8mm Film Transfer Specialists

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 $0.75 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 $19.95 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. We DO NOT provide copyrighted music.

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 $24.95.
 
MiniDV Tape* - You can add this tape (up to 60 minutes) to your order for $24.95, includes video tape. This will allow you to edit, author and play the original 8mm or super 8 film transfer Digital Video footage on your own equipment. Also serves as a master tape of your production.

VHS, SVHS, Videotape* - You can add this tape (up to 60 minutes) to your order for $24.95, includes video tape. This will allow you to share your 8mm film transfer or super8 film transfer to dvd video with family and friends who do not own a DVD player and makes a great gift!

Note* All 8mm and super 8 movie film transfers to video tape are recorded on JVC MiniDV, MAXELL SVHS or FUJIFILM VHS Professional Grade tape stock, may be substituted with compatible tape stock if supplies becomes unavailable. All recordings to tape are performed in standard play (SP) NTSC format.

8mm Movie Film 'Express Video' - Click on the play button above to see what it looks like. 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) for viewing or downloading over the internet. A flat rate of $2.95 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 $0.059 cents per foot to get a total cost for these digital movies. These express video's are limited to a dimension of 240x180 screen size, 1/3 the resolution of fullscreen and have a streaming bit rate of 180kbps. The average file size of the video is around 5MB. 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. Click here to see what a Express Video page would look like.

Master 8mm or Super 8 movie film AVI or QuickTime MOV files - after scanning the film, a digital video uncompressed avi or 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 avi or QuickTime mov using the NTSC Standard DV codec. The file sizes are approx. 800MB per 50 ft. film reel. The files can be saved to a DVD-R data disc. Approx. 250 feet of 8mm or super 8 film will fit on a single 4.7GB DVD data disc. That's about five (5) 50 ft. reels of 8mm film.  File size can vary if film requires extensive video correction. If you would like to purchase these files, the cost is an additional $5.95 for each 4.7GB data disc required. The discs will be packaged in DVD protective sleeves or clear plastic hard cases. If you prefer to have your files saved to an External Hard Drive, there is a media transfer fee of $19.95 for transferring up to 100GB of files, $24.95 fee for greater than 100GB up to 250GB. Your hard drive must be clean without files, USB 2.0 or IEEE 1394a (Firewire) Compliant , and a PC compatible NTFS formatted Drive.

If you want us to supply the External Hard Drive, it will be a PC compatible drive formatted in NTFS. The price will be dependant on the size of the Hard Drive, the make & model, and availability with our vendors. A manufactures warranty will be supplied with the unit..

*If your 8mm film reels are not full, you will only be charged for the actual amount of film transferred from each reel.  Minimum transfer fee of $24.95 applies to all orders with less than 150 feet of film to transfer. < click here to calculate your order. Adobe Reader required If you have more than 2000 feet of 8mm film to transfer - we offer a discounted price of 17.9 cents per foot for the remaining 8mm footage over 2000 feet. We at Digital Express maintain the highest quality available for your production by transferring a maximum of 1000 feet of film per DVD: approx. one hour of the highest quality video. We are known for our quality and this is our standard.    See what our customers have to say about us. Adobe Reader format is our preferred method of form distribution, allowing you to open, calculate, view, and print our order forms preserving the original format.

During promotional periods we offer our 8mm film or super 8 film transfer to DVD services at discounted introductory rates on eBay Auctions. Be sure to look for our specials, as they may include an optional add-in, introductory transfer, single reel transfer or reduced shipping and handling fees. Search for our specials on eBay for 8mm movie film transfer to DVD.  If the item has ended, we may have other auctions still active; if we do not, email us for a quote and we will provide you with our best price.

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

Pre-Production (working with your film)

* Film is cleaned to remove any dirt or ground-in particles providing a better picture scan.
* Film is lubricated with a special film chemical for smoother frame transfer and better quality picture.
* Film splices are repaired if required allowing for less stress to the film during transfer.
* True frame by frame progressive image scanning of your film at 525 lines, 60 fields NTSC at the highest standard definition resolution of 720 x 486 pixels.
Each frame of film is now an individual digital frame of video sequentially lined up one after another and stored as an uncompressed digital video (AVI) file ready for export into our computer-based editing system.

