Your Old Movie Film to Digital
We'll resurrect your old movie film memories with our state-of-the-art, frame-by-frame, high definition transfer technology
100% Safe, Full High Def (1080p), 2K & 4K Film Transfers to USB
Remember “Film Nights”? Gathered in front of an old movie projector, laughing out loud at your home movies?
Those days may be gone, but somewhere there’s a box full of memories just itching for another chance to tickle your funny bone.
Let RetroMedia resurrect your dusty old home movie reels into vibrant, easy-to-play, future-proof, Mp4 video clips on USB.
Enjoy your long lost movie memories with your family, in Full High Definition clarity, over and over again for years to come.
Our system for digitising 9.5mm pathe scope film is 100% safe, with no risk of sprocket-hole tearing.
As you can see, the sprocket perforations are located between the individual image frames. If sprocket-hole tearing occurs (a very real risk with projector-based, sprocket-driven transfer systems), the damaged section of film will be ruined beyond repair.
Because our system is not projector-based, there is no pull-down claw or sprockets in our system that could possibly tear your film.
We Accept All Movie Film Formats
Unsure exactly what movie film formats you have there? No problem! RetroMedia can digitise all home movie film formats from the early 1920's onwards, including 8mm, Super8 (sound or silent), our super-safe 9.5mm pathescope conversion service, as well as 16mm (silent, optical sound & magnetic sound).
If you're unsure about what you have, or have many different types of media, enquire about booking an in-home assessment or organising session with a RetroMedia Memory Expert. Available within the greater Brisbane/SEQ region.
…and more!
Ten Reasons To Only Trust RetroMedia With Your Films
1. Films are fragile
Even just playing them can cause damage. A projector can easily tear, chew, or burn your film. Our frame-by-frame scanning does not use projectors for image transfer, but many competitors do.
Your film can easily be damaged by old projectors of unknown condition.
Careless operation of projector-based transfer systems can also spell disaster.
Because we use the state-of-the-art RetroScan Universal Mk ii claw-less film scanner, it is simply not possible for us to damage your films*
* One possible exception is with severely curled, warped film suffering from vinegar syndrome. If you have some film in this condition we may be able to save it, or some of it. We'll discuss this option & the risks before proceeding.
2. Made in Brisbane!
Film work is done in our Brisbane studio. You're welcome to ask to see our film setup because we don't hide behind so-called "trade secrets".
Our centrally located Brisbane store address is:
249 Lutwyche Rd, Windsor. Qld. 4030
We're on the corner of Bowen St, with free customer parking at the rear of the store, off Bowen St.
Our business hours are:
Weekdays 9am - 5pm
Late night Thursdays by appointment only
Saturdays 9-12 (AEST).
No appointments necessary, just pop in!
Ph: (07) 3357 4807
SMS: 0448 855 056
If a service is not open and honest about their film transfer methods, it really isn't because they have any special "secret process" to protect.
Services hide behind this argument simply because they don't want the curtain pulled back to reveal their methods.
With our high-tech film conversion setup we have nothing to hide. You can ask to take a look at our setup anytime.
If a company will not show you their system, we suggest you look elsewhere.
3. Prepared by hand
Your film is hand inspected, carefully cleaned (unless deemed too fragile), and if any damage or bad slices are detected we repair these.
4. Clawless film path
Our RetroScan Universal Mk II 4K multi-format transfer system (as used by the Academy of Motion Picture Film Archives, in Hollywood), features a gentle clawless film feed system that cannot damage film perforations.
In film projectors, toothed sprockets and a small lever called an advance claw drag the film through the projector. But the claw &/or sprockets can easily damage the sprocket holes on your film. This is always a risk with projector-based systems, as shown in this photo of torn perforations in a piece of 9.5mm pathescope film.
Our system is claw-less & sprocket-less, and gently tensions and guides the film without touching the perforations at all, ensuring we cannot tear them. So even your pathetic scope film is safe!
5. Cold lamp technology
RetroScan's cold-to-the-touch LED lamp technology safeguards your film from any chance of being burnt.
Hot lamps in projector-based systems can easily burn your film, causing irreparable damage.
They also tend to produce overly-bright "hot spots" in your picture, as seen below.
With it's cool white LED light source, our system can never burn your film & introduces no colour cast. Illumination is evenly disbursed so there's no washed out "hot spot" in the middle of your picture.
