Dirty little Trade Secrets about
Transferring 8mm, Super 8mm, and 16mm film to
Digital Video, DVD, Blu-ray, and Virtual Disc.

The very integrity of CD-R, DVD-R (and, we can assume Blu-ray) technology -- which are chemically very similar -- has been challenged by media experts worldwide.  Some experts -- like Kurt Gerecke, a physicist and storage expert at IBM Deutschland GmbH -- are now reporting that the life of some optical media (CD-R and DVD-R) to be only 2 to 5 years.

These statements are clearly backed by longevity tests on "dye based" platter technology -- CD-R, DVD-R and DVD+R --  conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.  Results showed that failure rates for dye based DVDs with silver backing (originally thought to have a long life) were far worse than anyone had realized.

The fall-out from this study is that Computer Industry and the Federal Government -- are ditching DVD-R, DVD+R, and CD-R for "archiving" any type of digital data or digital imagery.

Do not confuse "backups"  with "archives".  A client of ours who is a government employee provided us with the links above; He says that some government agencies -- including the Library of Congress -- are now giving caution to their employees on the use of silver backed dye based optical technology for "archives".

Does this warning extend to Blu-ray discs? What we do know about Blu-ray technology, is that it uses "blue laser technology" and DVDs use "red laser" technology -- on basically the same type disc materials. What we do know about Blu-ray is, blue laser technology can write data tracks closer together -- on a DVD sized platter. What we do know is, there are NO longevity studies for Blu-ray discs - to my knowledge. This is odd, in light of the traumatic effect of longevity studies on DVD discs -- made from very similar materials. If we follow logic, instead of some sales pitch, we are forced to form both the opinion and assumption that Blu-ray disc longevity is "like" DVD disc longevity; and, for all practical purposes, a Blu-ray disc may be "more like" a DVD -- only with a Blu-ray label -- more like a DVD, than we would "like" to think -- or, for that matter, the disc manufactures would "like us to think". 

As a result, of "too much thinking in the market place",  the disc manufacturing industry has developed an "archive gold" type technology, which claims varying longevity thresholds, with some giving themselves as high as a 200 year longevity rating -- or your money back --  with proof of purchase and proof of ID, of course;(

As of June 2011, the cheapest "archive gold" type Blu-ray disc, that could be purchase on the Internet, cost $15 plus the cost of shipping, roughly $5 dollars -- for a total "low price of $20 each. Bulk purchase could reduce that to as low as $15 each, after shipping.  My point is, "archive gold" is expensive -- especially when you must consider waste from "bad-burns", "failed burns", "power outages" -- waste that is always associated with the duplication process -- for any number of the most "dog-goned" reasons. This factor puts "archive gold" expenses right up there with the cost of (more forgiving) Flash Drive, SDHC card, and hard drive prices.

For Example: Given the fact that prices for hard drive technology has plummeted over the last year,  you can now buy a 500Gb hard drive for roughly the same cost of buying 3 or 4 "archive gold" type Blu-ray discs -- which will store only 25Gb each.

In the ComputerWorld warning -- on the use of CD-R, DVD-R and DVD+R for "backups" -- corporate wisdom is to "back up" your "backups" every 2 years -- for data -- and every 5 years for digital images, like video and pictures. As for "archiving", their word of wisdom was: use nothing but metal particle magnetic digital tape for an archive -- and keep at least one "archive backup" of that.

What they did not address, what the "transfer mills" don't tell you,  is the fact that all video data -- expressed as a "video format" --  is NOT created equal; that in fact, some video "formats" are crippled by design and "very lossy" -- like MEPEG-2, the default format of a DVD; and MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264, the default formats of Blu-ray. These formats are far  inferior --  in many ways -- to "lossless" or "lightly lossy" video formats.

My point is, even though you may want to "archive" a format -- like a Blu-ray H.264 BD format, for HDTV -- the format itself is NOT "archive worthy" - because it is far inferior to the original HD raw video -- captured from your original movie film. More on this later.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST:  The Blu-ray Scam

Transfer mills don't tell you this one for sure. The victim in this scam thinks s/he is buying a High Definition (HD) Product Blu-ray product for an HDTV -- but instead pays a premium price for a fake Blu-ray.

The Scam: The transfer mill takes a DVD -- using MPEG-2 format -- and copies the MPEG-2 disk image onto to a Blu-ray Disc. This is fast and easy to do. Since Blu-ray technology is backwards compatible with DVD technology, the MPEG-2 video "plays just fine" -- when plugged into a Blu-ray player. The Blu-ray disc -- with DVD quality video -- is then sold to the victim as a "Blu-ray" disc.  The finishing touch to this scam, is that the "transfer mill"  uses a cheap "gold tinted" disc -- which are manufactured as an "archive gold" "knock-off disc".  In reality, this "knock-off disc" is a generic Blu-ray with a "gold tint" to the face of the disc and has the word "gold" somewhere on the packaging -- which is deceptive advertising, in my opinion. In the end, the "transfer mill" has used a cheap to produce, inferior video format, and cheap "knock-off" media to make a huge margin of profit -- for minimal work.  The victim can view their movie film images on their new HDTV, knows something is wrong, but can not put a finger on it. If they confront the "transfer mill" they are just told the problem is they have "crummy movie film". This scam can be detected using a computer - if the victim knows what to look for.

