Congratulations on making the decision to digitize fragile media formats! Now that you’ve decided to preserve celluloid and video memories, it’s advised you do research to find the best film transfer service to meet your needs and budget.
Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Film or Video Service
Although you might think the price is the number one consideration, these six factors should be front and center when selecting a scanning service.
- Ensure the service can handle your media, e.g. 35mm film reels or MiniDV tapes
- Make sure you choose a company that offers door-to-door safe handling and tracking
- Only select a service that states on their website that processing is done in the USA
- Visit the company website to see how long they’ve been in business, if they have user-friendly ordering, and transparency about how the entire process works
- Read customer testimonials on the company site, Google, Facebook, and professional reviews that compare several scanning services
- Check to see if various options are offered for the delivery of digital files
Best Company to Digitize Home Movies
When you’re looking for online articles reviewing top video conversion companies or the best film transfer service, ScanCafe will likely be among the mix. At ScanCafe, we use professional decks equipped with video stabilization to ensure the best possible playback when converting videotapes, including removing blank footage. And our expert technicians will try to repair video cassettes at no extra charge.
If you need a quality film scanning service to convert movies, ScanCafe has vast expertise in transforming old home movies into treasures you can enjoy and share anytime, anywhere. We can digitize 8mm, Super 8, 16mm, and 35mm movie film. We manually inspect, clean, splice, and put a film on a new reel if necessary, prior to processing. HD scans to capture details and full-frame scanning without cropping are also standard.
At ScanCafe, we process all media in our state-of-the-art lab in the heart of the Midwest, with door-to-door tracking, barcoding, versatile delivery options including free digital downloads, and an unparalleled safe handling guarantee!
Video and Film to Digital Converter Comparison
Here is a brief comparison of ScanCafe’s video and film conversion services to four competitors to help you make an informed decision. Many companies offer periodic promotions, however, the prices listed below reflect regular rates. ScanCafe is the only one in this group that offers free scene-by-scene color correction and dust and scratch reduction.
ScanCafe
- Video formats: VHS, VHS-C, SVHS, Hi8, Digital 8, MiniDV, and BetaMax
- Professional formats: Umatic, PAL, and Betacam
- Video scan resolution: SD
- Video price: $21.99 per tape
- Film formats: 8mm, Super 8, 16mm, 35mm
- Film scan resolutions: 1440x1080px for 8, super8, and 16mm; 1620x1080px for 35mm
- Film price: .28 cents per foot
- Delivery options: DVD, USB drive, and digital download
Walmart
Video formats: VHS, VHS-C, Other VHS variations, BetaMax, Video 8, Hi-8, Digital 8, DV, DVCAM, MiniDV, and DVC
- Video scan resolutions: Not listed
- Video price: $15.96 for the first 30 minutes; $5.46 for each additional 30 minutes
- Film formats: 8mm, Super 8mm, and 16mm
- Film scan resolution: Not listed
- Film price: $15.96 for the first 50 feet; $0.20 per foot after first 50 feet
- Delivery options: DVD, USB drive, and digital download
Legacy Box
- Video formats: VHS, VHS-C, MiniDV, Hi-8, Digital 8, BetaMax, MicroMV, and PAL NTSC
- Film formats: 8mm and 16mm
- Scan resolutions: Not listed
- Prices: This service is different from the others because they charge a set fee per box, e.g. $53.99 for two items and up to $1,019 for 40 items; mix and match any media they accept.
- Delivery options: DVD, USB drive, and digital download
ScanDigital
- Video formats: VHS, VHS-C, High8, MiniDV, /Digital 8, BetaMax, BetaCam, and U-Matic
- Video scan resolutions: Premium, expert
- Video prices: $19.95 and $24.95
- Film formats: 8mm, Super 8, Super 8mm with sound, 16mm, and 35mm
- Film scan resolution: Not listed
- Film prices: 3-inch: $9.50, 4-inch: $19.00, 5-inch: $38.00, 6-inch: $57.00, 7-inch: $76.00, 14-inch (35mm only): $380.00
- Delivery options: DVD, USB drive, and digital download
Video Conversion Experts
- Video formats: Betamax, VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, Hi8, Digital 8, MiniDV, Betacam, Digital Betacam, DVCPRO 25, DVCPRO 50, and DVCPRO HD
- Video scan resolutions: SD, Pro SD, Pro HD, Pro 4K
- Video prices: $17.95 per hour to $64.95 per hour based on resolution
- Film formats: 8mm, Super 8mm, 16mm, and 35mm
- Film scan resolutions: SD, Pro HD, Pro 2K, Pro 4K
- Film prices: 19 cents to 90 cents per foot based on resolution
- Delivery options: DVD, MP4, and BluRay
Choosing a Digitization Service
Now that you know what to look for and how to compare services, don’t delay! Choose the scanning service that best meets your needs, but do it soon before precious memories fade or deteriorate. Getting old movies and videotapes digitized is the best way to preserve them.
Film & Video Transfer Services FAQs
The average cost to digitize old home movies with ScanCafe depends on the film format. For video formats such as VHS, VHS-C, SVHS, Hi8, Digital 8, MiniDV, and BetaMax, the price is $21.99 per tape. For film formats like 8mm, Super 8, 16mm, and 35mm, the price is 28 cents per foot.
ScanCafe offers versatile delivery options for storing home movies digitally. Customers can choose from DVD, USB drive, and digital download. These options allow for easy access and long-term preservation of the digitally converted movies.
To transfer old home movies to digital with ScanCafe, customers can follow a simple process. First, they need to visit the ScanCafe website to place an order. Then, they can send their media, including 35mm film reels or MiniDV tapes, to the company for safe handling and tracking. ScanCafe’s expert technicians will manually inspect, clean, repair, and splice the films if necessary before processing. The digitized movies will then be delivered to the customer in their preferred format, such as DVD, USB drive, or digital download.