Self-Destructing DVDs – Will Late Fees Become a Thing of the Past?

While wandering around the Web, I ran across some DVD news that made me wonder if video store late fees might someday become a thing of the past.

Imagine a DVD that becomes unreadable after a certain period of time but which is sold at a price comparable to a rental fee. If the technology worked as planned, consumers might find buying self-destructing DVDs more convenient than going to a video store and running the risk of returning a rental late and paying the extra fees.

Self-destructing DVDs will be test marketed soon, according to The BBC News Magazine, The International Herald Tribune, and The New York Times.

What do you think? Given there were no inconvenient glitches in the technology, would you prefer buying self-destructing DVDs to renting DVDs at a video store? Why not share your thoughts in the About Home Video/DVD forum.