How to Ensure Quality during Film Transfer to DVD

Posted on December 2, 2011 by tanveers

Many a times, most of us would be terribly disappointed at the quality of a home movie film being converted to DVD format . No matter whether it is  regular 8mm, Super 8mm or  16mm film conversion and transfers, the issue of quality could arise. However to ensure the best possible quality , all you need to do is take care of a certain factors; not that you should be an expert in handling all these.

It is recommended that different providers are tried out with sample reels. Evaluate the results meticulously  before picking up  the one that is ideal to transfer your entire collection. There are many video and audio rental companies that undertake the conversion process with perfect results. Most of them transfer a sample reel of over 50 feet of your regular 8mm, Super 8mm and  8mm sound, 16mm, and 16mm sound (magnetic or optical) for free so that you can  see the results for yourselves.

One of the common snags during conversion to the DVD format is poor quality grainy pictures. Video grain is in a way similar to film grain, which occurs at varying speeds. Film is shot at various speeds depending on the availability and quality of light. For instance if there is low light, the film is shot  at a high speed to make the best use of the light and vice versa. However the catch is that fast shooting might have the risk of  more grains in comparison to the slow shoot that can capture the finer details.

When the video camera is focused to a low light environment  it will increase its video grain to compensate for the light. This could be just like increasing the speed of your fan on a hot afternoon or putting the TV volume in maximum for better audibility

If the video camera finds out that the quality of light is low, it will automatically increase its grain, which could result in grainy but bright  pictures. However it is a comparatively better option that shooting in bad light and recording inferior quality images.

One of the most popular methods to convert home movie to digital media is to use a special surface to project the film. To ensure a high quality DVD format, ample light should be projected so that the video camera does not strive to make up the loss by increasing its video grain.

During the film conversion and transfer of your 8mm or 16mm film, make sure that the grains are  evenly distributed over the entire television screen, which would make it far less obvious.  If the camera had only to enhance its grain marginally , there won’t be any visible   granular effect . But on the other hand if the  video camera was struggling to get a good picture in a bad light, the  granularity will be more conspicuous.

To know more about the tips to ensure quality conversion of films to digital format, visit out site www.mistervideo.net, one of the top transference and DVD conversion service providers in the country.

 

Posted in 8mm Film Transfer Services, Film to Digital, Film to Hard Drive, How to transfer8mm to DVD | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

35MM Slide Scanning Preparation Tips

Posted on November 20, 2011 by tanveers

Description:  The key to successful 35MM slide scanning is preparation.  Follow our step-by-step preparation tips to enjoy a more beautiful outcome.

If you are wondering how to prepare your old 35 millimeter slides for a successful transformation to digital files, this article will help you.  We will also cover organization, preparation and enhancement procedures.    Hopefully our tips will help save you valuable time, and also enable you to get better digital images from slide film scans.  We can even help you with projects involving the scanning of 35 mm negatives.  Let us begin.

Choosing the Right 35MM Slide/Film Scanner:

We recommend buying or renting a dedicated film scanner.  Many newer flatbed scanner models may be able to scan film, but you will get better results if you use a dedicated 35MM film scanner made specifically for the job at hand.  You will realize their other benefits as you proceed through this article.  Nikon scanners are among the very best, and can thus be found at the higher-end rental outfits.

Tips on Preparing 35MM Slides for Scanning:

Chances are high that you will find that your 35MM slides have lint, fine dust and other stuff stuck to the film surfaces.  Even microscopic particles and imperfections can be a problem when magnified by high resolution film scanning.

Fortunately you can easily skirt this problem since most dedicated film scanners have some sort of dust elimination process.  A more common one is Digital Ice, which emits infrared light through the film during the scan to remove dust and small scratches.  The light passes through your film, but not the imperfections.  Then is fills in the spots with images to match the true parts.

Because of this “cleaning” process, you may not always need to waste a lot of time removing small dust and lint.  However, the infrared process may be unable to compensate for larger dust or lint particles.  If your slides are especially dirty, you will want to remove as much of the loose particles as possible prior to trying to scan.  In those cases, consider using a soft, clean brush such as a new artist brush to ease particles away.  Or possibly use a gentle application of compressed air to help you blow them away safely.

Occasionally you will find 35MM slides that have been stored in old plastic sleeves which emit an oily residue over time.  This residue collects on the slide surface.  It cannot be brushed away as described in our earlier paragraph, so do not try as that will only smear the stuff and make it worse.  Fortunately the residue is usually transparent and allows the infrared light to do its job.

Cleaning the 35MM Slides with Compressed Air:

First arrange the 35MM slides on a clean stainless-steel metal tray.  Arrange overhead lighting so that it will reflect up from the metal tray to provide a diffused light source from below.  You will need this so that you can make sure that the slides line up properly for stacking.

