Preserve your priceless memories with DVD Your Memories’ professional Super 8 film transfer service in San Diego. Since the 1960s, families have captured birthdays, vacations, and everyday life on Super 8 reels. Unfortunately, these films won’t last forever. Our expert team uses high-quality equipment and proven restoration techniques to convert Super 8 film to digital or DVD. You can watch them without a projector while also protecting them from further deterioration.
Whether you have a few short reels or an entire archive, we provide high-quality digital conversion to bring your footage back to life. With decades of experience in home movie digitization and Super 8 film restoration, you can trust us to handle every frame with care.
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 |
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
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
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.
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.
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
Introduced by Kodak in 1965, Super 8 film was designed as an affordable, easy-to-use format for home moviemakers. Its smaller frame size and cartridge-loading system made it simpler than standard 8mm film, leading to decades of family footage being captured in this format. While Super 8 was built for convenience, it wasn’t built to last indefinitely. Colors fade, splices loosen, and the film base can deteriorate. Digitizing your Super 8 film ensures you can keep and share these memories for generations to come.
Our Competitive real-time transfer option is ideal if you’re looking for quality results at a lower cost while still preserving your cherished Super 8 footage. This process is faster than our Premium service, but it still includes the same careful attention to detail during the transfer itself. For instance, the first step in a Super 8 film transfer order is the cleaning and repair procedure. Depending on the age, condition, and type of Super 8 film stock being transferred, the cleaning process will differ, but we really do clean every inch of the film to ensure that we don’t lose any details due to grime.
We use a retrofitted projector with manual brightness control to adjust exposure as your film is being transferred in real time. Your film is projected directly into the lens of a broadcast quality 3-CCD camera rather than a screen, which preserves the details. This also ensures your scenes aren’t overly dark or washed out, even if they were shot in challenging lighting conditions.
While the Competitive Transfer does not include scene-by-scene color restoration in post-production, it still delivers a noticeable improvement over simply projecting your film at home. If your footage has minor fading but is generally in good condition, this option is an excellent value.
Our Premium real-time transfer service delivers the highest quality possible for your Super 8 to DVD transfer. This process goes far beyond a standard transfer, giving your footage new life with professional-grade adjustments made in real time and during post-production.
We use a retrofitted projector equipped with a manual brightness control; one of only a few like it in the world. This allows our technician to make instant exposure corrections while your film is being transferred. Over- or under-exposed scenes are adjusted on the spot to recover as much detail as possible. Every reel is monitored on both a standard display and a waveform monitor to ensure accuracy and adjust the back-light brightness accordingly.
Almost all Super 8 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 Super 8 film is nearly impossible to bring back to the original color vibrancy, but we can get as close as humanly or digitally possible.
Super 8 film is usually measured by the foot. To estimate the length of your reel, start by measuring its diameter.
You can use our film length chart (see the chart to the right) to quickly match your reel size to its approximate footage. Not sure if your reel is Super 8, Regular 8, or another format? Check our film conversion chart for a visual guide to help you identify it. Take a glance at our film conversion chart.
Make your Super 8 film transfer even more engaging by including professional title slides. These short video clips can be inserted anywhere in your footage to introduce scenes with titles, dates, or descriptions.
Title slides help:
You choose where to place these slides, allowing you to customize the flow and give your transferred footage a professional touch that enhances the viewing experience.
Bring your memories to life by adding a musical soundtrack to your digitized film. Whether you want to evoke the mood of a joyful celebration or create a nostalgic atmosphere, music can transform your video.
You have two options:
Our technicians are happy to advise you on the best selections and ensure smooth integration of the soundtrack for a seamless viewing experience. Adding music is an affordable upgrade that adds emotional depth and helps connect today’s viewers with yesterday’s moments.
When you open your old film reels, you might notice a strong vinegar-like smell. This odor is a warning sign of vinegar syndrome, a common form of chemical deterioration affecting many cellulose triacetate-based films made since 1948.
Vinegar syndrome occurs as the plastic film base breaks down and releases acetic acid, the main component of vinegar. This acid weakens the film physically and chemically, leading to shrinking, brittleness, and loss of image quality.
In 1948, the film industry began using cellulose triacetate as the main material used in the manufacture of film. Sadly, 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.
As vinegar syndrome progresses, your film undergoes a series of damaging changes. If you detect these symptoms, isolate affected reels immediately to prevent contamination and preserve old film reels by digitizing them promptly.
Yes, if your film has a small copper strip along the edge, it contains sound. We require the Premium Transfer service for sound capture.
DVD is the standard format and works on most players. Blu-ray stores more footage on one disc, while digital files are best for editing and archiving.
Most projects are completed in about two weeks, depending on reel quantity and condition.
Yes, our editors can remove unwanted scenes, create highlight reels, or add music for a custom final product.
Many clients ship their reels to us securely. Contact us for packing tips or to place an order online.
Your Super 8 film is a one-of-a-kind time capsule, but it’s fading fast. DVD Your Memories in San Diego is ready to protect those moments with expert Super 8 film transfer and home movie digitization. Bring your reels to our office or order online today, and enjoy your memories in a format that will last for decades.
DVD Your Memories currently offering services in these and nearby San Diego areas:
Carmel Valley, Rancho Penasquitos, Rancho Bernardo, Mira Mesa, Poway, La Jolla, Torrey Pines, Encinitas, Del Mar, Escondido
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Orange County Store
Los Angeles Store
Redondo Beach Store
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