8mm, VHS, etc conversion to DVD

[wenrob]

Aw, well, sorry...no ideas then.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

If you don't find a professional company that you like and you can wait until January, my boys would be happy to handle it for you at $5/tape.

 

[Bstanley]

Any 'Digital8' camcorder should be able to read any format of 8mm tape, digitize it and send the data to a computer (if the computer has whatever type of interface that the camcorder has, Firewire or High-Speed USB).

Other than buying a player/camcorder - which might be cheaper than paying for professional conversion of a slew of tapes (a slew being 75 by my definition) - maybe a generous friend or coworker has one that you could borrow?

Or send the tapes to Barbieri, Inc.

 

[dburg30]

Bummer, here I was hoping this was going to be about 8mm film transfers..

 

[ShellsShirts]

I would contact the local professional camera shops in your area. I know that shops in IL (like Ritz Camera and Wolf Camera) do conversions. If they don't, they probably can steer you in the right direction.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Bummer, here I was hoping this was going to be about 8mm film transfers..

I did that for our whole family collection of 8mm and Super 8mm movies. It was a pain. At first, I experimented with video taping the output from the projector, but that never worked well. The problem is that the video camera recorded at a different frame rate, so everything flickered. I finally bought a telecine projector that allowed me to capture each frame individually and assemble those into a video file. I then used software that changed the frame rate of the video file. Finally, I converted everything to DVDs. It was far more work and more expense than just digitizing 8mm video tape.

I still have all the equipment. Even with the capital outlay on the projector, I saved thousands compared with having it done professionally. Since then, I've done a few reels for friends and neighbors, but there isn't much demand as few people have movies left.

I feel bad for the people that had movies converted to VHS. You lose a lot in that process and then you lose more when you convert VHS to a digital format. 8mm movies weren't exactly high def, but they were definitely better than VHS video quality.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Yes, I have a lot of tapes. Maybe half a slew? I need to count them! Doing something local would make me feel better then shipping them out.

I have a minidv camcorder now that could accept input from the old 8mm camcorder IF I could count on it working. It is hit or miss. I may try (but after Christmas). If not I will ask some local places.

But I also wonder if DVD is what I need to be saving these too. Some don't have a long life, only 5 years for some. I know I need something of good quality. I hate formats changing so often! AH!

 

[MarkBarbieri]

If you are willing to spend some time learning how to do it, I would recommend that you buy a Digital 8mm camcorder off of EBay and do it yourself.

You connect the Digital 8mm camcorder to your computer using a Firewire cable. You then get some free software like WinDV. The software will operate the camcorder and make a digital video file that is a copy of the video tape.

Once you have the video file, you'll want some other software that can convert it to a DVD. A decent DVD should last for decades or even a century. It's very likely that people will be able to watch a DVD a long time from now. The approximate physical format is pretty stable, having been used by CDs, DVDs, and now Blu ray discs. So far, almost all players are backwards compatible (DVD players can play CDs, Blu ray players can play DVDs and CDs).

 

[seashoreCM]

Whether it is 8mm analog videotapes or 8mm (or super 8) film or even copying VHS tapes, you will get better results if you can connect the equipment not using a single yellow ended video cable (composite or CVBS video format). The enxt step up, S-video, is much better in quality.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Thanks guys. I am saving this link to reread after Christmas.

Can anyone recommend good DVD discs to burn to?

I wish this would come down about $150 and I would snatch it up!
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Digital-...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1260473893&sr=8-1

 

[ThurlFan]

I did that for our whole family collection of 8mm and Super 8mm movies. It was a pain. At first, I experimented with video taping the output from the projector, but that never worked well. The problem is that the video camera recorded at a different frame rate, so everything flickered. I finally bought a telecine projector that allowed me to capture each frame individually and assemble those into a video file. I then used software that changed the frame rate of the video file. Finally, I converted everything to DVDs. It was far more work and more expense than just digitizing 8mm video tape.

I still have all the equipment. Even with the capital outlay on the projector, I saved thousands compared with having it done professionally. Since then, I've done a few reels for friends and neighbors, but there isn't much demand as few people have movies left.

I feel bad for the people that had movies converted to VHS. You lose a lot in that process and then you lose more when you convert VHS to a digital format. 8mm movies weren't exactly high def, but they were definitely better than VHS video quality.

We have a bunch (probably half a slew) of super 8 movies from my childhood, and I did the old film-the-screen-with-a-camcorder trick a few years back just to get the images preserved on something. The results were on the lower end of the acceptable range, but certainly better than nothing. Someday I'll invest the time and money to do it right...