Unless they are extremely dirty, the most serious pre-scanning cleaning the slides will need is with compressed air.  You do not need to tediously blow them off one at a time.  Use a plastic slide storage box to group thirty or so and blow them off all together.  Don’t do it so hard that the slides fly out of the box, or your hard work will be wasted.  Close the box as soon as you finish blowing so that the slides do not become dirty again with all of the dust and lint now in the air.

Remember to use your eye and ear protection when doing this part of your work.

After cleaning the 35MM slides properly, you can begin the actual scanning process. Hopefully these tips will make your work go much faster, and make the final results so much more attractive.

Posted in 35mm slides, scanning | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Covert 8mm Film to Digital in Three Best Ways

Posted on September 25, 2011 by tanveers

A lot of people of new age have family inheritances of the early 8mm and super 8 mm films and footages that take them back to the era of memories, moments, people and the times gone by. How many of you remember your first birthday party or the time your grandmother knitted you a sweater or the first step in school. Do you feel nostalgic about the Christmas party where you smashed the cake on your brother or when you posed with your new bicycle or the old movies that you watched with your family and many such sweet and joyful memories?  What if you get hold of such 8 mm film footage and get disappointed to see the quality of the tapes, well you need not worry as in present times you can convert your 8 mm films and movies into digital form thus maximizing its shelf life as well as quality. Converting 8mm film to digital can be done by professionals or you can do it by yourself with a little know how.

3 Ways to Convert 8mm Film To Digital

There are generally 3 ways to convert the 8 mm film to digital.

·         Videotaping

·         Telecine

·         Professional help

Videotaping or Using the Old Projector Trick

You can transfer the film to a video by various methods and one of the simplest ways is to project your film on the wall or projector screen and record it with your camcorder or video camera. The advantage is that it is easy to do but you might want to have the surface of screening clean, flat and without any disturbances either of textures, people or any other external factor.

One of the major hindrances during projection of the film is the speed or the frame rate of the film. It is important to monitor the speed or the frame rate of 8 mm movie film as these can have film rates of 14fps to 24fps (frames per second). If you do not focus and monitor the speed of the frames to NTSC’s 29.97fps it is bound to create flicker and sputter in the frame. You will need an electronic gadget like the reflector box to control the speed of the film. You can avoid flicker by using the projector with a speed variable of up to 20 fps.

To get the best screening, project the film on a white or light gray wall as it controls the contrast differences. You can also use a piece of foamcore. Focus the video camera at the wall and steadily adjust the speed of the shutter on the projector till the monitor of the camera is free of flicker. You can also use a plug-in known as MSU Deflicker for virtual dub to reduce flicker in case of absence of speed variable projector. It has its disadvantage that some of the material might be lost or doubled up and the length of the film may differ. Although videotaping gives good results it might result in distorted images. This results from the fact that the camera and the projector cannot align in the same line of axis resulting in trapezoid images that might require editing.

You can then transfer the recorded film or footage to your computer and use digital conversion software’s to capture the footage that also helps you to create titles to your film.

The Telecine Way

Using the telecine method helps you correct the off-axis problem that is created during projection of the film on the wall or TV monitor. In this method the film is projected on the mirror which then reflects the images onto a rear screen that brings the axis of the camcorder on the same alignment as that of the projector. A lot of Hollywood movies are made this way using hi-tech equipments.

You can easily find telecine equipment at the yard sales or also online for a very economical price. A speed projector will also be required for better results. There are particularly many telecine product ranges and the most notable ones are the digital Elmo and the Goko.  Both the telecines products can be connected to camcorder, computer or set top box. Both have quality VHS resolution that helps to eliminate flicker. These are especially useful to transfer lot of films or for people who are considering doing it professionally.

Getting Done By a Professional

Getting professionals help is an easier option if you want to avoid the painstaking transfer of the film or do not have time to do it by yourself. It does fasten your process and gives a chic quality but also is heavy on your pocket especially if the films are really old and in bad condition. Depending upon the quality of the shops these professionals use high end equipments that are used for motion pictures or high quality equipments from reputed brands. The cost is the biggest concern depending upon the quality of the film and the work needed to be done. But you will be happy with the results of the picture and sound quality that is done professionally.

Few things to know before hiring professionals -

  • How much will it cost?
  • Can they work on your format of the film
  • Equipments that will be used
  • Can they rectify color correction
  • Is cleaning and lubrication of the film part of the process
  • Will they give the final product on high resolution master on mini DV and HDV

Conclusion

Whatever methods you choose to convert your 8mm film to digital make sure that you are confident of using them appropriately. It is indeed a great boon to convert and restore the quality of the picture and sound digitally and thus help in bringing back your heritage and memories to life.

