Super 8 Films On Vdo/vcd/dvd

[pb2003]

I have a few old super 8 films which I would like to copy on vdo/vcd or dvd. Can this be done in Chiang Mai ?

[briley]

Seem to remember yes -

Going clockwise around the moat, before you reach Taipai gate there is a big photo place that can do almost anything.

[tigerbeer]

also somewhere on the 4th floor of pantip.

[rishi]

Not quite sure whether I can handle it. We're talking about converting some (outdated) analog medium to a digital one ... That sort of thing usually requires special equipment plus special software plus special skills. Recently, I successfully figured how to convert analog mini-DVD tapes to a digital video-CD, but haven't got much of a clue on super 8 ... I am willing to give it a try, though.

In case the tips, you've got sofar, don't yield what you need, feel free to come around ... (But only if you bring your own player device) ... No cure, no charge ... PM me for location details ...

[briley]

To get a result it is not difficult to convert 8mm to video, to get a **good** result is difficult!

I did all mine using a projector and a DV camcorder - but any camcorder will do.

Simply project the film onto a screen to make the smallest picture possible. Point the camcorder at the screen and record the video. Do it in the dark. The camcorder will also pick up the sound, and coughing and the projector noise but that adds to the ambiance?

To make a better recording feed the video direct from your camcorder to your TV card in your computer and the sound from the projector direct to the sound card in your computer and record onto the computer as though recording a TV program, but set the recording to be from composite/AV/SV or what ever it is called input.

The one problem you get is that the angle for the video is wrong since you can't get the camcorder and the projector in the same spot, the recording you make is slightly out of rectangular. You can reduce this effect by putting the camcorder as near in line as possible, above, below or to the side of the projector. Or you can project onto a mirror at 45 degrees to the projector and then reflect it into the camcorder - ie the camcorder and the projector are at 90 degrees to each other. I believe this works but haven't tried is as my 8mm film was so old that 'out of square' really didn't matter.

I then played about with the video using Virtual Dub (free from somewhere?). You can cut up the picture to make it square again, remove hairs in the gate, improve contrast etc. Given lots of time you seem to be able to do almost anything with the program.

Incidentally even the cheapest of TV cards can be used to digitise the video into the computer. The quality of the cheapest card is better than the quality of domestic camcorders and definitely better than the quality of my 8mm film.

[canopus1969]

also somewhere on the 4th floor of pantip.

Was in there a week ago and a chap on the 1st floor can do the conversion

[hernik]

also somewhere on the 4th floor of pantip.

Was in there a week ago and a chap on the 1st floor can do the conversion

Hi, were you satisfied with the results, and what was the price?

[junglechef]

I got a old 16mm projector and would love to have my old family movies put on cd/vdv, anybody know anything that could be helpful (I'll go to the suggested places too)