Because we've gotten a lot of emails about this, I'm making it a new FAQ post:
The actual list is further down the page, but you really need to read everything here, in order.
Preface -- a.k.a -- Who NOT To Use for Film to DVD Transfers
If you go to Google and type in "film to DVD" or "film to DVD service" -- or almost any similar query -- you'll mostly end up with low-end slop shops and scammy-quality services as the results. Many of them are referred to in the industry as "transfer mills" because they herd your video through as quick as possible. They care about your dollars, not their quality. In fact, some of them are so bad, members have pointed out specific services in our
Myths & Misinformation forum here at The Digital FAQ.
Many of these companies are known to use sloppy amateur methods. For example, using a DV camera to videotape your film as it plays on a movie screen. That's unacceptable low quality work that you could do at home -- but of course, shouldn't, because it looks like crap.
It's also easy to permanently mess up film. Consider this:
- DVD is rather good about being resilient to "death by use" since the player does not actually touch the disc at any time, in order to play the video. A laser simply bounces off of it.
- A VHS tape is wrapped around the guts of a VCR, and I'm sure you've see a tape get "eaten" at some point in past decades. Remember that tape is a thin and flimsy polyester or similar film. The major benefit to a tape is that a person never actually handles the tape -- only the machine will come into contact with it.
- Film, however, is handled by both people and equipment. If you get some amateur to transfer your film, it could come back full of fingerprints, partially mangled or outright destroyed by John Q. Meathooks.
And as somebody who values recorded history and memories, that's horrible. Unacceptable risk!
When looking for a list of companies, Google is not your friend.
What to Look For in a Professional Film to DVD Company:
If you want quality film transfer work performed, this be sure the company fits the following 7 criteria:
1. Cleaning = Requirement. Film is dirty. Film is affected by static electricity and is itself a magnet for dust, lint and whatnot. And then it is not only stuck to the film, but it will come off in the scanner or projector, making quality even worse, as that compounded dirt is then scanned/recorded into your final digital video. Unlike tape, which is sealed or semi-sealed in a casssette, a film reel is exposed to the elements. (Yes, that includes reels stored in metal canisters. At some point, it was open.)
If the company does not pre-clean your film, look elsewhere.
2. Look at what formats are supported. A good tell for a film service is by the number of formats they support. Or at very least, in their demonstrated knowledge of formats, as found in their site documentation. For example, higher end film, such as 35mm, requires somewhat expensive hardware to process and/or convert. Companies offering 35mm work are generally very serious operations, and not "weekend warriors" that were able to cobble together a makeshift "film studio" in their strip mall location, home or garage, using homebrew gear or low-grade equipment they bought off eBay or Craigslist. (However, I would note that some facilities have built themselves around 8mm film, Super 8, 16mm and Super 16 -- one if which is on our suggestion list.)
3. Scare Tactics = Amateurs. If their site is dedicated to telling you about how horrible DVDs are, or how they have the only good method, run away. If their main message is "transfer your film nows, before it disappears forever", then find somebody else. Those who peddle themselves as all-knowing masters of a secret transfer formula are usually amateurs desperate for work. Professional companies spent their time telling your what they will be doing, rather than focusing on a list of bogeyman myths about how your film is disintegrating.
4. Bad Site = Bad Hardware = Bad Service. If the company's site looks like it was designed with Netscape Gold in 1995, then find somebody else. If the business in question won't even spend funds to create a decent site, or lacks the skills to do it themselves, then what makes you think they've spent any funds on quality hardware and software to power their operation? In some industries, this isn't a good tell -- but this is video, and video is part of the media industry. In this field, attention to aesthetics is important. If they think their rotten site looks "good enough" then imagine what your film-to-DVD work will look like!
5. Mail Your Film, Don't Look for the "Local Company". The best film transfer facilities tend to be located in private office space or warehouse space, and can only be reached by email (for initial contact) or phone. The "local guy" will usually outsource your video anyway, if they're not using amateur in-house methods. And the latter does happen quite a bit.
6. Avoid DVD Recorders!! To retain any semblance of visual quality, your film needs to be transferred to an uncompressed format, lossless format, or at worst, the DV format. (DV, not DVD.) Quite a few sloppy operations cram your film through a makeshift telecine box or projector kit, and then output the camera to a cheap DVD recorder they've bought from
Walmart or Best Buy. Even if you're seeking film to DVD work, you want the master capture to be non-DVD. And honestly, it's a good idea to request a copy of that master, be it files on a hard drive, or DV tape. Remember that DVD is compressed, and if you ever want to edit that footage, you'll get better quality from the pre-DVD version.
7. Deshake? Deflicker? Color correction? See what, if anything, the service does to address flickering and shaking. Both flickering and shaking are a direct result of the method used to transfer the video. The better the method, the less flicker or shake that must be addressed. This may or may not be an additional charge, as it's film restoration/conservation type work.
And now .... The List.
For many years, we've written suggestions through emails. And these are the companies that have always been known to perform well, both for individuals (the folks at home), as well as companies and studios in need of film transfer work.
Some Parting Thoughts...
While there are probably more decent services, remember that many of them are quite terrible. You ignore these suggestions are your own peril (or rather, the peril of your irreplaceable film).
I'll be in contact with several videographers and studio managers in coming months, with an intention to expand this list to at least 10-15 possible qualified, recommended and vetted known-good services.
As always, the goal of The Digital FAQ is the help folks like you meet your digital media needs. We may not offer high quality film work ourselves, but we're more than willing to help you locate one that does. (But if you have some video tapes laying around, and need VHS to DVD, etc -- contact us. We do tapes!)
I hope this has helped save you some effort and avoided a nightmare.