If you are unsure about handling and conversion of 8 mm films, let professionals handle it. Mr Video has been operating into this space for more than one and half decades. Over the years, Mr Video has developed a penchant for 8 mm digitization services. All the work is done by professionals using state-of-the-art equipment. If you wish to do the conversion at home, Mr Video can provide you with all the necessary equipment. The company also provides you with other AV equipment like sound systems, speakers, projectors, plasma TVs, sound mixing consoles among other. For all your AV needs, Mr Video is the right place.

Posted in 8mm Film Transfer Services, Film to Digital | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

How to Sweeten the Sound: Audio Auditing Skills

Posted on September 25, 2011 by tanveers

“Well, whether it’s on film or on TV, you don’t want to throw too many curves at your audio and video guys.” – Rick Moranis. How rightly stated, curves are good for drawing and painting but you would like to avoid them in audio tracks. They create distortions and sound aberrations in your films. When filming videos or downloading them you will frequently feel that at times the audio fails to synchronize with the video. You can hear either the sound leaping ahead of the video or running behind the film.

This takes the skills of audio editing, depending upon the errors, twists, tweaks and noises in the film, you will have to either change a part or the whole section in video that requires to sweeten the sound.  This comes with practice and experience, although the sounds can be rectified and re-synchronized by non-linear editing software in totality, it is imperative that you take care of the sound in the first steps of recording. No matter how much you clean up and process the audio track nothing beats the process of getting it right at the start itself. The audio workflow includes changing from multi or dual track system audio recording to eliminating the redundant sounds and noises, cleaning up, sweetening and disaster recovery.

Tools for Audio Auditing

 

The first step in rectifying sound distortions in the films and videos is to select the right kind of tools and half of your problem is solved. Although the non-linear editing or popularly known as NLE is fine for editing video it is better to use a suitable audio editor. One such fine tool is Adobe Audition which comes with production premium.

The workflow that is required to sync the audio with videos takes place in few steps. The audio files are first synched in Premiere Pro and or Plural Eyes. They are then opened as a multi-track project in Audition that resembles like any non linear editing screens without the video tracks. The clean up and sweetening process is done at the required sections by switching between the tracks.

This efficient workflow of editing, mixing, recording, sweetening and disaster recovery can be perfectly done with Adobe Audition CS5.5 and Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Production Premium software. It is high quality video production software that performs the work at a faster rate. It has some amazing features that can stabilize the shaky videos with a click of the button, like the Warp stabilizer and blazing fast Adobe mercury playback engine

Get the Feel of Synchronization

Filmmakers usually work with more than two cameras and similar separate audio devices at a given point of time. This means that if audio corrections have to be done you would be working with more than two audio tracks. Working separately on these tracks can be done but is time consuming. You can sync the soundtracks by switching between the multi-tracks or dual tracks and cleaning up only those sections that you would want to be in the video. You can also sync the tracks in the audio editor by seeing and scrutinizing the waveforms and carefully listening to the sounds.  You can master this art of editing by practice and experience. If you have large amount of tracks to sweeten up and are hard on time and patience, then you can fasten up the process of audio editing by using the application known as PluralEyes.

The wonder tool Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Production Premium provides an advanced audio editing for videos in Adobe Audition. It has a dual system sound support that helps you to edit multi-track projects. The “Roundtrip Edit’ option helps you to fasten the project switchovers with NLE’s or other Avid Pro tools without the need to create new mix downs.  

Tips To Avoid Sound Distortions

  • When recording, the microphone should be the closest to the subject or the source of your sound. This generally helps in best sound recording and ensures that the background unwanted noises are not their on the track.
  • The microphone should not be moved erratically or aimed at areas other than the source of sound. Handling or fiddling of the microphone consciously or subconsciously should be avoided. You can use your onboard shotgun microphone to record and sync the sound.
  • To avoid the flattening of music entirely there should not be any live music originating from the auto gain recording.

How to Sweeten Your Recording

Speakers

The most important gadgets required to rectify sounds are a good pair of speakers. Before going for editing or processing sounds of the tracks it is must to hear them on the speakers. Computer speakers even with a surround system are designed to create immersive experience that are aimed at creating sounds louder than what they really are. It is best to use monitor speakers as they give you the real resonance without being inclined to any particular type of sounds. This helps in making your films tracks sound real and good on any category of system.

Compression

A good multi-band compressor when used in moderation can enhance the quality of the sound although overuse of it can mar the audio sounds badly. Most of the audio devices like speakers, microphones and even audio recorder can manipulate the sound and are partial to frequency.

Features of the Multi-band Compressor in Adobe Audition

Each microphone has a different pickup prototype and responds to specific frequencies in a certain way. A lot of professional artists demand for specific microphones that enhance their performance. It is an art to match the right frequency with that of the microphone. This comes for a price and hence is not feasible for personal events. The issue of microphones can be minimized by using multi-band compressor. To avoid lots of sound complications it is best to record uncompressed WAV files with the help of audio recorder to maintain subtlety and steadiness.

