Film To DVD Or Hard Drive Transfer

film to dvd

Free Quality Check

We will transfer one minute of any film roll before you have us do the whole project.

this is how it will go

Scanning - Same Place
Technician - Same Place
No Middleman.
Fast Turnaround.
No Risk To Lose.
Lowest Price - Guaranteed

no shooting on walls

We DO NOT Shoot On Wall

Film To DVD Process

Frame By Frame Full Frame Capture
Color Corrected Color Corrected
HD/SD HD/SD
No Flicker No Flicker

Mastering To DVD

DVD Only

Your Footage = 800 ft.(example)
Price per ft = $0.18/ft.
Transfer = $0.18 x 800= $144.00
DVD master = $49.95
Total Cost = $193.95=$193.95
(Without Tax)

DVD and Har drive Mastering

DVD & Hard Drive

Your Footage = 800 ft.(example)
Price per ft = $0.18/ft.
Transfer = $0.18 x 800= $144.00
DVD Master = $49.95
Hard Drive Mastering = $125.00*
Cost = $182.00 + $75.00+ DVD=$318.95
(Without Tax)
Note: Digitized as a .MOV or AVI file for editing.
*require a hard drive

FTP Transfer

FTP Transfer

Your Footage = 800 ft.(example)
Price per ft = $0.18/ft.
Transfer = $0.18 x 800= $144.00
DVD Master = $49.95
FTP = $125.00*
Cost = $144.00 + $125.00+ $49.95=$318.95
(Without Tax)
Note: Digitized as a .MOV or AVI file for editing.
*1 hr. of footage =13G @ 720x480

Simple Price

$0.18/Ft. for SD

$0.30/Ft. for HD

and

$0.20/Ft. for 16mm (SD)

Minimum Charge $95.00

The Cost

Reel Diameter
Ft/Roll
Price/Ft.
Cost/Reel
$Price/Ft

(HD)
Cost /Roll (HD)
3500.18$09.00$0.30$15.00
41000.18$18.00$0.30$30.00
52000.18$36.00$0.30$60.00
63000.18$54.00$0.30$90.00
74000.18$72.00$0.30$120.00
86000.18$108.00$0.30$180.00

HD vs. SD

  • Standard Definition (720 x 480, Full frame capture, No cropping)
    Film is captured with 3CCD transvideo system at 720 x 480.
  • High Definition (1080p frame by frame, No Cropping).
  • It is a slow process. Each frame is captured with an HD transvideo system on a computer's hard drive. Then by using an editing system, white balance and colors are normalized. The final video is lot better than a regular transfer.

Flicker free, focused and color corrected transfer

The technicians at Mr. Video have taken their time to make sure that your film to video project comes out better than your expectations utilizing state of the art equipment to transfer films to videos.

Remember
Never ever throw away your original films after transfer

Why Choose Us

This Is All What We DoThis Is All What We Do

We are doing film transfer and slide scanning since 1996. And we are good at it.

In House Processing.In House Processing.

All work is done at the same place where you drop it off. No THIRD party. More cost saving and security.

Personal AttentionPersonal Attention

You will be able to speak with the actual tech who will perform slide scanning.

Optional ServicesOptional Services

You can make your backup on a digital tape, hard drive or simply on a DVD.

Turn AroundTurn Around

Since we are local, we can turn around any job with in short period of time and can meet any deadline.

Compare

Original
Processed

testimonials
"Thank you for doing a truly superb job of transferring my parents' old 8mm family movies to DVD. I was concerned that the 21 reels of films has degraded and would be lost after being stored for over 30 years in my mother attic. However, the project turned out far better than I dared hope. The images were clear and the DVD played flawlessly on my home player. In addition, you handled the old film with care, and your price structure was the most competitive that I encountered.
Please pass along my appreciation and thanks to the Mr. Video staff-they obviously care about their customers and have pride in the quality of their work."
Tom
Herndon, VA


"We have seen films on our projector many times in the past. I was thrilled by the quality of the films you transferred. I will definitely recommend your services to my other friends. I will be seeing you next week as I need two copies of each master that you did."
Jennifer
Columbia, MD



I’m very thankful to you for doing such a superb job on my 16mm and 8mm films. They were stored for over 55 years and I had never known that they have a sound on them. I was a little hesitant to send the films in the mail. But you took very good care of the films. I'm very satisfied. I have found another roll of 400ft. with this letter.
Washington
Richmond, VA

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why will I need a mini-DV tape?

The miniDV tape acts as a backup in the event you lose the original DVD master or your original DVD master cannot be played because of repeated use in the DVD player. This way, you won’t have to pay to have all of your film transferred again.

 

Q: Why will I need a hard drive?

If you are planning to edit your footage then this is the option (#3) you will need. We digitize it as a .MOV or .AVI file. Hard drive lasts for approximately 3-5 years under a normal use. It is not a good media for archiving purpose.

Q: Why will I need an FTP?

If you need your footage right away and dont have the time to pickup, we can digitize and ftp to your server. Larger data can take a day to upload to the server depending on the bandwidth of you ISP. We will also need a pass and user ID to load to your server.

Q: How much footage on a DVD I can store?

Upto 2 hrs. you can put on one dvd (as a dvd-video file). Approximately, 1hr=850 ft of SD You can place more on one dvd but the qulity will be suffered.

Q: Two hrs vs. one hr. on a DVD?

