Transfer Your Home Movies or Video to DVD or Blu-Ray High Definition DVD

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Frequently Asked Questions / Film Basics

Ferin Films can transfer your home movies to standard definition or high definition DVD and Blu-ray video discs.

What Kind of Film Do I Have?

Regular 8mm and Super 8mm films are both the same width. The big difference is that the sprocket holes are much smaller on Super 8 film. The reduced size allows for a larger picture area on Super 8 films. 16mm films are twice the width of 8mm films. 16mm films can have sprockets on one side or both sides of the film.

Another difference is in the reel itself. The hub of a super 8 film reel is larger than the regular 8 film reel.

How Much Film Is On My Reel?

The picture above shows a 50’ reel of film. The most common size of home movie reels are 50’, 200’ and 400’. Other sizes are available, but they are much less common.

Reel Size	Feet	Approximate Time 18fps
3”	50’	3.5 minutes
4”	100’	7 minutes
5”	200’	14 minutes
7”	400’	28 minutes
8”	600’	35 minutes
10’	800’	55 minutes
12”	1200’	70 minutes

Is My Film Sound or Silent?

Your film has sound if it has magnetic stripes on it. There will be 2 stripes. Most films will be mono even if there are two stripes. In the 80s, a movement started to use both stripes for stereo sound. Note that there are also super 8 films that have optical sound, but those are far less common.

I Have Little Video Tapes, What Are They?

Ferin Films can transfer your films from VHS, Mini-DV, Hi-8 and Digital 8 tapes. VHS are the large, common tape size. We can transfer VHS tapes from the USA, which use the NTSC standard. We also can transfer VHS tapes that are recorded in the European PAL format and convert them to the NTSC format.

This is a mini-DV tape. It can hold standard definition or high definition video.

This is a hi8 tape. It can hold a high quality analog hi-8 signal or a digital 8 signal.

Can the Color of My Films Change?

Unfortunately, yes…. BUT, how much it changes depends on the kind of film. Some film stock will retain its color for a long time, other film stock will fade over time. If your film is Kodak Kodachrome, then your color should last a long time. You may have heard of “LLP”. LLP means Low Fade Positive Print and it was made by Kodak.

Other film stocks such as Eastmancolor or Fiji Color made pre-80s will fade. The blues may fade away completely over time, making the film go pink, and then red. This subject can go very in depth.

Kodak film was very popular for home movies. Take a look at the SAMPLES page. There you will see film from the 50s and 60s that was shot with Kodak film and still has a strong color palate. Then look at the sound Elmo Stereo sample. This was circa early 1980s and printed with inferior stock. You can see the blues are going away in this film. If you purchased any commercial color films in the 70s or 80s, films like Star Wars, The French Connection, Jaws, or other such films, they are probably all pink by now. It is unfortunate. The good news is that those films are all available on DVD and there is a very good chance your home movies probably still good!

There hasn’t been a better time to get home movies transferred. Don’t wait! Time can continue to reduce the life of your films. Let us help you get your films put onto DVD for you and your kids to enjoy!

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Ferin Films – Your Source for Film to DVD Transfers

www.ferinfilms.com