'Disposable' DVD: Print Media's Shaky Foundations

IanFogg | October 10, 2005, 11:07 AM

Some rethinking needs to happen at the UK's sunday paper, The Business. Last week they published a story, an "exclusive", that Microsoft had developed a cheap play once 'disposable' DVD disk. A week later, and their front page follow-up story criticises bloggers for rubbishing the original.

Both pieces ignore the simple facts that disposable DVDs are nothing remotely new.

However, there's another twist here. The Business shifts the goalposts in the follow-up by saying this 'new' development is different to the Flexplay/Disney trials as it uses the software DRM embedded in the new High definition DVD format(s); yet this is at odds with their original description of: "a cheap, disposable pre-recorded DVD disc that consumers can play only once."

Whatever HD DVD will be, it's not likely to be even as cheap as current DVDs to manufacture anytime soon -- let alone cheaper -- due to low volumes and new manufacturing processes. Plus, it's not a revelation to anyone in the industry that new content protection is being included with high definition discs that offer publishers new business models.

Worse, with DVD movie prices falling, who needs disposable disks? In the last two weeks I've seen a variety of new movies for sale at ukp2.99 -- for example Donnie Darko and The Third Man -- the same price cited by The Business as a good price point for disposables. Even worse, one of their competitors bundled a free DVD of The Madness of King George with their paper a few weeks ago.

The real questions for business are, how much will consumer adoption of high definition discs be slowed because of the launch of two competing, incompatible, high definition DVD formats? And, how should publishers use these new DRM options?

Clients please ask us at Jupiter about consumer behaviours, interests and attitudes and how to position your new products. Journalists: please feel free to bounce story ideas off us prior to publication.