

First, you can buy a film-to-video converter, which looks like a compact version of an old-fashioned reel-to-reel projector. The good news: “Film is a pretty sturdy medium,” says Ashley Blewer, an archivist, developer, and moving-image specialist, “so old home movies on 8 mm, 16 mm, or Super 8 reels are likely to be in decent shape.”ĭo it yourself. There are two DIY methods. Once you’ve identified the kind of film you have, you can turn it into a digital format-but it’s going to take some time and money. If the film strip is roughly two pencils wide-and on a reel that looks like the kind you might see in a documentary about the Golden Age of Hollywood-it’s probably 16 mm. Each 3-inch reel contains about 50 feet of film, good for only a few minutes of action. “Regular 8 film is about as wide as a pencil on a small reel about 3 inches in diameter,” says Howard Besser, professor of cinema studies at New York University and founding director of the NYU Moving Image Archiving and Preservation Program. If you have old reels of film in the attic packed in iconic yellow Kodak boxes, they’re probably Regular 8 or Super 8 film. A good company will also offer creative, easy to navigate menus and chapter design with moving footage, resulting in a very easy-to-use and enjoyable DVD of your precious home movies.Although Kodak released 16 mm Kodachrome film in 1935, then 8 mm (aka Regular 8) film a year later, home movies didn’t really take off until the 1960s, when Kodak released Super 8.

It will “clean-up” the material on the tapes, meaning they will eliminate the fuzzy snow, blank blue screens at the beginning, or between clips in the middle, or at the end. They will ensure your transfers’ quality by maximizing and “dialing-in” the signal that is coming off of your video to capture the best signal (remember, the tapes degrade over time). These companies take great care in the transfer of your tapes. The best option is search online for “convert VHS to DVD near me” & give your precious tapes to a verified, trusted, experienced local video to DVD transfer company specializing in transferring videotapes to DVD or digital files. VHS-C videos are more likely to be damaged during conversion due to flaws in their adapters.Ģ. The tangled film is extremely vulnerable and can become permanently damaged if mishandled. Do not try to untangle the stuck, tangled tape out of a player. If your tape becomes tangled or skips at any point, find an expert to finish the job for you. Suppose you encounter a glitch, it’s best to start the import over. Anything you do will be captured in your final digital product. When your VHS is recording, be patient and resist that urge to fast forward, rewind or pause while you import. Additional Tips and Safety During Conversionsġ.
