How Much Does it Cost to Transfer 8mm Film to DVD?
When it comes to preserving 8mm film, many people are opting to transfer their footage to a more modern and convenient format like DVD. Here's why: film deteriorates and slowly becomes irreparable over time. Film projectors are also uncommon and handling them is a hassle. Digitizing 8mm film and turning them into DVDs give your precious memories a new life, making them easier to view and share for generations.
How Much Does it Cost to Transfer 8mm Film to DVD?
One of my favorite sayings is that you get what you pay for, but many companies will tack on hidden fees and the product won't be worth it. Or, they will either overlook ripped and damaged strips, leaving unprocessed film. That you PAID to get converted. Going to a professional company the first time saves you money and stress.
I will break down the factors influencing the overall cost and provide you with all the info you need. If you don't want to read through this entire article, please allow me to suggest Forever Studios, the country's only affordable consumer market film transfers with extensive high-definition up-scaling and AI enhancements. It's important to go to a legitimate film transfer company that knows how to take care of your entire project.
FILM LENGTH INFLUENCES THE PRICE OF CONVERSION
The length of your 8mm film will play a significant role in determining the cost of the transfer. Typically, companies charge per foot of film, so it stands to reason that the longer the film, the higher the cost.
CONDITION OF THE FILM INFLUENCES THE PRICE OF CONVERSION
If your 8mm film is old or damaged, it may require additional restoration work before being transferred to a DVD copy. Cleaning, repairing torn or loose sections, and color correction contribute to the overall cost and incur additional charges.
QUALITY AND RESOLUTION INFLUENCES THE PRICE OF CONVERSION
Another consideration is the quality of the final product. Different companies may offer various levels of quality and resolution when it comes to transferring 8mm film to DVD. The more premium options will generally cost more, but they can provide a more enhanced and visually appealing result.
What Are Premium 8mm Film Conversion Options?
Premium options often involve higher-resolution scans, advanced color correction, and frame-by-frame digital restoration. These techniques can significantly improve the transferred footage's overall image quality, clarity, color accuracy, and detail. However, these premium services usually come at a higher cost compared to standard transfers.
Walmart's Film Conversion Services
Walmart's conversion service is just Capture,one of their partners.
WALMART’S 8MM FILM CONVERSION PRICING:
$15.96 for 1 reel with 50 feet of film. Each additional foot is an additional 20¢. Here's where they get you, though, the basic service only gets you a digital copy. Getting DVD or thumb drive copies is extra ($3.96 and $12.96 respectively). Oh! And do you wanna know the kicker? If your film has audio (look for magnetic tape on the film strips), it costs an additional $11.96 to add it. In yet another attempt at nickel-and-dimming you, shipping is $10.99 unless you drop your media off and pick it all up at Walmart.
WHAT YOU GET AT WALMART:
60 days of access to MemoryCloud and whatever additions you pay for. At least you can download the final digital copy to your computer or Google Photos.
If you choose to go with Walmart, create an online order and send your film to Walmart's Photo department at your local store, or print the provided shipping label and send the reels via UPS. After 3-4 weeks (bloody yikes, that's a long turn-around time), the film reels will be sent back, and you'll have access to your digital file.
The KODAK Digitizing Box
The KODAK Digitizing Box, at the time of writing this article, is advertised as half off. $34.99 for two items, $150 for ten, $300 for twenty, and $600 for forty. In terms of how many pieces of media you can send in, those are your only options. There's no flexibility, which kinda sucks. The price includes 30 days of access to a digital movie file, like most other conversion services. Physical additional copies are, of course, EXTRA. The available thumb drive and digital disc set options ratio to the number of items in the box. So, if you get a box for two items, they're $9.99 each. Ten items are $19.99 each, twenty is $39.99, and forty is $79.99.
WHAT'S CONSIDERED ONE ITEM IN THE KODAK DIGITIZING BOX?