During recording of videos there are moments when the sound jumps high and then there are sections where everything goes quiet. This is taken care by multi-band compressors that have a preset of ‘enhance vocal’ that tries to minimize the variations of the quieter and the louder section of the tracks.  They also help to fortify the sound frequency of human voice. The levels of sound are also adjusted to give a balanced sound effect output. To separate the voice from the background chatter you would require a frequency range of 200 Hz to 4000 Hz. This can be separated in two areas ranging from 200-1000 and 1000Hz – 4000 Hz and then adding 2dB and 4dB gain to the voice. The consonants are present in the higher spectrum and the vowels in the lower frequency. Adjusting these settings is important to gauge the equipments inclination towards a certain frequency that can bring balance to the sound tracks. A multi-band compressor helps you to save the settings in the preset, as sometimes you need the same type of settings for the equipments.

Disaster Recovery

In emergency situations where the microphones near the sound of source stop working then this system works perfectly well. It can be done by using a filter known as ‘noise reduction’ present in nonlinear editing or audio editor where a pre-recorded unwanted sound is incorporated in it and then this sound is eliminated and filtered from the recording.

Features of the Noise Reduction Filter in Adobe Audition

A lot of times during video shoots not much care is given to the recording of the sounds and a lot of background chatter and invasive noises is recorded during the process. At times even the right things done are of no use. Like placing the equipments or using good quality microphones do not simplify in avoiding the sound distortions.  The solution to this is cleaning up the sound with the help of noise reduction filter in Adobe Audition. It helps you to identify the noises in the waveform, isolating it, reducing the noise level, making finer adjustments and creating and using noise profiles. The noise reduction effect helps you to edit sounds quickly and efficiently.

Non-Linear Editing

Non-Linear editing is a form of digital editing system that helps you to edit footage of any sequence of any frame in the digital video film. It allows you to incorporate various effects like balancing levels of sounds, fading, transitions and many more. Editing sound tracks in NLE requires a lot of cut and paste of the tracks, if parts of unwanted tracks remain while switching the tracks you can synchronize it by lining it up with the start of the audio track. You can probably link the main camera angle with the sound file and begin your video editing. In NLE you do not lose original sound files or bring modifications to the original sound tracks during editing. It gives you flexibility during film editing with easy access and organizing projects. The feature of mixed down WAV’s helps you to push the normal sound to the next level.

Conclusion

When you finally edit the soundtrack ensure that the audio levels have been regular and steady throughout the production. Keep headroom for adjustment and setting the absolute level value, as whatever system you use they have inclination towards certain frequencies and internal systems to enhance and boost the sound thus hindering the natural sound. It is best to avoid mastering the audio at 0dB

Sound editing is a serious business and most of it depends on the type of equipment you use. As equipment upgrade and evolve frequently, it is impossible for sound designers to keep upgrading the equipment. The best option thus is hire equipment from a company like Mr Video which specializes in audio visual services. Apart from sound editing equipment, the company also rents out video equipment like projectors, plasma TVs and projector screen (www.aa-rental.com) so that the sound enhancements can be timed with the moving images and background. Being in business since 1996, Mr Video ensures that you always get best in quality equipment in perfect working condition. Hire all kinds of audio-video equipment from Mr Video.

For information:
info@mistervideo.net
703 644 1660

Posted in 8mm Film Transfer Services, audio sweetening, sound sweetening, Video Editing Services | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Do Movies or Videos Sound Bad Even In Good Films?

Posted on September 25, 2011 by tanveers

A lot of people blame their tools and equipments when the job done is not good. If the movie or video sounds bad it is blamed on a low quality microphone, or the inputs in the camcorder or on some external factor. Of course these things matter when you are recording but with certain safety measures one can easily eliminate these aberrations.

A lot of film and video makers panic when at the end of the shooting; they look for sound technicians to sweeten the track. The reasons for these could possibly be the use of cheap quality microphones, using the on camera microphone while shooting, or the person shooting aimlessly pointing the microphone at the ground, sky or somewhere else except at the place where the action is, or the microphone being misplaced erratically. At times you can hear people‘s voices, humming sounds, buzzing sounds, whining sounds, hushing sounds or bumping sounds in the recordings. A high level of sound can be very distorting to the ears and too low sound level can conceal the good sound.   The sound editing adds to the problem.

At the time of shooting film, the filmmaker gives the least attention to the sound being recorded. To the filmmaker, editing would involve axing the frames of the picture and with that the sound is also cut. It takes time and painstaking care and expertise to split the tracks, replace the bad sound and bring clarity of the soundtracks to the film. It does cost you to give a good soundtrack to the film. A little care while recording, using good microphones and headphones can help you from the trouble of bad sound and waste of time and money.  A video can sound as good as film if a little time, care and attention is paid to the recording of the sound during shooting of the film. Listening carefully to the sounds helps in knowing the distortions and this comes with practice.  You can take help of online literature or read books on sound recording and editing.

