The conversion of home movies to digital has now reached the highest level of quality. In the 1990s, 8 mm and super 8 films were shot with artisanal methods and recorded on VHS cassettes. In the following decade, DVD took over, while today, thanks to pen drives and hard discs, all the problems that this kind of transfers had (low definition and in the case of VHS, perishable supports) are overcome.

I explain it well in this video:

video

Converting super 8 and 8 mm films to DVD start here

Although DVD is still a popular format for some people (for example, those not very up to date with technology), it can play videos on a specific standard definition of quality, that is:

• 720 horizontal pixels
• 576 vertical pixels

I won't go into technical details, but high definition is not just a little bit better, but up to 400% more (1280 × 720 or 1920 × 576).

In other words, you can see the difference very well, even if you are not an expert.

If you consider that television monitors are getting bigger and bigger every day, it is a shame not to take advantage of this possibility now that you can do it thanks to the latest technology.

Unfortunately, if you plan to rely on a low cost lab, beware that the better quality of HD resolution videos is visible only if the super 8 home movie turned into digital was handled by a qualified person who used professional equipment.

Quality, reliability and safety for your home movies

I know I may sound like:

• a great movie lover
• an overly meticulous technician

Actually, I am both, but the digitization systems still used by some of my competitors involve enormous differences in the quality of the videos that are obtained.

These differences can be noticed by anyone, as it is clear in the video below:

If you want to deepen the discussion, to understand why you have to avoid giving your films to those who treat them badly, I suggest you read this other page I wrote.

Costs to digitize your home movies professionally

The cost of processing the films in my lab is 4 euros per minute for both silent and sound films:

• 8 mm
• super 8
• 16 mm.

I know that there are cheaper services in the market. It’s not just a matter of quality because there is also another problem, even bigger: you risk giving your memories to those who use old projectors to digitize them, with the real threat that they ruin the films with their decades-old gears or burn them with the old style bulbs they use.

If, on the other hand, you want to be sure of having your memories digitized and restored with the quality that modern technology allows, please use the form at the bottom of the page to contact me.

Where to save super 8 movies and 8 mm movies

Films can be saved on:

• DVD discs
• pen drives
• hard disks
• cloud services

As I said, the main problem of the DVDs is the low definition.

In addition, you must consider that desktop DVD players are already hard to find for sale today. So when the device you have at home breaks down, you may not find another one to replace it, since it is already technologically outdated, as happened to VHS players a few years ago.

Storing video on pen drives and hard disks

Pen drives and hard disks, compared to DVDs are:

1. superior from a qualitative point of view
2. easy to duplicate

They are also easier to use because, for several years now, televisions have at least one USB port that allows you to connect digital media and play the movies contained in it.

My lab delivers files digitally with no waiting time

When converting 8 mm and super 8 films to digital, the owner can decide whether to:

• give me a pen drive or hard disk to store the restored video OR
• download the video from a secure cloud, using a link that I provide

Today, therefore, everything is easier, faster and of a higher quality. At least, if you rely on a professional lab like mine.

Daniele Carrer