Self-Destructing DVD Cuts The 48-Hour Movie Marathon

Germany-based video company DVD-D unveiled a new optical medium that is able to store data just like a regular DVD disk, except for the fact that data mysteriously disappears after 48 hours. The new single-use DVDs are already available on the French, Italian and Scandinavian markets, and are mostly used in movie rental businesses as self-destructive storage media.

The DVD-D versatile media discs come in sealed cardboard envelopes that are completely air-proof. The 48-hour countdown starts when the user opens the cardboard envelope and the optical medium gets in contact with the oxygen. The German manufacturer won't detail upon how the disc really gets deleted, but it is alleged that the disc undergoes a chemical transformation as soon as it is exposed to oxygen.

The DVD-D discs come in a standard form factor and is fully compatible with any regular or slot-load DVD drive. The only difference lays in the fact that 48 hours after it has been taken out of its envelope, the drive will return a "No Disc" error message.

Despite the fact that the user has a short, 48 hour window in order to enjoy its contents after it is irreversibly and definitively erased, the customer can buy the movie title whenever they want, then view it years after the purchase. Shortly put, data is accessible for an indefinite period of time if the disc remains in the sealed cardboard sleeve.

Another interesting aspect is the fact that the disc content can be played until the end even if the 48-hour timeframe ended, say, in the middle of the action. However, when trying to re-play its contents, the disc would return the same error.

The company provides three types of self-destructing DVD media, in order to suit all the digital content distribution needs. Apart from the presented 48-hour disc, DVD-D offers a single-viewing DVD, that allows the digital content to be played only once before the data automatically wipes itself out. The DVD-D 8 Hours allows the users to enjoy the digital contents for 8 hours, and let them play back multimedia files for an indefinite number of times.