Tips to Make Your Video Movie Sound like a Real Movie

  • A film movie does sound different than a video film. Movies are made by big production houses and hence a lot of detailing and costing goes into it, where as a video is made on a small scale and not too much importance is given to the sound aspect,
  • The sound of movie is better because it is taken care at the production level itself. It is mostly recorded on analog machines and sample recorders of 96Khz/24bit. Mini-DV cameras have a better sound quality than the CD audio as the sound is uncompressed at 48khz/18bit.
  • Using cheap and low graded analog to digital circuits create aberrations, distortions and noise in the microphone’s analog sound.
  • It is sensible to have a good camera with flash memory recorders; this gives a digital sound quality to the film.
  • Film sounds are great to hear because they are recorded at an EQ raise above 6Khz which is the maximum of human voice. This gives it a clarity and crispness. Where as video sound is recorded without EQ.
  • The microphones used to record videos are of inferior quality than those used to record films. You can even have a separate sound recording system from the camera.
  • Films use sound designers to match the tempo and mood of the movie. The post production correction and sweetening of the sound makes it so clear from the video. Video sound is not given such attention and care.

What Can You Do To Make Video Movie Sound Like a Real Movie?

The processes used for making video are intended for fast and simple operations unlike films. These video cameras are not hi-tech as the ones used for making films. Most of the people who record pictures lack skill and knowledge to record sound quality. Focus is given more on capturing the images. To get a good sound on films use headphones during recording. It is imperative to keep the microphone near the subject, use a piece of fur on the microphone and merge enough room noise only when necessary. Take care of EQ editing, placing the microphones in the right area and eliminate extra cluttering that is recorded.

Setting the sound levels carefully is an important part of recording process. A digital recording like DAT or flash memory has little space for correction and is difficult to clip or chop than in analog. It is good to use 6Db levels for your 0Db levels to keep the sound clean. Feeding single mono signal to both the L and the R tracks helps in salvaging the sound when you edit it.

For more information
www.mistervideo.net
703 644 1660

Posted in Film to Digital, Film to Hard Drive, sound sweetening | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Covert 8mm Film to Digital in Three Best Ways

Posted on September 25, 2011 by tanveers

A lot of people of new age have family inheritances of the early 8mm and super 8 mm films and footages that take them back to the era of memories, moments, people and the times gone by. How many of you remember your first birthday party or the time your grandmother knitted you a sweater or the first step in school. Do you feel nostalgic about the Christmas party where you smashed the cake on your brother or when you posed with your new bicycle or the old movies that you watched with your family and many such sweet and joyful memories?  What if you get hold of such 8 mm film footage and get disappointed to see the quality of the tapes, well you need not worry as in present times you can convert your 8 mm films and movies into digital form thus maximizing its shelf life as well as quality. Converting 8mm film to digital can be done by professionals or you can do it by yourself with a little know how.

3 Ways to Convert 8mm Film To Digital

There are generally 3 ways to convert the 8 mm film to digital.

·         Videotaping

·         Telecine

·         Professional help

Videotaping or Using the Old Projector Trick

You can transfer the film to a video by various methods and one of the simplest ways is to project your film on the wall or projector screen and record it with your camcorder or video camera. The advantage is that it is easy to do but you might want to have the surface of screening clean, flat and without any disturbances either of textures, people or any other external factor.

One of the major hindrances during projection of the film is the speed or the frame rate of the film. It is important to monitor the speed or the frame rate of 8 mm movie film as these can have film rates of 14fps to 24fps (frames per second). If you do not focus and monitor the speed of the frames to NTSC’s 29.97fps it is bound to create flicker and sputter in the frame. You will need an electronic gadget like the reflector box to control the speed of the film. You can avoid flicker by using the projector with a speed variable of up to 20 fps.

To get the best screening, project the film on a white or light gray wall as it controls the contrast differences. You can also use a piece of foamcore. Focus the video camera at the wall and steadily adjust the speed of the shutter on the projector till the monitor of the camera is free of flicker. You can also use a plug-in known as MSU Deflicker for virtual dub to reduce flicker in case of absence of speed variable projector. It has its disadvantage that some of the material might be lost or doubled up and the length of the film may differ. Although videotaping gives good results it might result in distorted images. This results from the fact that the camera and the projector cannot align in the same line of axis resulting in trapezoid images that might require editing.

You can then transfer the recorded film or footage to your computer and use digital conversion software’s to capture the footage that also helps you to create titles to your film.

