[scottatl]

Is there some type of device that will aid in the transfer of old home movies (from the 70's) to digital.


I was thinking of playing them, and just pointing a camcorder at the screen and seeing how it turns out, but if their is a better way to do it.


If such a device exists to the public, can it be rented. It is one of those things that you want to use for a weekend, and then will never use again.

 

[empirebuilder]

Scottatl,

If you are talking about 8 mm films (Hi 8 camera, etc) then there are many services out there that will do the conversion for you. My parents actually just got a conversion done locally, it was like 17c per foot. Keep in mind of course, with 50 foot rolls of film this adds up quickly.


I think they got it done at some chain store locally, so look around and you should be able to find it. They had 8mm converted to VHS, then *eventually* I will use my Sony Digital Camcorder to translate VHS into digital Video CDS, perhaps eventually DVDs when price for media and writer comes down. I imagine you could find a service for that somewhere too if you don't have a digital videocamera.


Many of the newer video cameras have "straight thru" processing, so you hook up a VCR into the camera and it converts directly to the digital out to your computer, so you don't have to record to digital tape then replay back to computer.


Hope that helps!

 

[fv_viking]

My parents did the same. Look in your local phone book ... there are lot's of similar services available. Like eb said, the process is to go from film to vhs (creating a vhs master) and then from vhs to digital. It can be expensive, and, depending on your memories of childhood, worthwhile I think that the film is captured to VHS by (non technical talk to follow) basically playing it in a light controlled box and filming the resulting picture with a VHS camera. Then, of course, there are many ways to transfer to digital. From what I hear from my mom, the results were quite good. The company they went through put some chapter/title information into the film and put classical music over it all.


This transfer just took place last fall ... now the whole family (parents, three sisters and spouses and kids, aunt) are coming from across the country to spend the holiday (8 days) with my wife and I. I'm working hard to try to get the HT "done" (a word I use lightly since it will never really be done) so that we can spend many hours reminising our childhood.


-Viking

 

[scottatl]

I know about the services, I am hoping to obtain some degree of success with a DIY approach. My father-in-law and my dad combinied have just to much for me to pay a service.

 

[Huckster]

My brother-in-law pointed the projector at a white sheet and taped it with his cam-corder. The results are pretty good. He added a sound track later.

 

[fv_viking]

The approach of Huckster's brother-in-law is about the best you're going to get DIY. An, like I mentioned before, that's pretty much what the "professionals" do.