30 seconds (because it said on the package it would erase itself after one watching) to find the magnet and remove it, and then tape over the stupid promotional with something else.
@RevGear99
@RevGear99 5 років тому
Perfect for a Mission Impossible reboot. "This tape, err.. disc, will self destruct in 10 seconds, err.. 48 hours"
@hackembacker
@hackembacker 5 років тому
You just stole my joke, you iron curtain nasty spy. If my "Back to the Future" flexplay DVDs weren't void, I would use them to travel in time and place the comment before you.
@tonynicholson4227
@tonynicholson4227 5 років тому
Not quite perfect, needs the smoke, sparks and flames🤣
@Sonen10
@Sonen10 5 років тому
@@tonynicholson4227 Alongside the 80s, the 2015s and the DeLorian.
@johnfrancisdoe1563
@johnfrancisdoe1563 5 років тому
Nigel Clark The 80s version of MI used tiny self-destroying discs.
@DarknoorX
@DarknoorX Рік тому
"but it's blue" You're this close to gaining a new subscriber... One more video to watch!
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