6. Frame by frame scans
RetroScan individually scans frame-by-frame each and every image on your film. You get a sharper picture with no blurred, doubled or interlaced images.
Frame-by-frame, or FxF scanning is a system that digitises each individual frame of film as a separate snapshot. These are then played back at the correct frame rate to give you a movie.
Other systems do not give you a discreet snapshot for each frame, but instead a video approximation of your film's content. Blurry double frames & interlacing give lower quality results.
We can even deliver you a folder with every individual scan (snapshot), in the unlikely event you feel like going through thousands of frames. The point is, our system produces individual discreet scans of each frame of your film, with the attendant benefits.
7. 100% Flicker-free
Because RetroScan photographs each frame individually, the resulting transfer is guaranteed to introduce ZERO flicker.
There is a mild type of flicker caused by a projector's shutter blades. This is apparent even when watching film projected on a screen.
But there is also a much more annoying pulsing effect, caused by differences in frame rate between projector and camcorder in projector-based systems when not operated carefully.
With us you get neither.
Because our system is a true frame-by-frame system (not projector-based), we can virtually guarantee zero flicker in our digital transfers.
The one exception to this is flicker caused by a faulty original recording, due to a fault in the original camera. This is very rare - we've seen this only once or twice in many thousands of reels of film converted.
8. Minimal cropping
Adjustable film framing means we can capture up to 20% more of your film around the edges of the frame in areas cropped off by lesser systems.
Projector-based transfer systems are limited in how much of the film frame they can actually capture, by the size of the film gate opening.
Our system has no such gate, so no such limitation. We can position our camera to capture more picture around the edges of the film frame that lesser systems will crop off.
It could mean the difference between cutting off Aunt Mildred's head, or keeping her in one piece!
Just how much picture could you lose with lesser home movie (film) conversion methods?
Here we have actual screenshots of firstly a local competitor's projector/camcorder-based Standard Definition conversion.
Below it, downsized to around 1/5th original scan size (so that the frame sizes match for our comparison here), is RetroMedia's gate-less, true Frame-by-Frame Full High Def 1080p capture, demonstrating the difference in picture quality, as well as just how much of your film image a competitors system can crop off.
Here's a second example. Competitor's on the top & ours below.
Plus, just to reiterate, in real life our frame size would be a minimum of around 500% larger, which means that your High Def TV does not have to upscale a Standard Def picture, with the attendant risk of picture softening &/or pixellation.
Plus we also scan at even higher resolutions of 2K & 4K as options.
9. Full High Def 1080p, 2K & 4K wet-gate scanning!
Our standard Full High Def (1080p) digitising process means vivid, crystal clear picture quality for your enjoyment. We scan through a "wet-gate" to reduce the marks caused by base-side film scratches & spidery mildew. We also offer even higher resolution with optional 2K & 4K scanning.
Our standard service also includes basic editing such as film grain reduction, colour adjustments, & removal of lengthy blank sections.
Because there are no Standard Def TVs anymore, it doesn't make sense to choose a service that cannot digitise your film in at least Full High Def (1080p). This will mean that your movie will not need to be "upscaled" as much by your TV in order to fill the screen.
As the image shows, Full High Def 1080p frame size is almost 4 times larger than Standard Def. Plus we now offer both 2K & 4K scanning as well.
So instead of your TV having to enlarge a Standard Def film transfer by almost 400% to fill your TV (with the accompanying softening of picture & possible pixellation), your RetroMedia Full High Def film transfer naturally fills* your TV screen without any upscaling.
*NB: Because the film formats we transfer are almost all 4x3 aspect ratio, and today's TVs are widescreen 16x9, we'll insert vertical black bars (a.k.a "pillar-boxing") to fill the sides of the screen, as shown below.
10. FREE backup included!
Exclusive 3VAULT triple redundancy archiving - 3 backups of your files stored in 3 secure, offline locations - included FREE for 6 months with all our digitising services!
To help make your backup responsibilities hassle-free, you can order extra USBs from us at any time during this period.
And of course all of your original media will be returned to you with your digital versions at the end of the project.
Film Conversion Process & Pricing
Preparation:
All film is carefully inspected, and cleaned before conversion, unless it is in poor condition, and deemed to be too fragile for cleaning. Any broken or breaking splices are repaired.
