Transfer 16mm Film in San Diego
When it comes to 16mm film transfer, DVD Your Memories San Diego is the leader of the pack. We have custom built machines and the best trained staff around. We use the top of the line 100 year archival DVDs that stand the test of time so your memories are safe for the next generations to enjoy and to embrace. Stop by today.
Film Transfer Pricing
| Reel Size | Premium Film Transfer | Competitive Film Transfer |
|---|---|---|
| 3" (50 ft.) | $23.49 | $13.49 |
| 5" (200 ft.) | $93.99 | $53.99 |
| 7" (400 ft.) | $187.99 | $107.99 |
| Over 7" | Please contact us for a quote | |
| Transfer to DVD or Hard Drive | Included in the cost of film transfer* | |
| Transfer to DVD and Hard Drive | $20 | $20 |
| Transfer to Blu-ray | $50 | $50 |
| Custom Menus | $30 for first page, $10 for each additional page | $30 for first page, $10 for each additional page |
| Features | Competitive Film Transfer | Premium Film Transfer |
|---|---|---|
| All film cleaned and lubricated | ||
| Film spliced onto new 400' reels | ||
| 100-year archival DVDs | ||
| Compatibility guaranteed | ||
| Real-time manual back-lighting control | ||
| Scene-by-scene color restoration in post-editing |
- * Transfer to hard drive or DVD is FREE if that is your first format. If you’d prefer your film transferred to both hard drive and DVD formats, the cost is only $20.00 more.
- Additional discs of selected footage is just $10 per additional disc.
- Blu-ray discs are BD-R, a BD-R compatible player is required for playback. All film transferred to Blu-ray will be in standard definition
Edit Your Old Home Movies!
Do your old home videos have footage you would like to take out? Or maybe you want to make a highlight video of your daughter’s dance performances? Work with one of our professional editors one-on-one to make the perfect custom movie. It’s quick and less expensive than you think!
$40 per half hour
Music!
For as low as $20, add a soundtrack to your old movies to make them sing! Bring us your own music, or take a listen to our sample stock music that can be used to add a whole new dimension to your film to DVD transfer. Ask your film transfer technician for more information.
As little as $20
Transfer to Hard Drive
This is recommended if you are going to edit your footage. If you’d like your files split by reel in increments of less than 400 feet, please add $2 per split. Click here for hard drive pricing… If you are bringing in your own hard drive with data on it, there is a $15 setup fee. There is no fee if your drive has no data on it, we can delete any data on it, or if we’ve provided the drive for you.
Transfer to Blu-ray
Upgrade to Blu-ray and experience the future of family media. With a Blu-ray disc, you can fit up to five times the amount of footage than a normal DVD could. Save on multiple multiple copies by going to one Blu-ray disc instead! Click here for more information.
Extra Copies
Sharing your memories with others? We provide extra CD/DVD copies packaged and ready for only $10 each and Blu-ray for only $20 each.
$10 per CD / DVD
$20 per Blu-ray
Film Transfers with Sound
You can tell if your film has sound by looking for a small copper band along the edge.
Our Premium Film Transfer service is required for capturing sound from Super 8mm.
Geek Corner
16mm Film to DVD Transfer
The Competitive 16mm Film Transfer
Once the 16mm film has been prepped, it is time to perform the telecine transfer. Your film is projected directly into the lens of a broadcast quality 3-CCD camera.
NOTE: When comparing 16mm film transfer companies, always ask for the method of transfer. There are many companies out there which simply project your film onto a screen and record that image with a camcorder. This is not a quality transfer method and you will lose detail in your film.
Please contact our film transfer technician if you would like to view a full quality demo reel.
Premium 16mm Film Transfer
Our retrofitted projector is one of the few in the world that has a manually adjustable brightness control which can make under or overexposed scenes look much better. The transfer technician will watch your 16mm film on a standard monitor as well as a waveform monitor and adjust the back-light brightness accordingly. This type of brightness adjustment is not available at most other companies.
The Premium transfer also includes scene-by-scene color correction. Almost all 16mm film will shift in color over time (usually to blue or red). The film transfer technician will go scene-by-scene (a very time-consuming process) to correct all discoloration. Please note that severely discolored or extremely dark 16mm film is nearly impossible to bring back to the original color vibrancy, but we can get as close as humanly or digitally possible.
