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Super 8 to DVD / VHS Conversion Issues
Most people do not have the equipment to convert a Super 8 film to DVD or VHS in their own home. Here are some tips on what to look for when you choose a processing shop.
First, if at ALL possible, have your Super 8 transferred directly to DVD. Do NOT go to VHS as an intermediate step. If you have had your Super 8s moved to VHS in the past, it might be time to send them back out for direct DVD transfer. VHS tapes were very low quality and often would cut off the edges of the super 8 video. It is only by going from Super 8 to DVD that you keep the quality of the original film intact.
The highest quality transfer process involves scanning each frame of the original super 8 image with a film scanner. This means that you aren't exposing the film to the wear and tear of running high speed through a machine. Many Super 8s at this point are 20 or more years old and could easily scratch or break. The film scanner should be at 525 or more lines of resolution, which is the resolution of the source film. This helps keep the finished product free of light issues, free of 'shake' issues, and be as perfect a copy as could exist. This transfer tends to cost more money than other versions, but what you get is indeed the 'best possible' version of the tape. If you have this done, you could put the tapes into a safety deposit box, because while they degrade, your DVD versions are now perfect copies that will last forever.
Next in quality is the small glass screen projection. In essence a projector displays the film on a small square of glass not far from the projector. Because the resulting image is very close to the source lens, it is very crisp and clear, with a lot of detail. That image is then digitally recorded and sent into a computer for cleanup and writing to a DVD.
Finally, the lowest quality choice involves the original movie being projected onto a regular, full white screen. A video camera is in essence then aimed at that screen and records what it sees. Since no screen is 100% clean and white, this leads to a number of problems. The screen has fluctuations, the light in the projector has fluctuations, and the Super 8 film spinning through the projector has shakes and fluctuations. The resulting DVD you shoot is perhaps an accurate representation of what showed up on the screen, but it is not a high quality version of what is actually on the source tape.
DVD, VHS & Super 8 Information
Super8 / VHS / DVD Conversion Main Page
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