DVD Vending Machines?

[James Harvey]

Virtual Concepts, based in North Hollywood CA, has come up with an interesting way of selling DVDs: an 'intelligent' vending machine called the CineMachine.

Promoting it at this week's National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) trade show in Las Vegas, the CineMachine has the ability to dispense DVDs, video games and movie soundtracks, as well as play movie trailers, game previews, music and movie soundtracks. "Our goal was to target movie theaters and the theater patron," said Virtual Concepts president, Jeffrey Ringer. "Most theaters don't sell anything other than soda and snacks to patrons. We see the CineMachine as an opportunity to catch movie patrons in an impulse buy while they are still excited about the movie they just saw. We can see patrons stopping by the CineMachine to purchase a DVD that features an actor they might just have seen perform, perhaps a CD featuring the soundtrack of the movie, or an associated video game."

The company is already in negotiations with major film studios and theater chains across the nation, including Disney, Universal Studios and Warner Bros., Ringer said. "They love the concept, see great opportunity, and want to be a part of it." As well as placing the CineMachine in theaters, Virtual Concepts is also targeting locations such as airports, train and bus stations, theme parks, hotels, grocery stores and office buildings.

(www.davisdvd.com)

[William C. Maune]

[indent]Considering there are now even vending machines that dispense nothing but M&Ms I'm not surprised. It is a cool idea, I especially like the fact that it plays clips and music 'n stuff. Soundtrack sales would probably be aided the most by this in my opinion as they would be the most directly related to the movie. I wonder if we will see messages in the credits: "If you liked the movie don't forget to have your credit card ready for the vending machine on the way out!"

[Russkafin]

No way! Do you know how frustrating it is when your 50 cent Twix bar gets stuck in the machine and won't come out? How pissed would you be if your $20 DVD got stuck! And you think people shake those machines to try and get an extra soda... imagine what they'll do when that CD that they want is teetering soooo close to the edge... :)

[Sugar Daddy]

The concept is great, however, I'd have to agree with Russkafin. Also, if I want a DVD, I buy it at a place where I can return it if its defective.

[trenchcoatgiant]

What would you be paying for these things with? What if the vending machine ate your credit card? Would you really be satisfied if you had to wait for the stupid machine to plunk down $20 in coins if you changed your mind about a purchase?

[Calhoun07]

My luck the DVD would fall down the chute and the disc would become disloged from the cradle, shake around in the case, get scratched up, and I would have a defective DVD on my hands.

But theaters selling soundtracks...that's not too bad of an idea...

[Patrick McCart]

This actually a pretty good idea.

Actually, if the disc is packaged in a Snapper, the disc will stay put. Flimsy case to some, but the disc won't go anywhere.

I'd like to see "DVD-Vend" machines with at least 10 titles per machine.

There are tape rental vending machines that store around 500 tapes. Each has a bar code and all you have to do is type in a title you want and it gets it via a conveyor belt and a grabber that picks up your tape.

Really efficent and you don't have to look around all over.

[Chibi Kageboshi]

does this mean no TAX? :)

[trenchcoatgiant]

I still wouldn't put any item backed by a quantity of gold(that's "any form of currency" for those of you who failed Economics 1A) into one of those things. The first time someone loses a credit card to one of those things... It'd be Hell...

[Naraht]

I'm surprised they don't have these in Japan already? Heck you can buy anything from a machine in Japan..