CVS intros one-time-use camcorder

Drug Store News, June 6, 2005

Kicking off the unofficial start of summer, CVS introduced on Memorial Day weekend the world's first one-time-use digital video camera. Through its partnership with Pure Digital, CVS is the first retailer to bring disposable digital camcorders to market, with a format simple enough for even first-time videographers to use. Available now in 1,400 CVS locations, the retailer will roll out its CVS Digital One-Time-Use Video Camcorder, with its $29.99 price tag, to all of its 4,500-plus stores by July 15.

The one-time-use camcorder features just four buttons--on/off, record, playback, and delete--and allows consumers to capture up to 20 minutes of video and sound in as many separate segments or clips as desired. Its 1.4-inch full-color playback screen then lets consumers instantly view their home videos, deleting unwanted segments with the press of a button. When consumers are finished shooting, they simply re turn the disposable camcorder to a CVS store, much the same way they would a one-time-use camera, and for a processing fee of $12.99 get back their home video on DVD that day.

"The introduction of the disposable film camera significantly grew the photography industry by making photography accessible and affordable to anyone," said Mike Wolf, director of digital photography trends at InfoTrends/CAP Ventures. "The one-time-use camera category has grown to 218 million units annually, and we expect it to account for 38 percent of total U.S. film volume in 2005. A simple and affordable one-time-use digital camcorder could spur growth in the digital video market in a similar way."