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DVD Rental on the fly

Don't choose DVDs. choose films and have the DVD made while you wait
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I use Netflix, order my movies and they arrive in the mail within a day. Problems often arise on two ends of the spectrum: 1. You order a movie that is in high demand, and have to wait days before it is available 2. You order a movie that is very low demand, with only one or two copies available, again waiting days.

Given that the technology exists to make speedy copies of DVDs, and the cost for them continues to drop rapidly, couldn't you create a service whereby the customer orders the DVD, and the DVD is actually created when it is ordered? It's then mailed to the customer, and warehoused until requested by another.

Potential problems: 1. Licensing, but I would think that the studios would make big bucks here because there would be an unlimited supply of any given film. 2. Eventual replacement by true video on demand

This could also work at Blockbuster or Hollywood video right?

Clogan98, Feb 18 2004

(?) DVD-Video Copy Protection http://www.disctron...dvdvid_copyprot.htm
How it's done. [waugsqueke, Oct 17 2004]

DeCSS http://www.lemuria.org/DeCSS/decss.html
How to break it. [waugsqueke, Oct 17 2004]

[link]






       (wrong category, please adjust)   

       I like it. Just remove the part about destroying them - why not just warehouse them until needed again?   

       Of course, this brings up the question of why they aren't just overproduced and stocked in the first place. I'm sure they are much cheaper to produce in bulk than one at a time. It seems like a company like Netflix could license videos per rental, and have DVD distribution companies provide many more copies but monitor their use.
Worldgineer, Feb 18 2004
  

       This is not another zipper idea ?
normzone, Feb 18 2004
  

       \Of course, this brings up the question of why they aren't just overproduced and stocked in the first place\   

       I would bet there is some fear factor here in the free copying of copyrighted materials.   

       I also believe that while mass copying is cheaper, it could still be cost effective. Afterall, places like Hollywood Video offer a freebie next time if it is not in stock now. What about "Sorry, all current copies are gone now, for 50 cents extra we can make a new one in 5 minutes" ?
Clogan98, Feb 18 2004
  

       DVD on demand eh, it would be nice to have but extremely costly. Problem is overpopulation of dvds, and we do not have the technology to wipe dvds and rewrite them with new data repeatedly. you can do it once or twice with rw's but not continuously. Lets look at econ 101 again, and supply and demand here.....
morbiddesire, Feb 19 2004
  

       DVDs are copy protected (usually with CSS - link). Yes, this is relatively easy to get around, but with the current mindset among the big film companies and distributors regarding piracy these days, they are unlikely to ever allow legal copying to occur.
waugsqueke, Feb 19 2004
  
      
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