8mm film transfer, Super 8 film transfer to DVD or USB Flash Drive

 

  8mm film transfer to dvd


8MM FILM TRANSFER

Digital Express of Aurora, Colorado provides the transfer of your 8mm and Super 8 movie films to DVD. Your 8mm film is transferred professionally frame by frame. We create a DVD movie of your films with a main title screen, film reel selection menu and a background music track.  You can watch the DVD on your Standard TV, HDTV or COMPUTER.  For those of you that want to archive your 8mm film footage, we also offer the transfer of 8mm and Super 8 film to a digital video file. Those files include the (AVI, MOV or MP4) DV video for the PC, MAC or TV.  We can also save your digital files to a USB Flash Drive, External Hard Drive or send them to our Dropbox for you to download online.

 


FILM TRANSFER

dvd photo show

dvd slide show

vhs to dvd

lp to cd

dvd/cd duplication

 

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TESTIMONIALS

 

How good are your 8mm film transfers?

Our Progressive Film Scan techniques deliver outstanding image quality. But don't take our word for it - check it out for yourself! See our sample movies.


What brand of media do you use for producing a DVD?

Professional grade printable Datalifeplus Verbatim DVD-R media - with exclusive Metal Azo recording dye & superior archival stability, you can be sure it will last a lifetime. Expected longevity of dye-based DVD-R dye formulations (such as Azo) are more stable and last longer, 100 years or more. Also use PNY and Verbatim USB 3.0 Flash Drives normally formatted with ExFat compatible to PC and MAC computers.


How many 8mm film reels of regular or super 8mm film will fit on a DVD?

Approx. 1000 feet. 20 - three inch reels, or 5 - five inch reels, or  2 1/2 - seven inch reels. Approx.1 hour of HQ (highest quality) video. Double the amount of reels for up to 2 hours of standard grade video.


Do you transfer the 8mm film off of a screen?

No! - The 8mm film is captured by our broadcast quality Canon XL2 camera system directly off the emulsion side of the film, frame by frame, through a combination of optical lens to our computer based editing system as a digital video uncompressed avi file. It is from these video files that we build your DVD movie.


Can I try you out before I order?

Absolutely! Send us a 3 inch (50 ft.) reel of 8mm film or super 8 film to transfer and we will send you a link to watch or download your video. Pay only for the return shipping & handling of your materials. When you send us the rest of your 8mm film and/or super 8 film we will include the test film transfer  footage free of charge. 


Do you copy guard the DVD disc?

No, you can make as many copies as you like. Of course, we can copy them for you professionally using high-resolution text, graphics and photos printed directly on the disc and case jacket.


Not sure about what Television format to have your 8mm film transfer produced on?

We default all of our 8mm film transfers to Standard Fullscreen 4:3 format.

Television formats explained?


A lot of people new to the world of HDTV sometimes have a difficult time knowing what format they are watching. Truth is the picture size can vary all over the map depending on many factors all along the way from the source to your TV set to your computer flat screen monitor. Some of you have asked if you can have your transfer done in HDTV 16:9 format. The answer is Yes, but read on.

If you have your 8mm film transfer produced in 4:3 standard fullscreen video format and watch the video on a 16:9 HDTV the video may be stretched horizontally to fit the screen. To prevent this distortion most HDTV's will put black pillar boxes on the left and right of the 4:3 picture to fill out the width of the 16:9 frame to preserve the original 4:3 format. Some HDTVs allow you to choose the aspect ratio settings manually.

If you have your 8mm film transfer produced in 16:9 widescreen video format and watch the video on a 16:9 HDTV, it will fit the entire screen** and the video will look normal. 

**To scan your 8mm film or super 8mm films in widescreen format, each film frame gets cropped by the camera during the scan in process. Some of the picture area from the upper and lower (horizontally) area of the picture are lost due to the physical size (aspect ratio)difference between 8mm film, super 8mm film and the 16:9 widescreen picture format.
It is for this reason that we do not recommend transferring your 8mm film or super 8 film to widescreen format.


Option's & Add-ins

Photos, Digital Pictures, 35mm Slides or Negatives - These are great times to have those old photographs, 35mm slides & negatives, or even those newer digital pictures added in, for an additional $0.50 each. A plus for added content to your video production. Normal hold time during a show for still pictures is 5 to 8 seconds, depending on the length of the music and the content of the picture.

Custom Music - The addition of background music added to your silent 8mm film or super 8 film transfer to dvd brings the real experience to your DVD production. If you choose to use your own custom music we can use your CD’s, audio cassettes, or vinyl records. A flat rate of $20 will cover up to 60 minutes of your music added to your production. If you do not have the music that you would like to use for your 8mm film transfer, we will provide you with royalty-free background music at no charge.

