At 05:13 PM 4/15/2013, Christopher Satterfield wrote:
I actually know someone who uses a modern system to
convert older audio
formats to digital formats (usually FLAC). They also have a 1200dpi scanner
(so old it's SCSI) they use for film or printed pictures. Works
surprisingly well,
Some processes are better today. I recently had some old (1940s to '70s)
8 mm family movies scanned digitally.
The service cleans the film and uses a wet-gate process to reduce scratches.
They scan each frame digitally at HD resolution (1920 x 1080) using
even LED illumination. They scan the entire film edge-to-edge. Many
old cameras exposed the entire width of the film while the projector
only showed the majority of the middle, so you see more image than
ever before. I asked for a digital movie file for editing, so I sent
them a hard drive. The results are astoundingly dramatically better
from what you got from an old projector. No playback
jitter
from worn sprocket holes. Bright, even illumination.
It's far better than the film-to-VHS transfer I paid for in the early 90s.
(Private YouTube example links available on request.) All this for a
dime or two per foot. I'll be able to edit digitally and provide
family members with DVD or Bluray copies.
The same is true for restoration and duplication of old family
photographs. With a digital process, you can undo damage and
easily multiply copies.
As with the classic computer avocation, it can come with regrets, too.
I wish I would've rescued 1930s family films from a distant cousin
who passed away a decade ago. I had a VHS copy of some of his films,
but not the originals.
- John