Film Transfer Services

Yes! The average film is now about 50-60 years old. Film only lasts about 50 to 70 years. Film shrinks both vertical and horizontally over time. So, after 50 to 60 years the distance between the sprocket holes is about 1 mm less. When you run the film through a projector the projector will cut into the sprocket hole because they are too close. Typically as that is happening the film will get hung up and damaged in the gate. So, today, you should not try to watch your films with a projector, nor should you have them transferred by any machine that uses the sprocket holes to move the film through. Make sure your film is scanned on a professional sprocket-less scanner to avoid damage to the film.

Most customers are unaware that when we went from 8mm and Super 8 film to VHS that we lost about 75% of the quality of our home movies. Yes, you heard me, 75%! 8mm and Super 8 film have around HD (1080) lines of resolution. VHS has 240 lines. So, when people converted their 8mm or Super 8 film to VHS they lost about 75% of the quality. One reason you may not of noticed was that your TV was only 240 to 300 lines itself. So, you wouldn’t of been able to see the additional quality except by playing the film through a projector. Now that we have HDTVs and Ultra HDTVs the VHS transfer from your film would look like you did it in your garage with a projector playing the film and a VHS camcorder recording it. In fact, this was the basic technology of the day. There are still companies today converting your 8mm and Super 8 film using a modified projector and camcorder. Walmart, Costco and Walgreens all use a third party company that uses a modified projector and camcorder system. You only get 25% of the details from your film.

 

To truly archive your 8mm film you need to scan one level above the resolution. This is the generally accepted practice for film archiving. So, for 8mm and Super 8 film this means scanning your Super 8 film at 2K resolution. Even though this is the generally accepted practice we have always done our own research and in many cases developed our own leading edge technology. We have done many Pro HD vs Pro 2K comparisons. In all but one case it was clear that the Pro 2K process delivers video that was about 25-30% sharper and more detailed. On today’s HDTVs that is a noticeable difference.

One frequently asked question we get asked is, “how should I store my film?”. According to the national film preservation foundation, the 8mm and Super 8 film should be kept in a dry cool place. Film stored in a closet of an air conditioned home (which averages about 65°F and 50% humidity) will last about 50 years. Reducing the temperature by just 15° will extend the life of the film to around 150 years! That’s amazing. Because of this we recommend storing your film in your refrigerator. The Home Film Preservation Guide will show you the steps you need to follow in order to safely store your film in a refrigerator.

The second most frequently asked question we get asked is, “How can I create a digital master from my 8mm or super 8 film and ensure it’s safe keeping for decades to come?”. The first part is the hardest. Creating a digital master as good as the 8mm or Super 8 film requires scanning one level above the film’s resolution. In general, 8mm and Super 8 film are around 900 to 1200 lines. So, we recommend a 2K scan (1556 lines) to ensure you get all the details. Our studies also indicate that scanning 8mm at 2K is required to truly archive the film. We’ve done several side by side comparisons between HD and 2K and 95% of the time the 2K scans look noticeable more detailed and sharper. After you have a good digital master you need to make sure it will be around for decades to come. Using today’s technology that means you need the files on 2 separate drives at 2 separate locations. Those drives should not be hooked up to a computer or running. They should only be plugged in and used to check the files about every 6 months. If one fails immediate use a new drive to copy the files to. Even if the drives don’t fail they should be replaced about every 5 years. As Solid State Drives (SSD) come down we recommend moving the files to 1 or 2 SSDs for better long term storage. SSDs have no moving parts and will last longer then a traditional 5400/7200 rpm rotating drive.