Post-Production (your film/s is put back on it's original reel and stored in a safe place)

Video editing
* Because home movies 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 8mm film will have a playback time between 3 to 4.5 minutes depending on what frame rate was used when filmed.
* Removal of any clear or black film footage from the video
* Video is then computer enhanced for color correction, over-exposure or under-exposure with contrast & brightness correction.
* Subtitles are created for each film reel video.
* An edited uncompressed digital video (AVI) file of your film is created. At this point your digital video file is of better quality than the original film/s you sent in for transfer.

Audio editing
* We will provide you with The O'Neill Brothers royalty-free background music track to fit your video.
* If you want us to add your own music and have an audio CD, audio tape cassette or even a Vinyl record that you would like to use for the background music, just send them along with your films and let us know which songs to use. If your music must be digitized prior to insertion such as with audio cassette tape, reel to reel audio tape, or vinyl records there will be an additional fee for transferring the music to a digital state. There is a flat rate fee of $19.95 for synchronizing your digital music to the video for up to 60 min.
* The complete edited uncompressed digital audio/video (AVI) file of your film and background music is created and exported for DVD creation.

Final-Production (creation of the DVD)

* Import the (AVI) file and encoded to a High-Quality (MPEG-2) video file. Up to two (2) hours of film is available for authoring to the DVD disc, but superior quality is maintained if kept to one hour.
* Main Title and Menu created.
* Chapter placement and Chapter Menu created.
* Authoring of the Movie, Menus, and Music to a 4.7 GB single layer Verbatim (DataLifePlus) DVD-R DVD disc, playable on the vast majority of NTSC DVD 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 your custom designed and printed Photo Quality High Resolution DVD case label.

Your finished DVD with case is packaged with your original materials and shipped to you using the United States Postal Service, Priority Mail with Delivery confirmation. Allow 2 to 3 days for delivery.

Shipping your film/s to us: We recommend using a shipping service such as the U.S. Postal Service, Express Mail for tracking purposes or the U.S. Postal Service, Priority Mail or First Class Mail with delivery confirmation.

Choose a Title for your 8mm film transfer - such as "Smith Family Memories". This title will be displayed on the TV screen when the DVD starts, and also be printed on the DVD disc and case.

If you want your 8mm films to be played in a certain order, number each film box or film reel with the correct order and fill-out and print the Reel Order Sheet. (pdf file) or write on the back of the order form and mail your film/s along with this sheet or any other special instructions to:

Digital Express
28 North Sixth Street
Shamokin PA 17872-5210

If you have any questions regarding the transfer of your films, please email us at sales@digitalexpresspro.com
or call: 570-204-2106

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 -10 business working days for completion. You can pay us using all four major credit cards, your bank account, or your PayPal account. We also accept cashiers checks, money orders, personal & company checks. Orders do not ship until funds are received and cleared. If sending check or money order make funds payable to Digital Express.

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 with your 8mm film or super 8 film transfer, you may return the original DVD and have the problem corrected. We will send you a new DVD replacement with the corrections. Not one of our 8mm film or Super 8 film transfers have ever been returned for customer dissatisfaction.

The condition of your 8mm or super 8 films rely on the quality of the transfer. The better the film material, the better the transfer. If you send us films that are severely damaged beyond restoration or transfer we will notify you to discuss your options for returning your materials.
 

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.

This is a photo of a super 8 film cartridge that has not been photo processed. We do not photo develop 8mm film or super 8 movie film. The only place on the planet to the best of our knowledge that still does is Dwayne's Photo

Our 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 films is a low wattage diffused bulb; no hot spots or chance of ever burning the film. The film is then digitized using a NTSC broadcast quality 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 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 photo of a 3 inch reel of 8mm film that contains 50 feet of processed film. The actual playback time of this film on a 8mm film projector would be around 3 min. & 20 sec. if shot at 18 fps (frames per second).

We DO NOT transfer any copyrighted materials unless you own the copyright. We DO NOT transfer any pornographic materials.

Supported formats: Silent Regular 8mm film, Standard 8mm film, double 8mm film and Super 8 movie film. If you have 8mm sound film and the sound track is defective or bad enough that it wasn't needed, we can transfer the film to video and insert background music. We do not transfer the sound track on 8mm or super 8 sound films.

Additional copies can be ordered on DVD-R, VHS, SVHS, or MiniDV videotape. Please see our Duplication page for pricing.

8mm Movie Film Single Frame Capture - Need us to grab a picture off of your 8mm or super 8 film transfer?  For only $0.50 each we'll capture a single film frame and save it to one of our supported digital formats 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.
Supported formats: Tiff, Targa, Jpeg, Bmp and Gif.