How to Convert Super 8mm to DVD

While most metropolitan areas have post-production companies that offer services for converting old Super 8mm film to DVD, they are often expensive. In addition, there is such a small market for this type of video/film transfer service that companies who once offered the service years ago may be phasing it out or charging more, because their equipment is becoming older, more antiquated and harder to repair with each passing year.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 8mm projector
• Camcorder of acceptable quality (3CCD, or consumer-grade 720p or 1080i camcorder)
• Telecine transfer box or white screen/board
• IEEE 1394 firewire cable or USB cable
• Computer that supports firewire and/or USB
• Video editing and/or DVD authoring software

1. 

   Plan for how much footage you need to transfer. Make sure you have enough mini DV tapes for your camcorder, or memory card/portable hard drive space if your camcorder uses those formats instead of tapes.

2. Clean your Super 8mm film with appropriate lubricants and a soft cloth. Film Guard is a lubricant specifically made for cleaning film.

3. Project the 8mm film onto a screen or whiteboard so your camcorder can film the image. White printer paper may also be suitable. The camcorder and film projector should be side by side and about one foot apart from each other, and the screen or whiteboard should be between 4 and 6 feet in front of them.

4. Play your Super 8mm film on the projector and begin recording the screen with your camcorder. You only need the projected image to be large enough for a camcorder to film it from several feet away. Do not compromise the film's image quality by making the projected image too large.

5. Transfer your video from the camcorder to your computer's hard drive. Most mini DV camcorders will connect to a computer with a IEEE 1394 firewire cable (or sometimes with a USB cable), but some newer models record directly onto memory cards or portable hard drives. Make sure your computer's hard drive has enough space to accommodate all of your footage.

6. Use your editing software to make edits to your film. Most computers come with programs that allow basic video editing, such as Windows Movie Maker. If you have software to burn DVDs, create your titles, menus and chapters. Then burn your disc.

Tips & Warnings

• If you do not have a computer with basic editing and DVD authoring software, you can use a DVR (aka, a DVD recorder-- usually available for very low prices at eBay, or even pawn shops) with RCA inputs (the audio/video cables with a yellow, red, and white end). Your camcorder must have these inputs as well. While recording the 8mm film projected onto the screen/white board, have the RCA cables going from the outputs on the camcorder to the inputs on the DVR. The DVR will be recording what the video camera sees, which will be your screen. When you've finished recording, finalize your DVD on the DVR and play it back in a commercial DVD player to ensure everything worked properly.

Resources

• Photo.net - Video Forum