Film Conversion to Digital File

Film transfer

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 We are one of the few companies in New Zealand that offer professional frame by frame film scanning at 2K resolution (2048 x 1580) or HD (1920 x 1080) for Regular 8, Super 8, 9.5 and 16mm Film with or without audio

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Customer testimonials

“A big thank you to both of you for your expertise and speed. We haven’t had time to view all of the DVD’s but the one from 8mm film is better than we ever expected and I’m sure the others will be just as good. Brings back lots of memories”

I took about twenty three minute rolls of film on my super eight camera back in the early eighties. About every five years I would drag out my projector and look at them but it decided to stop working last year. Fortunately, technology had move on in the interim and I was able to get them scanned onto DVD and a hard drive by the good folks at DVD Conversions who did a pretty professional job of it. It’s great to be able to see them again, and especially to be able to access individual frames on my computer. Who knows what might result..? – Graham Kirk – New Plymouth

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Film Conversion and Transfer:

Film conversion and transfer is a specialist area and one that we pride ourselves on. Our professional 2K high-definition frame by frame film scanning system takes film conversion to another level.

The results speak for themselves.  Various television production companies and broadcasters have used our film transfer service for broadcast on national television. In addition, we’ve completed film transfers for a number of public and private institutions, museums and galleries as well as domestic customers.

Not all film scanners are created equal. So what is 2K and what’s the big deal? A 2K scanner has a native resolution higher than HD and can cope with a much wider light source range, meaning the end result is crisper and cleaner than a regular film scanner. Once we’ve scanned the film at 2K we then render a HD version for playback. If you would prefer your film to be supplied at 2K resolution just let us know, by default we render HD (1920 x 1080P).

Our professional full high definition frame by frame film scanner can convert the following film formats

• Regular 8mm Film (also referred to as normal 8 film)
• Super 8 Film with or without sound (surcharge for sound)
• 9.5mm Film – Pathescope
• 16mm Film with or without sound (surcharge for sound)

We’ve kept our pricing simple, we do not charge any

• Minimum fees
• Setup fees
• Repair fees (except for new leaders – if required)
• Splicing fees

Under or over exposed sections are removed and not charged for.  We only charge for film that is viewable.

So what will it cost?

We charge $ 7.00 per minute of view-able film. That’s it! A surcharge applies film with a soundtrack.

We add the minute count from all reels in a batch and multiply by $7.00.

For example: 7 x 3.5 minute reels = 24m30s (25 x $7.00 = $175.00)

Approximate costs per reel depending on format S8/R8 and frame rate 18fps/16fps (assuming each reel is full, partially filled reels will be shorter and cheaper)

• 75mm / 3 inch reel diameter = 50ft = 3 minutes = $ 24.50 to $ 28.00
• 125mm / 5 inch reel diameter = 200ft = 12 minutes = $ 75.00 to $ 95.00
• 175mm / 7 inch reel diameter = 400ft = 24 minutes = $150.00 to $ 190.00

A sound recovery surcharge may apply in some cases. The reason for this is that we have to run the film twice. Once through the scanner and a second time through a sound capture system. The two files then have to be edited together to produce the finished video clip. We will advise if the film has a sound track. Most 8mm and Super 8 film is silent. Film with sound can be identified by a brown coloured strip stuck to one or both edges of the film.

Approximate film run times – reel size in feet feet along X axis vs minutes in blue dots.

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Film Cleaning

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Film types

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Scanner Technical information:

The film scanning system uses two direct drive motors and does not use sprockets or claws to move the film. The sprocket holes along the edge of the film trigger optical sensors which in turn trigger the frame capture software. Film with slightly damaged sprocket holes can be transferred. A cold LED light source ensures there is no risk of burn through.

Software Technical information:

The software captures a series of images. Once captured, images are reassembled in sequential order as a video file at the correct frame rate. Generally, 8mm film was filmed at 16 or 18 frames per second (fps). Some Super 8 cameras featured 24fps frame rates. The strobing effect common with the telecine transfer method is totally eliminated by having the correct frame rate. Film’s aspect ratio is 4:3, the software masks the edges of the film, so it displays correctly on widescreen 16:9 displays. Post capture we use AVID Media Composer software to edit and colour correct if required.

Finished Product:

The finished product can be supplied in any of the following formats

• 2K mov files or image sequence (JPEG, PNG or Tiff) 4:3 as scanned – no post scanning work.
• High Definition (1920 x 1080p) 16:9 QuickTime (original files pre processing, unedited).
• Edited and colour corrected HD Files, 16:9
• Compressed MP4 / WMV / MOV, 16:9 or 4:3
• Custom files – contact us for more information.

External USB Storage

You are welcome to supply your own USB storage device. In this case it should have sufficient space and be formatted as NTFS, exFAT or MAC. Alternately we can supply a suitable external hard drive for you.

We do not charge setup fees, film splicing or repair fees, you only pay for view-able film. Under and over exposed, total white or black screen sections are excluded and not charged for.

There are no other fees except in the case of missing or damaged film leaders that require replacement, in this case we only charge for the leader.

Approximate 8mm film conversion cost:

Approximate 16mm film conversion cost:

All prices in NZ$ and include GST

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Film Repair and Splicing

Replacement film leaders cost $2.50 per 500mm leader. Intact leaders are required to capture as much as possible from each reel. Leaders also protect the film during the threading process. If leaders are required we will advise accordingly.

Watch this short video on how we replace leaders and splice film

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Vinegar syndrome – Acetate Leach

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 Film Supplies:

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Samples of film we’ve scanned

Below are sample videos taken from film scanned on our 2K / HD scanner. This is a mix of 8mm, Super 8 and 16mm film with audio. The film samples are a mix of fair to good quality films. The better the film, the better the result. There has been minimal image processing on the samples. Depending on the age and condition of the film you can be assured of outstanding results. Scroll to the bottom of this page for image samples.

Consider subscribing to our YouTube channel – historically significant film and other items of interest YouTube

9th World Scout Jamboree – filmed on 16mm film, scanned at 2K, rendered HD1080P

1959 Ngamiland Expedition – 16mm film

Elmo 8mm test film with sound, sound captured separately and added in post production.

This is a sample of 16mm B/W film scanned on our Full HD scanner, this film shot in the 1940’s

Follow this link to see other samples of film scanned on our HD frame scanner

Sample Images:

Sample Images from Super 8 Film. The images have not been processed; they are as scanned.

16mm Film with audio

The same frame with and without the audio track. Our audio rendering software decodes the audio track and re-creates the soundtrack as an audio file. The audio and video clip are then merged in post production.

35mm slides, negatives and photo prints

Online Museum:

For interest’s sake why not pay a visit to our online museum here, we would love to hear from you if you would like to contribute to our collection. We also accept old film, contact us before sending it to the landfill.