Video Editing - Requests to 'take-out or add-in' specific 8mm film reels or super 8 film reels after the DVD has been produced, printed, and cased will incur additional video editing fees. Normal editing, such as computer enhancement for color correction, over or under exposure of film brightness and contrast levels, removal of any clear or black footage is made without additional fees. But, once the 8mm or super 8 film transfer to DVD has been completed, requests to re-master an additional DVD of different 8mm or super 8 film reels from the same film collection is considered as video editing. Our rate for video editing is $5 per edit request and a re-mastered fee of $25


8mm Movie Film 'Express Video'

 Once we have scanned your 8mm film or super 8 film to a digital video file it can be converted to a digital movie file (.wmv Windows Media Video, or other digital formats) for viewing or downloading over the internet. A flat rate of $12.50 will cover one (1) 50 ft. reel of 8mm film or super 8mm film approx. 3.5 minutes in length. If you have larger reels of 8mm or super 8 film  you can simply multiply your total footage by $0.25 cents per foot to get a total cost for these digital movies. These express  video's have a smaller dimension than the fullscreen size. The average file size of the video is around 7MB per 50 ft. of film. If you want to send in a bunch of films to determine which 8mm or super 8 films you want transferred to DVD, or to determine how you want them titled for the DVD production or just want them like they are. We will put these Express Videos' up on our website, a special page for your eyes only for viewing or downloading.

 

Master 8mm film or Super 8mm film Microsoft DV AVI or QuickTime MOV files - after scanning the film, a digital video uncompressed DV AVI or QuickTime MOV file is created for post production of the DVD video. For those of you that want to do your own video editing and are interested in purchasing these video files, the video resolution is 720x480. They are saved to Microsoft DV AVI or QuickTime MOV file using the NTSC Standard DV codec. The file sizes are approx. 800MB per 50 ft. film reel. The files can be saved to a USB Flash Drive or HDD. File size can vary if film requires extensive video correction. Your hard drive or Flash Drive must be clean without files, USB 3.0 or 2.0 compliant and formatted NTFS for Windows or exFAT for MAC. We will format the drive with exFat for MAC.


Phone: Cell:(720) 224-0971

Office: (720) 544-7000
Email:
dxpro@icloud.com


Silent 8mm film and Super 8 film transfer

3 in.
50 ft.
reel

5 in.
200 ft.
reel

6 in.
300 ft.
reel

7 in.
400 ft.
reel

Price*

$12.50

$50

$75

$100

 

       

USPS Priority Mail S&H (Normal Price)

 

 

$10

 

*Films must be developed and on film reels. If your 8mm film reels are not full you will only be charged for the actual amount of film on each reel. For super 8 film that has a sound track on the film there is an additional fee of $0.15 per foot to transfer the sound track. This is due to the double process we must use to capture the film frame by frame, then run the film through a second projection system to capture just the sound track and synchronize with the video track.

A DVD or Digital File Encoding fee of $20.00 will be added to any film transfer with less than 400 feet of film.
 

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What do I get with my 8mm film transfer or super 8 film transfer?

Pre-Production

* 8mm Film is cleaned and lubricated to remove any dirt or ground-in particles.
* 8mm Film splices are repaired if required allowing for less stress to the film during transfer.
* 8mm Film leader spliced on film if required.
* True frame by frame progressive image scanning of your 8mm film at 525 lines, 60 fields NTSC at the highest standard definition DVD resolution of 720 x 486 pixels.


Video Editing

*
Because 8mm film from the past were shot at a variety of speeds, we must set the speed of the video to 29.97 fps for use in the NTSC television standard. With the total frame discretion that comes from TRUE, frame-by-frame scanning, accurate playback rates are determined and applied to the video. A 50 ft. reel of Super 8 or 8mm film will have a playback rate between 3 to 4.5 minutes depending on what frame rate was used when filmed. Normally 16 fps for Regular 8mm film, 18 fps for Super 8 film and 24 fps for commercial production film with a shorter playback rate.
* Removal of any clear or black 8mm film footage from the video file only, not the actual 8mm film stock.
* Video is then computer enhanced for color correction, over-exposure or under-exposure with contrast & brightness correction. At this point your master 8mm film digital video file is of better quality than the original 8mm film you sent in for transfer. For those of you that are interested in doing your own 8mm or super 8 video editing, these digital video files are the avi, mov, or MP4 files that are available for purchase on DVD data disc, USB Flash Drive, or hard drive. See the information at the bottom of this page for further details.
* Subtitles are created for each film reel video.


