Back to topic...
As the point was raised earlier, this technology certainly isn't for us or people like us. But they are not talking about doing away with one in favor of the other, so there is no reason to raise our ire in that respect. Now on the other hand, here is where it would be a big boon on the side of convenience.
They have been trying to push a viable concept of vending machine rental for a long, long time now. They tried with VHS, but it was just too bulky to fit a good selection of movies in. They tried DVD, and while the size was a plus, there was the problem of returns. Since most vending machines are leased to individual entrepenuers, they could only eat the cost of late or missing discs for so long. Even with credit card guarentees, the owner still had to wait too long to get their money back... and as you probably know, it is a hard life where every check counts.
So with this technology, you take the entire issue of returning the movie out of the equation. Imagine the possibilities now of disposable vending machine movies -- Hotels,
airports, train & Bus stations, gas stations, grocery stores, shopping malls, etc. With more and more people owning the portable players, car players and DVD capable laptops, your market increases all the time.
And you are able to target a whole new group of people... not us, or frequent renters. No, you are going after the folks who either infrequently or never wander into a video store and who enjoy a movie when they catch it on TV, but really don't go out of their way for one. Now, they can grab a movie as a total impulse purchase, and at costs that equal or beat what you are charged for hotel in-room movies, in-flight movies, etc. So if you are on a long car trip with the kids, grab a couple of these and not worry about returns, damage, etc.
I think it's a great idea, and if it makes more people into movie fans, even better. Think of it as a gateway drug into our world!