One item is equivalent to one reel, one tape, or a pack of 25 photos. The KODAK Digitizing Box is a typical shipping service that includes an instructions guide, barcode's to tag your media, the shipping box (of course), and a prepaid UPS® return shipping label. All items are "carefully digitized by hand in the United States." The turnaround time is 10-12 weeks, which is incredibly long in my opinion, but what do I know?
Costco’s Film Transfers
Costco’s film transfers, like Walmart’s services, are outsourced to Capture. Pricing starts at $19.99 , and a digital format download is available through MemoryCloud for 90 days.
COSTCO’S DVD AND USB OPTIONS
1 USB: $24.99 for the first 150 feet of film. The website states there is no size limit on the USB.
2 DVDs: $19.99 for the first 150 feet. Each DVD stores approximately 1,600 feet of film with “automatic smart chapters, highlight videos, and the option to personalize the DVD with a title, theme, and background music.”
2 DVDs + 1 USB: $29.99 for the first 150 feet
Anything after that initial 150 is an additional $0.13/ft. Please note that you must be a Costco member to start a project with them.
Just8mm.com
Just8mm.com proposes that it’s different from every other company because the initial cost of $19.99 includes a USB drive or a DVD. There’s quite a lot of info on the website that may be slightly confusing. Multiple sections break down how reels with different capacities and diameters affect the project cost because of automatic “volume” discounts. In my personal opinion, it’s a lot of hoopla.
EXTRAS AT JUST8MM.COM
I admit I’m biased, but I will give props to other companies when it’s due. A lot of companies don’t explicitly spell out upgrades and other potential costs. Just8mm.com does. Upgrading the final digital file to 2k is an extra $11.99/reel and custom labels are an added $10/order. Additional DVD copies cost $11.99/1000 ft and extra flash drives start at $19.99. I’m not going to lie, it’s expensive, but at least they’re upfront about it.
ScanCafe: Convert 8mm Film to Digital
So, I'm not a fan of ScanCafe. Unlike EVERY OTHER legitimate film transfer company, you have to pay $10 to download digital video files! Anyway, converting standard 8mm film with ScanCafe is going to run you 34¢ per foot. If you want a flash drive, it's gonna cost $19. And a hard drive is a full $80. I don't know about y'all but I'd rather buy a cheaper drive from a third party.
MORE INFO ON SCANCAFE:
ScanCafe's techs splice smaller reels onto a 7 inch spool and will be returned that way. The company has their own version of unlimited cloud storage called Kinoke that costs $14.99/month.
Capture’s Digital Conversion Services
Capture is expensive at $29.99, but that's for the first 100 feet of film. Every foot after that is an additional 25¢. A DVD costs an extra $6.99, and a USB costs $14.99. That price includes cleaning, splicing, enhancing colors, and scratch reduction.
CREATING A PROJECT WITH CAPTURE
The process is pretty straightforward. Collect your media, place an order online, and send it all in a box via the mail. The website says that there's an option for a prepaid shipping label, but I couldn't find it anywhere. After a few weeks (how vague so I'm guessing it's not the fastest turnaround time), you'll get access to a digitized copy, and they will send back the movie film reels. Pretty cut and dry, nothing to really make the company stand out.
Forever Studios with Digital Conversion Services You can Trust
Alright! If you've gotten this far, and you find yourself unsatisfied with the rest of the companies on this list, I completely understand. Forever Studios doesn't just convert your film, we care about your project like it's our own.
HERE'S THE BEST PART:
HD film transfers cost only $12/3-4in reel, and 5-7in reels go up to only $29. Look, I can wax poetic about how great our conversions look, but forever classic (our standard version) has better image quality than all of our competitors, and that's a guarantee. If you want something truly special, Forever Gold HD upscale your digitized memories and makes them better than new.
Our high-speed archival grade bamboo thumb drives ($30) and DVDs ($20) are the perfect gifts to share your family films.
What You Should Know About Converting 8mm Film to DVD:
Look, you can go to just any old company, but there's no guarantee that they'll do a good job. When it comes to your irreplaceable memories, the right 8mm film conversion services are the difference between home movies that will be passed on through generations and film that's left forgotten in a box.