Audio editing
* A royalty-free background music track is provided to fit your video at no additional charge.
* If you want to add your own custom music for the background music track and have the audio CD, add an additional $20 for the synchronizing and edit of your CD to match the length of the films. If you have an audio cassette tape, reel to reel audio tape or even a vinyl record that you would like to use for the background music track there will be an additional transfer fee for processing the music to a digital state prior to the sync and edit fee, (see our audio transfer page for more details).
Send them along with your films and let us know which songs to use. The custom audio fee is based on a per DVD basis.


Final-Production (creation of the DVD or Digital Video for USB Flash Drive)

* Main Title and Menu created.
* Chapter placement and Chapter Menu created.
* Authoring of the Movie, Menus, and Music to 4.7 GB single layer professional grade media, a Verbatim (DataLifePlus) DVD-R DVD disc playable on the vast majority of NTSC DVD and Blu-ray set-top players in use today.
* Custom designed Photo Quality High Resolution DVD disc label is created and printed directly on the DVD disc.
* The finished disc is put in a Amaray DVD Case. The case is made of a soft, dark gray, plastic with a transparent outer jacket, behind the jacket is our custom designed and printed Photo Quality High Resolution DVD case label.

* Also available on USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1,and 3.2 Flash Drives. Price depends non file size and preference of flash drive.

Your finished product is packaged with your original materials and shipped to you using the United States Postal Service, Priority Mail with USPS Tracking. Allow 2 to 3 business days for delivery.


Shipping your film/s to us: We recommend using a shipping service such as the U.S. Postal Service Priority or Express, Mail with USPS Tracking. Shipments normally arrive within 2 to 3 business days.

Choose a Title for your super 8 or 8mm film transfer - such as "Our Family's 8mm Films 1952". This title will be displayed on the TV main menu screen when the DVD starts, and also be printed on the front cover of the DVD disc and case.

If you want your 8mm films to be played and titled in a specific order, number each film box or film reel with the correct order and fill-out and print the Reel Order Sheet. (pdf) form with the correct titles and mail this sheet along with your films or any other special instructions.

Digital Express
22074 E Briarwood Dr Unit 737
Aurora, CO 80016-6047

Please call or email us before you ship your films. If you have any questions regarding an 8mm film transfer or a super 8 film transfer, please email us at: dxpro@me.com
or call us at: Cell: (720) 224-0971 or Office: (720) 544-7000


Payment Methods:

Once we receive your 8mm film we will review your order and verify all materials have arrived. You will receive an email confirming your order was received. Allow 5 -7 business working days for completion. Once your order is complete you will receive an email from us with a link to our payment processing center requesting payment. You can pay us using all four major credit cards, your bank account, PayPal, or Venmo account. If you are sending a personal or business check your order will not ship until your check has been processed and cleared at our financial institution. Electronic forms of payment normally take a few minutes for processing but 5 to 6 business days for personal or business checks.
 

What about your guarantee?

We guarantee our product to be free of any defects and offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If for any reason you are not satisfied then we are not satisfied. You may return the original DVD and have any problems corrected. We will send you a new DVD replacement with the corrections free of charge. Not one of our 8mm film or Super 8 film transfers have ever been returned to us for customer dissatisfaction over the last 18 years.

The condition of your 8mm or super 8 film relies on the quality of the transfer. The better the film material, the better the transfer. We have seen a lot of films from the 1950's that were very good for transfer. If the films you send us are severely damaged beyond transfer we will notify you prior to any work being performed to discuss your options.
 


A few of our completed transfer to DVD samples

super 8 film transfer to dvd 8mm film transfer to dvd
super 8 film transfer to dvd video tape transfer to dvd

35mm slide transfer to dvd

Custom designed just for you!

DVD Amaray Case is printed in color using high-resolution text, and photo quality graphics.

DVD Disc is printed directly on the disc surface in color using high-resolution text, and photo quality graphics.


8MM FILM & SUPER 8 FILM TRANSFER FACTS

Film Footage (length in feet) 50 100 200 300 400
Reel Size (in inches) outside diameter of reel 3 4 5 6 7
Regular 8mm Film Runtime * 3.25 min. 6.5 min. 13 min. 19.5 min. 26 min.
Super 8 Film Runtime * 3 min. 6 min. 12 min. 18 min. 24 min.
Number of 8mm Film Reels that will fit on a HQ 1 hour DVD 20 10 5 3+ 2+
Number of 8mm Film Reels that will fit on a HQ 2 hour DVD (Max.) 40 20 10 6+ 5
* Because regular 8mm and super 8 film from the past were shot at a variety of speeds, we must determine the speed of the video and correct the frame rate to 29.97 fps for use in the NTSC television standard. The actual playback rates will be determined on our computer based editing system after the 8mm film or super 8 film has been transferred and will vary slightly.
 