 

[Bstanley]

I wish this would come down about $150 and I would snatch it up!

Can't help with that - but how about a Sony TRV310 Handycam - "like new in the box" from EBAY for $250?

I picked that model because I used one for digitizing all the VHS/VHS-C/8mm/Hi-8mm tapes that I had when I bought mine 10 years ago (it still runs like a champ).

You might be able to find one that has been lightly used - or a TRV510 or TRV710 or any of the Digital8 models that will playback the other flavors of 8mm tape for a good price. And the camcorder can also be used to digitize VHS as well by connecting a VCR to the audio/video inputs - note as previously mentioned that you should use an SVideo connection between the VCR and the camcorder for best quality.

Then connect the camcorder to the computer and record away using Microsoft Movie Maker or any Video Editing software. The only real disadvantage is that it happens in 'real time'. So if you have a 2 hour tape you'll need to start recording and then go off and do something else for 2 hours.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

The only real disadvantage is that it happens in 'real time'. So if you have a 2 hour tape you'll need to start recording and then go off and do something else for 2 hours.

This is one reason I would love to find a local place to do them for me! Not sure I have the patience to do this "half a slew" . I would have them do 10 at a time, make it affordable. I may just end up dong as you suggested though.

 

[dburg30]

I did that for our whole family collection of 8mm and Super 8mm movies. It was a pain. At first, I experimented with video taping the output from the projector, but that never worked well. The problem is that the video camera recorded at a different frame rate, so everything flickered. I finally bought a telecine projector that allowed me to capture each frame individually and assemble those into a video file. I then used software that changed the frame rate of the video file. Finally, I converted everything to DVDs. It was far more work and more expense than just digitizing 8mm video tape.

I still have all the equipment. Even with the capital outlay on the projector, I saved thousands compared with having it done professionally. Since then, I've done a few reels for friends and neighbors, but there isn't much demand as few people have movies left.

I feel bad for the people that had movies converted to VHS. You lose a lot in that process and then you lose more when you convert VHS to a digital format. 8mm movies weren't exactly high def, but they were definitely better than VHS video quality.

LOL interested in selling it?

What software did you use? Does it automatically capture each frame or do you have to do it manually??!!?

 

[MarkBarbieri]

LOL interested in selling it?

What software did you use? Does it automatically capture each frame or do you have to do it manually??!!?

Not yet. I still have a few friends with some reels that need to be converted.

It's kind of a Rube Goldberg thing. It comes with a special mouse that plugs into your computer and the projector. You use some capture software that captures a frame whenever you press the "Capture" button. It puts the frames together into an AVI file. You move the mouse over the Capture button when you start recording. The projector triggers a mouse click for each frame. It runs around 6 frames per second.

It sounds really weird and complicated, but it's not that bad. The biggest challenge is aligning everything perfectly aligned. You want your video camera at exactly the right height, the right left/right position, and the right angle. If you are off, the picture gets distorted. You also need a really good zoom as the picture is small. Finally, the lens that it projects into pics up reflections easily, so you want a relatively dark workroom.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Dupe

 

[erincon23]

I video'd my son's concert last night. I'm using a slightly older video camera that takes Hi8 tapes. I took the tape today to a professional video house and had them copy it onto a DVD. The DVD is terrible! It pixellates, stops for a second and then resumes, and the end of the last song is cut off. Is this normal for a video-to-DVD transfer? If it isn't, I'm going back there on Monday. I need the DVD for a scholarship application, and don't want to send in something this bad!

Also -- can I copy a DVD onto my computer (this one, not a copy-protected one) without additional software? I can't figure it out, and I'm not usually this bad with computer stuff!

Thanks for your help --

Erin

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Have you watched the video straight from the camcorder on the TV? Compare that with the DVD. You shouldn't see much of a difference. The DVD won't look quite as good, but the difference should be very minor.

 

[ssanders79]

What is the total video runtime of all the video on the DVD? This sounds like it is a result of the encoding/compression prossess.

The longer runtime the more compressed the video will be which will lead to pixelization. This is a good calc to use to determine the compression/bitrate used to get a certain runtime on a standard DVDr. http://www.videohelp.com/calc

Are you playing the DVD back on an HDTV? This will magnify the problems.

 

[disneymarie]

Since my 8mm cam corder is shot I have no way to play my videos, I really would love to record them to DVD. Some have precious recording of my dd that passed away and I would love to preserve them.

Is my only choice to find an 8mm video on Cam corder off eBay, or is there a device that plays them to record somehow.
Even if I locate a camera, I could play them on TV. I do have a DVD recorder/player that may record.
Maybe that is my easiest way to do it.