If you’ve decided to have a professional film or video transfer company do the work of transferring your film to DVD, you’ll save yourself the work of buying telecine equipment, video capture devices, VCRs, a 3CCD video camera, blank DVDs, a time-base corrector, a DV tape deck, etc. There’s a lot of stuff (expensive stuff) you need if you’re going to do it and do it correctly!
Video Transfer Service Company Questions to Ask
You have seen the ads online, and maybe even the auctions on eBay for companies who will transfer a reel of your Super 8 film for $10 or a VHS tape for $20. They promise to transfer your video to a DVD. But how do you know they will do the job correctly? Will you ever see your video again? Who are these people??
Here are the things you need to find out when considering hiring anyone to transfer your film or video:
- How much experience they have. How many years they have done this work. How many times they have done this.
- What pieces of equipment they use during each step of the process.
- What method they use for film transfer.
- What are the total fees they charge for a job and what exactly is included with their price.
You will want a transfer company that will provide you with the following:
- Full-frame, flicker-free film transfer
- Color-correction of the captured video or film
- Backup of all raw captures on MiniDV or other DV tape
- A written contract that specifies how they compensate in case of loss or damage
Video or Film Transfer Company Dangers
Many times, the profession film editing “company” asking for your business is a guy who is working out of his basement. If his house burns down, or if his equipment damages your only copy of your home movies on videotape - you’re very likely out of luck. You should be aware that anyone can advertise just about anything on the web. Be careful that you are hiring a genuine company with a solid reputation!
Let’s make this simple - in this world, you can only choose two from the following list:
- Good film transfer
- Fast film transfer
- Cheap film transfer
Best Quality Film/Video Transfer
To get the best and fastest film-to-video, you’re going to have to hire a company that specializes in 8mm or Super 8 film/video transfers. The advantages of paying the right video company are obvious: experience, quality equipment, reliability, and just general knowledge of HOW to transfer film or video.
Where videotape (like Beta or VHS) is concerned, a reputable company may have equipment that is way out of your budget - especially when dealing with outdated video tape formats. Sure, you can buy an ancient Beta video tape player on eBay - but can you clean it, fix it, and maintain it?
If you endeavor to do your own film transfers, you will probably have a steep learning curve and it will take you much longer. Not to mention, you will have to invest in a telecine device or video capture devices and additional editing equipment. Keep this in mind, and read out page on How to Choose the Best Telecine Film Transfer Service.
Cheapest Film/Video Transfer
Often, the most economical way - if you have the time and wish to do the work - is to buy the equipment and DIY (do it yourself). But if you have less than 7000 feet of film or less than 20 videotapes, it might make more sense to hire a company (depending on how much they charge). You have to determine the break-even cost of DIY 8mm film transfer vs. paying to have telecine film transfer work done for you.
The main pros of DIY telecine or video transfer are as follows:
- You have full control of the process
- You can try and retry if you aren’t happy with initial results
- You can take your time to do the job and do it right
- You personally know what is best to leave in or cut out when editing
- It may cost you less in the long run if you have a lot of film or videotapes
The main cons of DIY transfers are as follows:
- A steep learning curve
- A heavy time investment
So, is “doing-it-yourself” the best way for you to go, or is hiring a professional the best option? Only you can decide - but now you know the options and a few factors to consider before making that decision.