The Telecine Way

Using the telecine method helps you correct the off-axis problem that is created during projection of the film on the wall or TV monitor. In this method the film is projected on the mirror which then reflects the images onto a rear screen that brings the axis of the camcorder on the same alignment as that of the projector. A lot of Hollywood movies are made this way using hi-tech equipments.

You can easily find telecine equipment at the yard sales or also online for a very economical price. A speed projector will also be required for better results. There are particularly many telecine product ranges and the most notable ones are the digital Elmo and the Goko.  Both the telecines products can be connected to camcorder, computer or set top box. Both have quality VHS resolution that helps to eliminate flicker. These are especially useful to transfer lot of films or for people who are considering doing it professionally.

Getting Done By a Professional

Getting professionals help is an easier option if you want to avoid the painstaking transfer of the film or do not have time to do it by yourself. It does fasten your process and gives a chic quality but also is heavy on your pocket especially if the films are really old and in bad condition. Depending upon the quality of the shops these professionals use high end equipments that are used for motion pictures or high quality equipments from reputed brands. The cost is the biggest concern depending upon the quality of the film and the work needed to be done. But you will be happy with the results of the picture and sound quality that is done professionally.

Few things to know before hiring professionals -

  • How much will it cost?
  • Can they work on your format of the film
  • Equipments that will be used
  • Can they rectify color correction
  • Is cleaning and lubrication of the film part of the process
  • Will they give the final product on high resolution master on mini DV and HDV

Conclusion

Whatever methods you choose to convert your 8mm film to digital make sure that you are confident of using them appropriately. It is indeed a great boon to convert and restore the quality of the picture and sound digitally and thus help in bringing back your heritage and memories to life.

If you are unsure about handling and conversion of 8 mm films, let professionals handle it. Mr Video has been operating into this space for more than one and half decades. Over the years, Mr Video has developed a penchant for 8 mm digitization services. All the work is done by professionals using state-of-the-art equipment. If you wish to do the conversion at home, Mr Video can provide you with all the necessary equipment. The company also provides you with other AV equipment like sound systems, speakers, projectors, plasma TVs, sound mixing consoles among other. For all your AV needs, Mr Video is the right place.

Posted in 8mm Film Transfer Services, Film to Digital, Film to Hard Drive, How to transfer8mm to DVD | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

How to Convert Film to DVD

Posted on September 25, 2011 by tanveers

A lot of memories are attached with childhood like the holidays spent, the pranks played, the joy and pain of falling and hurting, the journeys taken together and watching beautiful movies with family and friends at home. Some of the memories are timeless and one such is the pictures that have captured the moments and movies that you watched when you were small; it immediately connects you to the things you once did and enjoyed, it still reminds you of the times gone by.
You have those old films that have immense sentimental value and the pride of classics collections that you do not want to part with. Nevertheless, storing those for long time makes the films unwatchable as it acquires dirt, scratches, fungus, shrinkage and poor picture quality. However it can be restored to its original quality and improved performance by converting them to DVD and you can become the proud owner of those archives and safely pass it on to the next generation too.
Converting reels to DVD by professionals could be expensive and might cause a dent in your pocket although the results will be fantastic. However you can achieve the same results by gaining some knowledge and doing it yourself, initially it might be painstaking but gradually you will be satisfied with the result.  If you are interested in converting your reels to DVD check out the ways that are used to burn the DVD’s.
Converting Films to DVD
To convert the olden film reels that might be of huge length requires patience and a little technical knowledge. If you own such film reels which are a part of your family heritage you would want to restore it back to its original quality. Somehow converting it by professionals seems expensive and not economically viable. The easy way to do it is by buying a camcorder and a projector of good quality. Purchases of such equipments can also be done online on various websites. Although the conversions done can take relatively long time but the results are all worth the time spent.
The movies are projected directly on the reflector box and then copied or filmed on to the tapes. The camera is then connected to the TV monitor. This helps in avoiding flicker and sputter in the film. Some projectors might require continuous monitoring of the speed, as they have a tendency to fluctuate the speed of the film. However keeping the speed of the projector at 21fps (frames per second) is enough to make it run smooth.
After you tape the films, you can download the movies on the computer. Before proceeding further for editing, it is sensible to bring the speed of the film back to 18 fps (films per second). This helps in adjusting the speed of the film and the sound quality, otherwise you might face tweaking and aberration in the sound quality. Once the speed and sound of the film is adjusted, editing is done on Adobe Premiere software. Most of the old films look jaded and loose some of its color. The Adobe premier software helps you to edit colors too, the results are amazing and most of the 90 percent movies can be restored to its original picture and sound quality.  Finally you use Adobe encore to burn DVD and one can use imaginations to create titles for the film. The only drawback that can be faced is that some of the features can be lost during the transfer of the film because of compression hindrances.
Digitization of old films is a complicated procedure as you need to ensure that smudges, scratches and dirt on the film does not get reflected in the final digital copy. For this, various kind of equipment need to be used skillfully under professional supervision. This calls for expertise, which Mr Video can provide at the most competitive rates. You can also hire AV equipments like projectors, digital projectors, projector screens, sound mixing systems, microphones from us if you wish to enhance and edit videos post conversion. The company is in the business since 1996 and is known for its on-time services and affordable rates. For all your AV needs, contact Mr Video, the best place to hire AV equipment.