8mm film to DVDOur method of preserving 8mm & super 8 movie film. At Digital Express we provide TRUE frame-by-frame, advanced 3CCD progressive scan imaging of both regular 8mm and super 8 film to NTSC DVD  video delivering stunning picture quality, highly accurate color reproduction, and a 100 % flicker free transfer. Transferring frame-by-frame ensures 100% frame accuracy for correct playback speed and the sharpest picture quality. We scan both 8mm film and super 8 film images off the emulsion side of the film through an enlarged film gate which allows us access to 100% of the film frame in 4:3 standard format. We can also transfer your 8mm film or super 8 film in widescreen 16:9 format, but some of the picture will be cropped above and below the film frame due to the physical size difference of 8mm film and the widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. The sample movie above will give you an indication of what a super 8 film transfer to DVD video would look like in widescreen format. Both 8mm film and super 8 film is scanned at a moderate speed of 6 to 8 frames per second using a sprocketless drive system that protects your films from the potential damage typically found on other sprocket driven projectors and transfer devices. The light source used to scan the 8mm and super 8 film is a low wattage white diffused bulb; no hot spots or chance of ever burning the film. The 8mm film is then digitized using a NTSC broadcast quality Canon XL2 camera system with a separate progressive 1/3" scan CCD for each primary color (red, green and blue). Each CCD contains 680,000 pixels and together they deliver an unsurpassed image quality transfer you would only expect to find on a professional Rank Transfer.

8mm and super 8 film transfer details
 

8mm film reel8mm Film - is a motion picture film format in which the filmstrip is eight millimeters wide. It exists in two main versions: the original standard 8mm film, also known as regular 8mm or double 8mm, and Super 8. This is a photograph of a 3 inch reel of 8mm film that contains 50 feet of developed film. The actual playback time of this film on a 8mm film projector would be close to 3 minutes & 20 seconds if the original recording was shot at 18 fps (frames per second) and approximately 4 minutes if shot at 16 fps.
Standard 8mm film - The film spools actually contained 25 feet of 16mm film with twice as many perforations along each edge. When the film reached its end in the take-up spool, the camera was opened and the spool in the camera was flipped over and the film was exposed along the other side of the film. After processing, the film was split down the middle, and spliced together to give one 50 foot roll of 8mm wide film. Because the spool was reversed after filming on one side to allow filming on the other side the format was sometimes called Double 8. Normally Double8 was filmed at 16 frames per second.

Common length 8mm film spools allowed filming of about 3 minutes to 4.5 minutes at 12, 15, 16, and 18 frames per second. The standard 8mm format was quickly displaced by the Super 8mm film format which offered cartridge loading, and a 50% larger frame size.

Super 8mm film - simply called Super 8, is a motion picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement of the older 8mm home movie format. The film is 8mm wide, exactly the same as the older standard 8mm film and also has perforations on only one side, but the dimensions of the perforations are reduced, allowing the exposed area to be increased in size. It featured a better quality image, and was easier to use mainly due to a cartridge-loading system which did not require re-loading halfway through. Super 8 film came in plastic light-proof cartridges containing coaxial supply and take-up spools loaded with 50 feet of 8mm film. This was enough 8mm film for 2.5 minutes at the U.S. motion picture professional standard of 24 frames per second, and for 3 minutes and 20 seconds of continuous filming at 18 frames per second for home filmmakers use, for a total of approximately 3600 frames per film cartridge.
 

super 8 film undevelopedThis is a photograph of a super 8 film cartridge that has not been photo processed (developed). This film was never processed by a photo developing company and finding a company to process these films today is near extinct . We are not a film processing business and do not develop super 8 films.

double 8mm film undevelopedThis is a photo of double 8mm film that has not been developed. We do not develop 8mm film. The small cans are about the size of a one dollar coin piece.

We DO NOT transfer or convert any copyrighted materials to a digital format unless you own the copyright or have permission to transfer the copyrighted materials. We DO NOT under any circumstances transfer any pornographic materials!

Supported 8mm movie film transfer formats: Cine-Kodak Kodachrome, Ektachrome motion picture film, silent or sound super 8 film, Standard 8mm film, double 8mm film, Super-X film, Kodak Projection Cartridge C Reels, 3M Dynachrome 40 8mm movie film, Univex Standard or U.P.Ultrapan S.S. 30 foot reel 8mm motion picture film. If the super 8 movie film sound track is defective, we can still transfer the film and insert a background music track. Please call if you have any questions or special circumstances that we may be able to help you with.


Additional copies can be ordered on DVD. Please see our Duplication page for pricing.

8mm Movie Film Single Frame Capture - Need a special picture from your 8mm or super 8 film transfer?  We will capture a single film frame and save it to a tiff digital format so you can view, edit, print, and archive on your personal computer. Pictures will be included on your DVD and can be accessed by a personal computer DVD-Rom.


     


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