Single-play DVDs will never work, at least not for the rental market. Not only because they require new players, and of course the first thing I will do is get a new DVD player so that I can watch the new rentals only once. But because they don’t interact well with how people watch movies. I often fall asleep while watching a movie, how would I see the ending? How about that phone call, or little emergency right in the middle of the movie? Or when I don’t have 2 hours to watch the entire movie, but I’m willing to see 30 minutes now and the rest later?

People rent because it’s more flexible than going to the movies. Taking away from people the flexibility of renting without giving them any of the advantages of movie theaters is not going to fly.