Standard 8       Super 8 with sound     16 mm Optical Sound

CINE TRANSFER TO DVD WITH DIGITAL REMASTERING

Do you have very old Cine films taking up drawer space? Perhaps you would love to see those precious memories again but your old Cine projector has long since bit the dust?

Well we can help you. At Timeless Moments we ensure that your older memories are transferred seamlessly onto DVD. It’s well known that there are dubious methods of transfer being employed, for example projection onto a wall and then filming with a camcorder! Beware of these methods as you will undoubtedly be disappointed at the result. With Timeless Moments you know you are getting the best possible transfer of your film. We use only the latest digital frame scanners, designed and built in the United States by a team of expert technicians who have worked with the Hollywood film industry for over 40 years. These machines offer unrivalled Cine transfer quality. See the technical section below.

NOW Digital Remastering is included on all Standard transfer and Hollywood Addition packages *. See the film below and the image of the Parthenon (left) for the dramatic difference this can make to a standard transfer CINE film and a transfer from Timeless Moments Ltd.

Keep those memories safe by transferring CINE to DVD before it’s too late!

How Does Timeless Moments Transfer Your Cine Film?

There are a number of ways to transfer Cine film to digital media like DVDs. The most common that is employed has already been mentioned, projection and camcorder. The next stage up is to use a projector and light box, followed by a mirror system and camcorder, then a frame scanner and mirror system and finally a digital telecine. Below we look at the different methods and compare them side by side

Benefits by Method Projector & Camcorder Camcorder & mirror Camera & Stop frame scan TVT Telecine as used at Timeless Moments Ltd Flicker free transfer X X Sharp defined film X X Crystal synchronised frame capture speed accurate to 0.005% X X X Automatic white balance X X X Peak or average auto exposure X X X Real time transfer for lower prices X Low heat bulb to prevent film damage X X Scratch Reduction by diffused solid state light source X X X Digital Footage Counter for Precise billing X X X

It ’s clear to see that a real time telecine machine such as the TVT machines used at Timeless moments offer very real advantages over the more common camera and projector and the other types listed, not least perfect picture quality captured in real time allowing customers the chance to experience their treasured memories once again without the extraordinary costs involved when using a Rank telecine (around $250,000) which can be up to £600 per hour. In fact our systems are so good that we are regularly commissioned by the major television studios to transfer archive footage for documentary programs including the BBC television series “Preserving the Past” that we are currently working on with East Midlands Today. For further reading on the TVT telecine take a look at the manufacturers website, Tobin Cinema Systems Inc.

The Process
All our cine transfers have at least the following:

Attended Capturing
The film is first cleaned using a microfibre cleaning material impregnated with a special film cleaning solution, and finally dried with compressed air. Capturing then takes place via one of our dedicated telecine digital transfer machines for superb reproduction with no flicker guaranteed. Cine footage is then digitally remastered for the best possible film quality. This is attended capture, which means it is constantly monitored for hair or dirt, broken splices, exposure, colour saturation, brightness and contrast. The broadcast quality telecine machines work by capturing each frame as it is illuminated via a highly diffuse LED light source, this has the effect of minimising scratches. CCD video pickup, a special macro lens system and TCS exclusive technology assures a sharp, steady, flicker-free image. The video feed is then sent to the onboard digital data store for frame rate synchronisation (to match the frame rate at 25 fps from the original 18 fps). This is then output to the computer through a Canopus TBC (time base corrector) DV chip (for exceptionally clean and smooth digital video signals) and into the high end PCs via Firewire for editing and authoring
Sound
Sound capture (if present) is included free of charge. (The sound on the cine reels will be used instead of background music unless you state otherwise).
Editing
Removing what we call dead film, perhaps footage of feet when the camera has been left on, breaks in the footage or footage that is simply not viewable. We also add the very valuable New Scene Overexposure Removal Process which you may read about below.Timeless Moments is the only company in the UK that offer this level of editing as standard on all transfers.
Authoring
The creation of the menus and chapter points. Chapter points are assigned manually so that they start at an appropriate place rather than automatically as other companies tend to do
Burning
The image to DVD (using the latest Verbatim glossy finish printable DVDs which are of archive quality with a predicted lifetime of between 30 and 100 years :)
Printing
The case covers from images on your film, likewise the DVD surfaces (we use Amaray cases, high quality and the same as used by the major movie studios).
Packing and return postage charged at cost.