Determining the Length of Your 16mm Film
16mm film is typically measured by the foot. To get the approximate footage of your reel, you first must measure the diameter of your reel. Most of the consumer format reels we see are about 3 inches in diameter, which are 50 feet long. Use the chart to the right to figure out the approximate footage of your 16mm film. Unsure of what kind of film you have? Take a glance at our film conversion chart.Title Slides
Stock Music Examples
Cellulose Triacetate Degradation or “Vinegar Syndrome”
In 1948, the film industry began using cellulose triacetate as the main material used in the manufacture of film. Sadly, 16mm film was just not made to last forever. Every day more and more people are realizing this fact, as their film collections have been degrading for years. The term “vinegar syndrome” is derived from the fact that once cellulose triacetate breaks down, it releases acetic acid, which is the key ingredient in vinegar and responsible for its acidic smell. Film is more prone to this condition if stored in warmer, tropical climates as opposed to dry, colder climates. The chemical instability of this material, which was unrecognized at the time of its introduction, has since become a major threat for film collections.
With acetate film, acetyl groups are connected to a long chain of cellulose molecules. After being exposed to heat, moisture, or acids, these chains break from their molecular bonds, which result in acetic acid being released. The acid is first released inside the plastic, but slowly diffuses to the surface, causing a vinegar odor.
The degradation process is detailed below:
- During the initial breakdown, acetic acid is released, causing a strong vinegar smell. This marks the first stage of the degradation process.
- Next, the plastic film base becomes brittle, which in turn weakens the film, causing it to break apart into pieces at the slightest touch.
- After the plastic base degrades, the film will begin to shrink. With advanced degradation, 16mm film can shrink up to 10%!
- As the acetate base shrinks, the emulsion does not shrink, which will then cause buckling, referred to archivists as “channelling”.
- Cystalline deposits or small bubbles will form on the emulsion. These are evidence of plasticizers, additives to the plastic base, becoming incompatible with the film base and oozing out on the surface. This discharge of plasticizers is a sign of advanced degradation.
- In some cases, pink or blue colors appear in some sheet films. This is caused by antihalation dyes, which are normally colorless and incorporated into the gelatin layer. When acetic acid is formed during deterioration, the acidic environment causes the dyes to return to their original pink or blue color.
From the Blog
Benefits of Transferring Your Media Locally!
DVD Your Memories is one of the few companies primarily built for our local customers who wish to transfer their old memories and convert them to a more modern format, such as local VHS to DVD in Orange County, slide scanning to DVD Los Angeles, and transfer audio cassettes to CD. VHS tapes in particular...Read More
Preparing Your 8mm Film for Transfer
To ensure that your film to DVD transfer achieves the best possible quality, cleaning and conditioning your film prior to transfer is crucial. Cleaning and prepping your film for transfer can be a time-consuming process, but will ensure optimal transfer quality. There are actually several different factors that can lead to quality issues of 8mm...Read More
More Than 70 Percent Of America’s Silent Films Are Gone!
A study from the Library of Congress reveals for the first time how many feature films produced by U.S. studios during the silent film era still exist, what condition they’re in and where they are located. As you may have guessed, the news isn’t great. According to the study, nearly 75 percent of American silent...Read More
Benefits of Local Video Transfers, Scanning and Other Media
When dealing with the conversion and transfer of precious family media, many people are apprehensive about shipping their memories across the country. Most are worried about the potential to lose your package in the mail, plus the thought of your media being handled and transferred by someone you’ve never met or spoken to may be...Read More
Scanning photos contained within a photo album can often be a tricky and time-consuming process. Allow us to do the work for you! Simply bring in your photo albums and our skilled image technician will carefully scan each and every photo in your albums using our high quality flatbed scanners, and then place the images back in their original placement within the album.
Areas Served
DVD Your Memories currently offering services in these and nearby San Diego areas:
San Diego Cities
Carmel Valley, Rancho Penasquitos, Rancho Bernardo, Mira Mesa, Poway, La Jolla, Torrey Pines, Encinitas, Del Mar, Escondido