Drugstore begins selling disposable camcorder:
"CVS on Monday began selling a disposable digital camcorder which the No. 2 U.S. drugstore chain hopes will boost its photo lab business and be as popular as the single-use film and digital cameras."

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1040_22-5734593.html

A video snap-shooter's box: a rather remarkable technical achievement.

But I bemoan the environmental irresponsibility of business models, such as this, that MBA-think has delivered to us in the past decades. I cringe to consider the impact of just the disposed batteries for these things.

I seriously can't believe it... Who would be

1. Paying for this?
2. able to put down his - however small it may be - environmental consciousness :)

How do they accomplish the price of 29$ including a color "display" to show the video? The cam would have to be reusable, hence "rented"...

I don't know.. it seems strange.

Oh well, our world will one day have to clear the spot for the interstellar highway anyways... cu on Mars! Matthias

Are any pictures of this device available yet?

Thanks,
rj

Enough about the ethics, how does it perform!? =D

is it 16:9 and 24p?

if you will notice, you have to return the camera, and it is then recycled. Not as much of an environmental problem, but, like M. Zimmerman said, it is almost rented.

It will be interesting if (when) the hack for this is created that allows users to pull the video from the camera without having to return it or pay the processing fee.

30 bucks for the cam, 12.99 processing fee: strip the memory card and burn to dvd for 20 minutes of not worth the time to edit video. If you're heading up to the lodge for the weekend and need a one hour documentary of the trip, the total price would be 130 bucks.

Renting and old XL1 would be cheaper and the lodge lizards might think you're Scorcese ...

I actually hacked this camcorder- connected it to my USB port to download the video- my computer sees it as an external device but seems like a driver is missing....

Environmentally conscious? Environment enshmironment. Gimme a break. Anyway, people will pay money for anything. Why not a disposable video camera? Maybe a competing drug store should buy them all and toss them out.

Seems to me like a good way to get crazy shots that you'd be affraid to do with your expensive camera such as underwater, throwing it off a building, etc.

Yeah, don't worry about the environmental impact here... there is no way that it would make economic sense for them to throw anything away... just like the returnable film cameras, they will send everything right back out with a recharged battery.

Interesting model... will have to see where it goes.

I agree, though, the hack for this is right around the corner and they you'll have a $30 DV cam. I can't even count the number of returnable film cameras that I took apart and cannibalized. Fun fun.

"What does a football see?"

Sounds great to me.

-Steve

I would'nt get your hopes up on the image quality, its one of those cheapo solid state camera/digital still/webcam/mp3 player type gadget,


similar in vain to these (i assume)

http://www.firebox.com/index.html?dir=firebox&action=product&pid=1086

I really dont think that this idea will get off the ground.

this may sound stupid but to get it to connect to the usb what wires do i need and what part do i open. i just dont want to go taking it apart only to find i cant put it back together .

thanks

Is it 720 x 480 @29.97 fps? Or is it like a webcam? Because any of us can use one of those for a short trip or to have in your car for any situation (perhaps, scouting!)

-EDWIN

I would assume if their burning the content to DVD it would at least be watchable on a TV, unless of course.... they're retarted.

I think it's a great idea but I also think they are going to lose their asses on this project! These cameras had better be reeeallly tough. I'm talking dropped from 3-4 ft and left in hot cars tough. I think we all know how typical consumers can treat electronics. I think these things are going to come back beat to hell and back. We'll see....

I think it's a great idea but I also think they are going to lose their asses on this project! These cameras had better be reeeallly tough. I'm talking dropped from 3-4 ft and left in hot cars tough. I think we all know how typical consumers can treat electronics. I think these things are going to come back beat to hell and back. We'll see....

Haha you are absolutely correct. I worked in a one our photo lab at a drug store before, and I can definately attest to the fact quite often I got disposable cameras back in such terrible conditions. Sometimes it looked like they ran over it with an airplane. Usually though the film would survive, and the only bad thing about it is I had to open the camera in the dark box (which usually lead to me being shocked by the enormous capacitor). I would really doubt they could make video ccds that durable though.

TechTV has a show called "Attack of the Show" which showcased this CVS camera and even how to hack it to make it reuseable. The image quality isn't too good- probably similar to what you find with low end still digicam videos.

Here's the page for the mods- I'm probably gonna pick one up just to hack it and give it to my daughter, she loves taking pictures and videos:

http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/features/52286/Modding_the_CVS_Camera_.html

I am not familiar with the terms of these disposable cameras, film or video. Is it actually yours when you initially buy it but you have to surrender it to get the store to process film or export video? In other words, are you actually renting it and if you don't return it, are you charged a higher purchase rate to cover the camera?



There's a demo of the video quality at the link in the post below. Once at the external page scroll to the bottom for the demo. It's a little better than video from a digital still camera.

www.dvinfo.net/conf/showpost.php?p=327032&postcount=15

There is a relativly new magazine calle "Make" that just covered adding USB cables and hacking the systems to turn one-time-use digital still cameras into multiple use cams.

My question is, what is the frame size, rate and format of the digital video these things make. Also, what is the total MB capacity of these things? Some folks on other boards are claiming 30fps, 640x480 footage lasting up to 50 minutes.

Sean