To finally demonstrate our commitment to your project, we have introduced the “New Scene Overexposure Removal Process”.

Often with older cine cameras and some with a low light shot setting (XL) the camera would not perform so well in bright daylight. On beginning a shot the scene would very often be overexposed for a fraction of a second. As cine film was relatively expensive people tended not to film for very long, so consequently even a 50 ft reel may have 20 or more scenes on it. At the beginning of these scenes you would see the flash of overexposure until the camera adjusted to the correct light setting. With lots of scenes this means lots of bright flashes all the way through, which may have been acceptable in the 1960s’ but can be a little tiring in the 21st century. So what does Timeless Moments offer?

As standard we remove each and every section of overexposed film from your reels. This is not an automatic process, it is done manually with painstaking precision. We make a cut at the start of the flash and another at the end of the flash (usually about 2-4 frames but sometimes up to to 12 frames). The “damaged” section is then discarded. If the section affected must be kept then we use a key frame colour correction to manually adjust all the brightness levels from the start of the scene to the end of the affected portion, this is highly labour intensive but is included as part of the Digital Remastering process for all cine transfer.

Don’t worry. you are not losing anything in this process because the film we have cut is not viewable anyway. The whole process is of course done in the computer, your original films are untouched.

Click on picture to see a short film explaining how this process works.

NEW SIMPLIFIED CINE PRICES

16mm, Standard 8mm and Super 8mm: Now only 10p per foot

WE DO NOT CHARGE TO THE NEAREST HOUR

That’s right, we have a minimum charge of £40 and then we charge you per foot. What’s more, on your invoice we give you the precise number of feet of CINE film transferred so you know EXACTLY how you have been charged and what’s more, you will not be invoiced until we know precisely how many feet we have captured.

Sound is also included in the price

Super 8 & 16mm sound is transferred along with the footage and is also subject to audio remastering (including single mono to dual mono - so that the sound track is heard from both TV speakers). Our competitors charge up to £40 per hour or more for sound because they don’t have telecine machines and have to capture it separately , at Timeless Moments it’s included in the price of a standard transfer.
BEWARE: Companies who charge a setup fee are covering their costs to subcontract the work to some other company. There is NO setup charge for proper Telecine equipment.

Digital Frame Scan of regular 16mm, Standard 8mm and Super 8mm transfer to DVD (minimum charge £40.00)

10p per foot

Preview Copy on DVD - Allows you to choose the chronological order of the chapters, decide on titles, credits etc - holds up to 4 hours

£35.00 per DVD

Add Hollywood Additions (see separate page, too many features to list)

£1 per minute

Digital Remastering of image as shown above. Digital Remastering of audio (if present)

INCLUDED

Sound from Super8 Cine films and from 16mm Cine (Optical not magnetic)

INCLUDED

Menus with motion thumbnails and chapter points to suit recording

INCLUDED

Edit footage to remove damaged or obvious unwanted footage (filming your feet for 10 minutes!)

INCLUDED

Old camera over-exposure flashes. Only Timeless Moments goes to this extreme to ensure your films look perfect. Click here for an explanation of overexposure flashes.

INCLUDED

Themed Menu

INCLUDED

Unlimited Titles

INCLUDED

Add music - We will use classical or easy listening unless you send your own CDs

INCLUDED

We keep a copy of every DVD ever produced for your security and future copies

INCLUDED

Repair broken splices

INCLUDED

Rewind and reverse films that have been left on the take up reel (i.e. back to front)

INCLUDED

Cleaning of all Cine footage THREE TIMES before it enters the telecine machine to remove loose dust and hairs

INCLUDED

9600 dpi colour printing onto DVD (no labels), high quality DVD box with sleeves printed from your own photos

INCLUDED

No copyright or usage restrictions

INCLUDED

No Timeless Moments branding on your actual film

INCLUDED

Free technical advise whether you order from us or not

INCLUDED

Postage and packing

At Cost

GO TO PLACE ORDER PAGE