Reducing all this information to a point -- once people know "the truth", they are reluctant to buy an expensive "archive gold" type disc to "archive" lowest grade video formats -- or even to "set themselves" up for a Blu-ray scam. Knowing what to ask for is second only to, knowing who to ask.

Do you still want you movie films "archived" -- to an "off the shelf" DVD or Blu-ray?

What do we do?

We capture your movie film, as raw video, into a format best matched to your needs -- like Apple ProRes, DVCPRO, DVCPRO HD, Digital Video (DV). All these formats are 1) full frame for all frames, 2) higher resolution than the resolution of your original movie film, and 3)  used in editing software on 64 bit, multi-core, state-of-the-art PC and Mac computers. Using one these formats, after Re-Colorization of the images, we then make Blu-ray and DVD Virtual Movie Disc ™, and then, physical discs.

NOTE: DV format, originally used on MiniDV tape, is most widely used by the public on single and dual core, 32 bit (older) computers, and for use with the broadest selection of editing software on both PC and Mac computers -- new and old. DV format is still used by many news professionals due to its flexible properties to be 1) up-scaled to HDTV and 2) down-scaled to Webcasting, and 3) used as an instant "archive" when retained on MiniDV tape. Newer Cameras -- using SDHC cards and AVCHD format -- can NOT satisfy these criteria.

Right now, your original movie film is your master. In fact, there is no copy, of any kind, of your original movie film.

What is worse, you have almost "used it up". Your original movie film is "going bye - otherwise, you would not be reading my website.

You need the digital equivalent of your movie film - in every way - to preserve what is left of your movie film, that is to say, preserve the earliest record "moving images" of your family roots - which will forever be priceless to your progeny - unless you screw up now.

FACT: Your movie film is "high resolution" - your "digital master" should be as well.

FACT: Your movie film is made up of "full frame pictures" - thousands of complete pictures - so should your "digital master".

Worse yet, just to give you the proper perspective on DVDs made by the transfer mills, the DVDs (single layer DVDs) made on a computer are about half the resolution of DVDs (double layered DVDs) that come from the "video store", because they have a smaller capacity.

Does that mean that a DVD, made by most transfer mills, might rival only the home-made quality of a VHS video tape? Does that mean you can forget about ever seeing the quality of your original movie film?

Yep!

Pseudo-technocrat Note: Did you ever wonder why it takes 2 DVD-Rs, made on a computer, to copy (rip or steal) 1 DVD VIDEO from the video store? (Not that YOU have ever tried to steal a DVD - but that you have just wondered about such technological things that your golf buddy mentioned to you?)

Details about MPEG2 compression and DVDs can be found in the tutorial.

So, the first frame of your movie film - of your grandmother - is whole but compressed like a web JPEG image. Good quality if properly done.

Now, let's talk about the second, third, etc., frames (of your grandmother).  All subsequent frames (of your grandmother) are only "partial frames" (of your grandmother's eye blinking and teeth and gums smiling).

This Dirty Little Trade Secret™ becomes more shady, because what they, the transfer mills, don't tell you is ALL duplicate frames (of your grandmother) are effectively thrown away.

Not much left of your "original movie film resolution"?
Not much left of your "original movie film frames"?
Not much left of your "original movie film" period!

Why do you think they call MPEG2 compression "lossy"?
Still want your movie film archived to DVD?

Details about MPEG2 compression and DVDs can be found in the tutorial.

In the previous Dirty Little Trade Secret™, you learned that DVD MPEG2 format throws out "every other 'little line'" of EVERY picture of your original movie film (of your grandmother); and DVD MPEG2 format throws out EVERY duplicate frame (of your grandmother); and DVD MPEG2 throws out every thing but the essentials of all partial frames (of your grandmother).

Transfer mills would like you to believe that a video CODEC (Coder/Decoder) will magically re-create everything -- that was thrown away -- into something that rivals your original movie film? Dream on!

If you try to convert, "up-res" (not just copy) your DVD to a Blu-ray, what will actually happen is the video CODEC will manufacture 'filler" for EVERYTHING that is "miss-matched" or 'missing" to the HD format.  This "filler" is called a digital artifact.

If you ever sat too close to the screen at the movie theater, then you "get the picture" -- that is to say, you do NOT get all the picture.

If you have ever tried to enlarge a newspaper picture on a copy machine, then you "get the picture" -- or NOT!

