It’s no secret that film, along with most forms of analog media, is outdated. In today’s world, digital media is the reigning format for entertainment, and as the years go by, analog media becomes more and more obsolete. Digitization has become more important than ever now, and people are starting to see that preserving their family movies and pictures can be easily accomplished at home or by using digitizing services.
If you’re looking to digitize your 8mm and 16mm films to DVD format, look no further. In this article, we’ll highlight some of your best options for film-to-DVD conversion and help you figure out which method will save you the most time and money in the long run.
Best Film Transfer Machines
If you’re looking to convert film-to-DVD at home, you’ll need a converter. Film-to-digital converters can cost anywhere from $100 to $400, and the reviews on these converters vary. The top-rated brand is Wolverine, with average reviews of four stars.
These converters can get you a decent quality digital copy, but many consumers complain about how time-consuming the conversion process is. Film-to-digital converters operate by scanning film as it plays, so if you have multiple reels to digitize, the process can take a long time. It is important to be present as the films are digitized to ensure the film does not get stuck in the scanner, so a lot of time must be devoted to the at-home digitization process.
Best Equipment to Scan 8mm Film
Our Pick: KODAK REELS 8mm & Super 8 Films Digitizer Converter
The Kodak Reels 8mm film digitizer can turn your old movies into memories. With this machine you can turn your 8mm and Super 8 films into a digital MP4 movie file. All that’s required is for you to load your film onto the device, follow the prompts that are on the screen and the film will transfer onto an SD memory card. Once the movie is on the SD card you can transfer the movie onto a USB drive or DVD using your computer. The device also lets you plug right into your tv so you can watch your home movies easily.
The only downside to using this device is that you will need to sit through the entire digitization process one by one. It can be incredibly time consuming. The KODAK REELS 8mm & Super 8 Films Digitizer Converter will cost you $399 so it may or may not be worth it, depending on how many movies you plan on digitizing.
Best Equipment to Scan 16mm Film
Our Pick: Blackmagic Design 16mm HDR Film Gate for Cintel Scanner
This Cintel Scanner is state of the art. Specifically designed to take your 35mm and 16mm film and digitize it in high definition. The newer machines can enhance your film and produce an Ultra High Definition digitization while sending it directly to your computer. However these machines are not cheap. The Cintel Scanner G3 HDR+ is available now for $32,045. Similar to the other equipment we’ve discussed, these costs only make sense if you’re planning to digitize film professionally and often.
Consider Using Professional Digitization Services
While an at-home film-to-DVD converter may seem convenient, the quality of the digitized version can often be sub-par, showing grainy images and poor audio. Since most converters work by scanning the films as they play, the time that must be carved out for at-home digitization is significant. Many at-home film-to-DVD converters are pricey, and if you’re looking to get a high-quality digital copy of your films, an at-home film-to-DVD converter is probably not the best option for you.
Digitization services like Legacybox are fast, easy-to-use, and convenient. With Legacybox, shipping and packaging are free, so all you have to do is pack up your films and send them to the Legacybox headquarters. Trained professional technicians hand-digitize each piece of analog media carefully, producing the absolute highest quality digital copies possible.
Legacybox film digitization packages start at $30 for two film reels, and they have packages that can accommodate up to 40 reels. Whatever your digitization needs require, we can take care of it.