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FAQs about Shooting Streaming Video

Posted on June 5, 2011 by tanveers

With the capability of the modern internet expanding exponentially, people can now do things that they could not do even two years ago. For example, the procedure, tips and tricks on how to shoot streaming video have changed just as much as the Internet has. With that said, before you can shoot streaming video, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

 

What is a Compression Rate?

Video shot with the intention of streaming is done so using a very high compression rate, which is what determines what the quality of the video used for streaming will be, as well as the stream itself. In this case, we are using “lossy video compression,” which is a way to make the size of a digital file smaller while continuing to be able to stream well. The downfall to this is that because it is lossy, it literally loses information when compressed, information that the streaming software will add later when streaming the video using a best, educated guess.

 

This subtraction and addition of information when using lossy compression is what causes many streaming videos to jump, flicker, or appear to stop the video at one point while the audio is running, and then jump to another point, but the audio is still perfectly in tune with the video when it comes back. This is what people refer to when they say a video is “choppy.” When there is less movement in a video, it will jump less.

 

When video is streamed on the Internet, the amount of bandwidth used will determine the compression rate that is needed. Bandwidth is measured using a metric called bits, which translates to how fast information transfers or streams on the Internet. This metric is imperative because in the past, most people used dial-up Internet, which could not stream a lot of information at once.

 

This is why lossy compression was very popular, and it “stuck” as a standard format. However, in recent years, with the expansion of the internet and the bandwidth available from the various ISPs, FLAC formatted videos are becoming more popular, which uses a lossless compression rate, so the file size is larger and requires more bandwidth to use.

 

Tips to Shooting Video for Streaming

So now you understand the compression rate and about what happens to video as it streams, let us look at some tips to produce the best possible video to use for streaming.

Talking Heads: This means that you should focus only on the people who are talking in the video. This technique will ensure the least amount of movement, which requires the least amount of information to be streamed, and will result in a better, non-choppy streaming video.

Little Movement: Try to move the camera as little as possible while shooting the video, again because when the camera moves, the more the streaming video will jump or appear choppy. Instead, use a tripod to steady the camera.

Lighting: Lighting is also another important point when shooting streaming video. While shadows might make a video look good, they are not good for streaming video or compressing video to stream.

Zooming: Again, movement can make the video choppy because the compression will try to compensate after it has taken away the information of the movements. When shooting video, try to keep it as still as possible, with as little panning or zooming as necessary.

Background Colors: When shooting video for streaming, try to use as little dark colors as possible, as dark colors tend to make the compression more difficult, and the wrong information could be lost in the compression. Try to avoid night shots as much as possible. Another thing to remember is to make the subject of your video contrast as much as possible with the background, for the same reason. Additionally, making the background a solid, plain color with no pattern will stop the compression from losing too much information; make sure the people in the video do not wear patterned clothing either.

Things to Remember

Even though it might seem like you cannot do anything with a video that is intended for streaming, this is not entirely true. The thing about a great videographer is that even with the limiting necessities of streaming video, he or she should still be able to accomplish the tasks intended for the video itself. Additionally, if you have a cable ISP, or a fiber optic provider, you may have more bandwidth, which makes many of these limitations redundant.

 

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Transferring an 8 mm Film to a Digital Format

Posted on June 5, 2011 by tanveers

8 mm film was, at one time, the standard analog format for capturing video and saving a family’s memories. In fact, it was once thought that the 8 mm film was the best way to capture film as no one had any way of knowing how fast technology would advance between then and now, or even if it would at all. This is what makes knowing how to transfer 8 mm film to a modern digital format important, as even though many people still have 8 mm cameras, the equipment used to view the film is becoming obsolete quickly, and soon, viewing capabilities will also be non-existent. So how do you transfer 8 mm film to a digital format? Read on to find out.

Please Understand the Following…

Because there is no digital device on the market that can actively plat an 8 mm film, there is no real way to transfer the film digitally. In other words, we are going to do this the “old fashioned way.” What this means is that just as people who did not have a VCR to record television when they first came out, we are going to use a camcorder, a digital camera with video capabilities or a smartphone video camera to transfer the video. This is not even really called transferring, as what we will do is simply record the video in digital format.

Step One: Choosing Digital Devices

First, you need to determine what you will use to take the video, a camcorder, which offers a very high pixel resolution, a digital camera with video capabilities, which could have just as high a resolution as a camcorder, or a smartphone video camera, which may be decent for simply making a master. You will also need a tripod to steady the digital device with, as you don’t want to film a master that is shaking.