A one hour DVD master is a non compressed format, whereas a two hour DVD does have a minimal amount of compression. While there is a difference in quality, it takes a well trained eye, let alone very high quality equipment to notice this difference. Most store bought DVDs utilize similar compression to allow for many hours of video on a DVD disc. Simply put, this difference is negligible.

Q: Digital tape vs. hard drive?

Hard drives are not meant to act as a long term storage solution for video and other data. They are temporary storage for the media that is going to be used for some project in the near future. External hard drives are known to crash and, most of the time, the media on the drive is unrecoverable. If a tape gets stuck in a VCR, it won’t render the whole tape unusable, only that portion of the tape that was jammed will be damaged, so you will be able save the rest of the media. Also, tapes are smaller in size compared to hard drives and do not have any electronics to get damaged, are much less susceptible to physical damage and are very easy to store.

Q: Several different types of media on DVD?

Best process will be to digitize all of them at 720x480 as .mov file on a hard drive. Then by using any program you can edit it for a DVD master.

Film To DVD Transfer

Some Useful Info For Film To DVD Process: Soundtracks and Stocks

Motion picture film can come in all sorts of versions. Although they each have their own specific characteristics, they all share a commonality as well: the essential physical structures.

Basically, all motion picture film consists of 2 parts:

1) Emulsion – This is the thin layer of gelatin where the photographic image is. It’s usually got a tacky feeling to it.

2) Base – This is the smooth side that makes up the mass of the film. The following are the 3 types of bases:

Film Bases

  1. Nitrate – In earlier days, 35mm film stocks were produced on a nitrate base. This type of film is combustible, and can’t be extinguished after it’s been lit. Instead, it just needs to be given time to burn out on its own. As such, it should be stored in a cool place that’s well vented. Nitrate itself has a sweet smell. One way to identify it is through an examination of the edges of the film.

Safety film was then introduced in the 1920’s. Lab tests can be  conducted to accurately identify if a film stock is nitrate.

  1. Acetate – The majority of 16mm and 8mm film used by independent film makers is acetate. This is commonly referred to ’safety’ film because it is not easily combustible like nitrate. Therefore, this is much safer to be used in homes. All 8mm and 16mm film used in the US is safety film.

 

  1. Polyester – This type of film came out in the 1950’s, and has become popular for 16mm film prints and negatives. Although polyester is thinner than acetate, it’s a lot stronger. Its lifespan is much longer because it’s more chemically stable and is not vulnerable to vinegar syndrome.

The Difference Between Black-&-White, and Color

There are fundamental differences between black-and-white versus color film. Black-and-white films feature images that are made of silver particles. The silver image isn’t susceptible to fading, like color dyes, unless it’s exposed to contaminants or humidity.

Most color films use chromogenic dyes while being processed. They consist of three layers of dyes – the yellow layer is considered the least stable, which is the reason why faded color films usually seem pinkish in color. There’s no way to get the color back after it’s faded.

Commercially produced films during the silent ages were usually tinted and toned. In 1935, Kodak’s reversal color process became the standard for 8mm and 16mm color films. While they were initially prone to fading, the process was improved a few years later, allowing those films to maintain their vibrance.

Technicolor came into the picture, which prevented film from fading. It was then replaced in the 1950’s by Kodak’s Eastmancolor, which was more affordable, but also more susceptible to color loss. While the stability of color dyes dramatically improved in the mid-1980’s, color fading is still a threat to film preservation. Only proper storing can prevent this.

The Difference Between Reversal and Negative

Most 16mm and 8mm film in independent films is reversal film. In this case, the same piece of film running through the camera is the same one that’s developed into a positive image for projection. When duplicates are made, however, they’re typically printed on reversal stock, which is usually much less sharp than the originals.

 

Soundtracks

Older films have two types of soundtracks:

1) Optical – These tracks are read by projecting a light beam through the film, after which a sensor translates light intensity into electrical signals which are then converted into sound.

2) Magnetic – These tracks are recorded onto oxide stripes, and are then read by the projector’s playback heads. They work similar to audiotape.

 

Soundtracks are usually recorded on separate audiotapes. After mixing, the completed audio track is transferred to film.

Super 8 & 8 mm Films

Mag and optical tracks are found on Super 8 and 16mm film. On the other hand, regular 8 is hardly ever found with magnetic stripes. A Super 8 sound-on-film system was introduced in the early 1970’s, after which cameras were then featuring microphones. Super 8 film also had sound stripes added on after processing, with soundtracks recorded after the fact.

Magnetic Sound

Film with magnetic tracks need to be taken great care of compared to silent films because they are more vulnerable to vinegar syndrome. If the film becomes wet, it’s possible that the track can get tacky and stick to the wrong side of the next film layer’s base side. This will result in a dulled version of the track when the film is stored heads-out.

Serving Area

Burke, Springfield, Fairfax, Fairfax Station, Annandale, Alexandria, Mount Vernon, Lorton, Clifton, Fair Oaks, Vienna, Mcleans, Tyson's Corner, Herndon, Reston, Chantilly, Centreville, Falls Church, Leesburg, Merrifield, Woodbridge, Manassas, Sterling, Ashburn, Great Falls, Chevy Chase, Fredericksburg, Silver Spring, Kensington, College Park, Hyattsville, Washington DC, Rockville, Bethesda, Langley Park, Greenbelt, Germantown, Georgetown, Columbia, Laurel, Burtonsville, Temple Hills, White Oaks, Wheaton, Suitland, Marlow Heights, Clinton, Lanham, Gaithersburg, Langley Park

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