If you have ever tried to digitally enlarge a still photograph -- beyond the size of its actual pixels -- then you "get the picture" -- little square digital blocks, all over every thing.

If you have ever tired to "zoom in" into a picture on your computer "too much", then you "get the picture" - the same kind of picture you will get from trying to "enlarge", "zoom", or otherwise "convert" a DVD MPEG2 into a "high resolution" digital video format.

Still want your 8mm and Super 8 movie film transferred directly to DVDs?

You can "edit" using the MPEG2 format. There are a few little problems however...

1. The video and audio sometimes do not synchronize so the final picture (of Grandmother) is not in "lip synch" with what she was saying, because of timing issues with re-compression.
   But, "You can edit MPEG2".
2. The video colors (of Grandmother's skin and dress) tend to smear due to "transcoded" technology - changing from one MPEG2 stream to the new MPEG2 stream - replacing missing key frames and adding new delta frames as "best guesses" on the part of the encoder.
   But, "You can edit MPEG2".
3. The video image itself (of Grandmother) tends to have digital blocks from re-compression or Transcoding.
   But, "You can edit MPEG2".
4. The original MPEG2 images (of Grandmother) are not the same as the edited version (of Grandmother) because of the nature of the MPEG2 compression.
   But "You can edit MPEG2".

In summary, edited MPEG2 files (DVDs) have introduced both old analogue 'generation loss" and a new kind of digital "generation loss" into video (of your grandmother);
BUT, "You can edit MPEG2".
What is more, all the "old generation loss" and "new generation loss" will be introduced to ALL future generations -- of both your video (of your Grandmother) and all generations of your family - to remember you by;
BUT, "You can edit MPEG2";
and get "digital artifacts" and "audio to video" disjunction...
and you can't convert your newly edited MPEG2 files to higher resolution video formats without major digital artifacts reinforced and new ones added to your previous low-resolution digital artifacts.
But, "You can edit MPEG2".
No one will want to watch it a second time.
But, "You can edit MPEG2".

You say you want to edit Blu-ray H.264 BD. Forget it. It is like trying to edit MPEG2 -- on steroids. Some editor software -- like Final Cut Pro --  will not even load the format.

Your movie film is high resolution now. There's no reason to step back from that and accept a lower resolution digital "copy".

The purpose of a digital transfer is to preserve those images and to expand your ability to view and make use of them. Any transfer worth your money will:

• Deliver resolution high enough to see your movie film as it is now -- with grain and emulsion clearly visible -- all the good, bad, and beautiful.
• Be transportable, both from media-to-media as well as physically -- on its original media
• Be flexible enough to be easily used, edited and re-stored on new media with no "generational loss".
• Prevent catastrophic loss of your family memories--  by being easily duplicated and stored -- as an archive, away from your viewing copies.

For example, a small gauge, home movie transfer using a "telecine projector" - a movie projector with a built-in camera - uses old analogue, composite video signals. We, the public and the video industry, now regard "composite video" as a "low grade". There never was a small format movie film "telecine projector" made, that had anything but "composite video out" (VHS quality). Yet the internet is filled with "transfer mills", that "hype or hide" their use of these old telecine projectors -- calling them digital scanners -- because they plug the composite out RCA jack into a capture card, which digitizes the garbage coming out of the backside of their "scanner".

What transfer mills "hide" is the Dirty Little Trade Secret™ that any resulting movie film to tape transfer from an old, small gauge telecine projector would be the near-equivalent quality of an old VHS tape. Yet that's what they use to make their single-layer DVDs. It does not matter that they dup that same video signal onto a high resolution MiniDV tape after the fact -- or during the fact (as a synchronous product). Their video quality is still only VHS quality - which is to say, only single Layer DVD-R quality; Ok, not exactly, but close enough. "Garbage in; garbage out." Adding insult to injury, if a transfer mill "dups" (duplicates) a VHS or DVD quality video onto a MiniDV, then they "dupe" you as well - making you think, in error, that you have a "digital master". They call it, "a MiniDV copy" and usually offer it as an "add-on". This is akin to the "Blu-ray Scam" -- copying a DVD to a Blu-ray disc -- and charging HD prices for it.

When you want to transfer 8mm movie film to DVD, the Dirty Little Trade Secrets™ you don't know, really will hurt you -- and all generations of your family, and your movie film.

Transfer mills want you to think that you can NOT get a "telecine transfer" without using a "telecine projector". The truth is, there are many ways to get a "telecine transfer" without using a "telecine projector".  We ditched some "telecine projectors" years ago -- because their output was composite video -- and because the built-in cameras did not have 3-chip technology to achieve Digital Video (DV) standards.

Confused? You should be. You have not read my tutorial yet. Read on!

Concerned? You really should be. If you make a decision right now, without reading my tutorial, then your odds of making the wrong decision are very good. At this moment, you would be taking a "wild shot in the dark" - with a lot of money - say nothing of risking the future longevity and integrity of your home movies.