The recommendation is to use the device with the highest resolution so that if you need to make copies of the digital mater you are making, you can shrink it or enlarge it and it will still look ok. If you use a camera with a 5-megapixel resolution and then try to copy that to a 7-megapixel format, then it will do the same thing that photos do when they are enlarged when they are too small of a format to do so, the video will become blurry and pixelated.

The next thing you will need to determine is in what format you want your videos to be transferred in, for example, a DVD or Photo CD format. Either will work well, once you transfer the film, and they last a long time. Alternatively, you could  simply purchase an extra microSD card, or other card that fits your digital device and use it only for the digital mater of the film. This way, it is always available, and copied can be made at will.

Step Two: Prepare the Materials

Now, it is time to set up your 8 mm projector. If you do not have one, you may be able to rent one from an audio/video shop. However, if you cannot find one, you cannot complete the transfer until you do. That said, once you have found a projector, load the film into it, and then set up the projector screen. If you do not have a projector screen, a large sheet of white cardboard or poster board will work. Tape it to the wall where you will project the image of the film.

Next, turn the projector on and start the film running so that you can center it to the paper or projector screen on the wall. Once the film is centered, set up the tripod with the digital device you have chosen as the recording device. On the playback screen, make sure that the film takes up the entire screen so that filming is optimal and you have the best resolution. If you have to zoom in to get the best picture, so that the edges of the film (black or white, depending on film type and whether a projector or paper is being used) are not showing on the recording, do so, being sure that the picture is centered the entire time.

Step Three: The Transfer

Once the entire setup is ready, and you are sure that the film is centered on your digital device, it is time to begin the recording. Rewind or reload the 8 mm film to its starting point, and start it running at the same time you press record on the digital device. Simply allow both to run until the 8 mm film is finished, and that is it, your 8 mm transfer to digital media is completed.

 

 

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All About Digitizing Audio and Video

Posted on June 5, 2011 by tanveers

Some people still have old audio or video recorders that they use, whether it is because of sentiment, or they have just not gotten around to purchasing new, modern equipment. Nevertheless, before any analog video or audio can be posted to the internet or sent by email to someone, it must be transferred to digital format. There are two way to do this, either professionally, or you can do it yourself. Either way you choose to do it, you should know some things about how the process works first.

Analogue to Digital  Audio

Analogue audio is a sound that, when entered into the microphone, is represented by an electronic pulse, or sound wave, and each sound is represented by its own amplitude, used as a time function. This analogue audio signal, such as the ones that are recorded onto a cassette tape, can be transferred to a digital format, like a CD or onto a PC, and it is easy enough to do. When you digitize audio, you should keep some things in mind. For example, the digital version of the audio will not sound exactly as the original, but this is because of the method that is used to transfer the audio.

Using the Nyquist theorem, when we use a signal’s highest frequency, which for example is an “f,” then that single signal should be sampled at maximum of 21 times in one second of digital recording. Someone’s voice, a collective signal using the same theorem, would use a sampling rate of 8,000 for each second, which would use 8 bits for each sample. Once this happens, it will result in the sample being 64 KB/s (kilobytes per second) in its digital format. In all, music samplings would take a sample rate of 44,100 for each second using up to 16 bits for each sample, which means its digital counterpart will be 705.6 KB/s if in mono, and 1.477 MB/s (megabytes per second)for stereo digital sound.

Analogue to Digital Video

While digitizing video uses the same principle, it is done differently because it is a different analogue format than audio is. When people shoot analogue and digital video, what they are doing is taking so many still shots, per second, called “frames,” which are much like what happens when drawing a motion pad animation. If the still pictures move fast enough, then you have a motion video or picture. The more frames a video contains per second, the more information it contains, and the better quality video you watch, even though no standard frame rate exists. However, the typical frame rate is about 30 per second, when suing consumer quality recording devices.

Something to keep in mind is something called “flickering.” This is what happens when a frame in a video needs refreshing, and is why television studios will often use 50 or 60 frames per second, so that the frame can refresh without losing quality. Each of these frames used will eventually be divided into various grids, which are typically called pixels. These pixels will typically be equal in size, and the more pixels there are per square inch, the better a resolution is.

On a television that is black and white, the pixels represent 256 different grey, black and white shades, each of them being 8 bits per pixel. Color televisions use pixels that are 24 bits in size for each of the primary colors. A very low-resolution frame might consist of 1024 pixels wide by 768-pixels high, which is a landscape version.

Using this pixel setting would take 2 times 25-frames by a 1024 pixel by 768 pixel resolution times 24 bits, which equals a data rate of 944 MB/s, which is the standard video size. This would require the use of SONET because of the high data rate, and is the reason video gets compressed.

 

 

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