Real-Time

Today, over 95% of the film transfer companies use a real-time transfer process. A real-time process means the film is captured at the same speed you would normally run it if using a projector. In fact, most real-time transfers use a projector or a modified projector with a camcorder. You could even setup a crude real-time transfer system at home using your projector and a camcorder. If the company doesn't mention that each frame is captured or scanned one by one, then they are using a real-time transfer. It doesn't matter which camera they use or even if it is a high definition camera. A real-time transfer is a real-time transfer and it yields video quality like a real-time transfer. Because of the transfer speed and nature of a real-time capture, the resulting video frames are usually slightly blurry and the colors are faded and washed out compared to the film. In general, any type of real-time film transfer will result in video that is 30-50% worse than the film’s current condition.

Software Frame By Frame

In a Software Frame by Frame process, the video is captured in real-time and then the original film frames are extracted from the video. The real-time capture produces some interlaced frames that are a combination of 2 film frames merged together. The software takes out the interlaced frames so that you are only left with the original film frames. This process will result in video that is slightly better than a real-time process because it does not have the interlaced or mixed frames. Because the capture is real-time, the resulting video from a software frame by frame process will be 30-50% worse than the film's current condition.

Hardware Frame By Frame

In a hardware frame by frame process, the film is significantly slowed down so that each frame can be captured like a separate digital picture. If a company can't deliver one video frame for each film frame then they aren't using a true hardware frame by frame system. As you can imagine, capturing each frame separately takes much longer and requires high-end equipment. This is why there are only a few companies offering a hardware frame by frame process. A hardware frame by frame process will result in video that is 30-50% better than a similarly configured real-time or software frame by frame process.

Example Pictures
 

Film Transfer Types
	Software Frame by Frame (Bronze) The video from the Bronze process will be 30-50% less quality than the film. This is true of any real-time or software frame by frame transfer system. Our Bronze process is all digital. Some analog transfers can be 60-70% less quality than the film. The Bronze process does not include any restoration.
	Hardware Frame By Frame (Silver)   A hardware frame by frame process will result in video that is 30-50% better than a similarly configured real-time or software frame by frame process. The results are noticeably better than the Bronze process. The picture is sharper and has less grain. The Silver process captures the full frame but does not include any restoration.
	Hardware Frame By Frame with Restoration (Gold) Our Gold process will result in video that generally looks better than the film because of the restoration (color correction, exposure correction and removal of the majority of grain and scratches).
	High Definition Hardware Frame By Frame with Restoration (Platinum HD) The high definition hardware frame by frame scan picks up all the details from the film. You can see the imagine looks more 3-D, is sharper, has less grain and the colors are better than the Gold process (look at the detail in the face, hair line and hands). Also, if you look at the facial tones, you can see that the color correction is slightly better than the Gold.

*Quality of restoration is dependent upon condition of existing film stock; severely deteriorated original materials may be beyond the reach of even the most sophisticated restoration methods. Click here for more information. Refunds are only given if a competitor can obtain better quality (defined by clarity, color, graininess and scratches) for a similar price (within 10% of ours). Under these fair terms, we've never had to give a refund.