In the promotion by Atlantic Records, retailers in the southern United States will offer a free sample DVD to buyers of a CD by Nappy Roots, a hip-hop group. Once the packaging is opened, the disc will work for only eight hours before being made unreadable by a dye sandwiched between the DVD's layers that interacts with air, leaving it opaque.

The limited-use technology was developed by a New York company, Flexplay. With a maximum life span of 60 hours, such optical media has been a solution in search of a problem. Originally envisioned as a way to protect software, the technology was then offered to movie studios and other users concerned about piracy. This year, such discs were given to the press at the MTV Video Music Awards Latin America in Miami and to promote the James Bond movie "Die Another Day."

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