Digitising Process:
Our standard offering (our Clean + Convert service) offers true frame-by-frame scanning using our RetroScan Universal MkII 4K film scanners (as used by the Academy of Motion Picture Film Archives, in Hollywood), of Regular 8mm, Super 8, 9.5mm pathescope & 16mm silent film.
2 New Inclusions - ZERO Extra Charge!
We have recently perfected our new Wet Gate system, which is now included free with every Clean + Convert transfer. This process can reduce or remove base-side scratches, and spots, as well as the artefacts caused by spidery mildew.
We also now include film-grain/picture-noise reduction, colour adjustments, as well as removal of lengthy blank sections, within our standard transfers.
These two new inclusions, at no extra charge, make a real difference. It can really look amazing!
Demo clips coming soon.
Sound Film:
We can also process the sound from Super 8 magnetic sound film & both 16mm optical sound & magnetic sound film where film is in projectable condition, syncing it up perfectly with the scanned picture, though in most cases, we would recommend scanning as silent in the first instance if you are at all unsure about the contents of your films.
Deliverables:
Your digitised memories are then delivered on USB in Full High Definition 1080p resolution (minimum), or optionally at 2K or 4K resolutions, as mp4 H264 video files, the easy-to-share, editable file format choice, viewable on the widest range of devices, including most TVs.
You can also ask for a copy of the raw AVI files we make on the way. Available upon request at no extra charge.
Please enjoy a sample clip of an mp4 h264 conversion, of a Super 8 film from the 70's that we have scanned at our basic 1080p resolution with our newly included Film-grain/Picture-Noise Reduction applied.
A Note on Resolution:
With all TVs in use today being at least High Definition (720p), we don't ever scan any film at the older, low resolution, Standard Definition anymore.
Please bear this in mind when comparing our services with others who still only offer Standard Definition, often only projected onto a wall or screen and shot with a camcorder! The minimum resolution we offer - Full High Def 1080p - is around 4 times the resolution of Standard Def, so with our conversions your TV will not have to enlarge a low res picture in order to fill the screen of a High Definition TV, thus removing the risk of pixellation.
We can also perform 2K 4x3 scans (aka QXGA), and 4K 4x3 scans (aka UHD-1), both delivered at 16x9 aspect ratio (pillar-boxed).
So beware! If another service does not give you this amount of detail, they're probably doing a low resolution, Standard Def conversion.
Pricing - Silent Film:
For Regular 8mm & Super 8mm silent film, our gentle-on-your-film Full High Definition 1080p conversion prices range from as low as .55c per metered foot of film, or even lower if you have very large reels.
As an example of what we mean by "metered" footage, if your 400ft reel has, let's say, 207 feet of film actually on the reel, that’s the footage you’ll pay for. Our metering is accurate to a fraction of an inch, so you won't be overcharged for approximations.
• Small reels (3 inch) are charged by the reel, rather than by metered footage. This per-reel rate also applies a minimum charge for larger reels containing small amounts of film. Depending on formats, chosen service & quantities, these are priced from as low as $37 per reel.
For 16mm silent film, our gentle-on-your-film Full High Definition 1080p conversion prices range from as low as .66c per metered foot of film, or even lower if you have very large reels.
For 9.5mm silent pathe scope film, our gentle-on-your-film Full High Definition 1080p conversion prices range from as low as $1.10 per metered foot of film, for the very safest (non-tearing, non-burning) 9.5mm pathescope transfer possible.
• A setup fee is applied for jobs of less than 2000ft. From $44 per project depending on format, waived at 2000ft, (except for 9.5mm pathe film).
• We also offer further discounted footage rates for any very large reels (containing 600ft of film or more).
• To help make your backup responsibilities hassle-free, we can supply you extra backup USBs at any time during your 6 month warranty period.
• Some extra prep charges may also apply to some film depending on how it's supplied, condition & rarity of format.
• For a custom quote considering your quantities, urgency, your film format and the physical condition of the media, please enquire here.
Add-on Pricing for Sound Film:
Our frame-by-frame scanners do not convert sound. For film with sound, we offer 2 approaches.
1) We can firstly scan the film frame-by-frame, and then do a second additional projector-based pass to capture the sound, which we then sync together.
2) A second option can be that we initially scan the film only & leave the sound unrecorded. This way we'll all get to see what we're dealing with - both quality-wise & content-wise - before committing to the extra investment. Especially good if you have no idea whats on the film (often the case).
For more detail please visit our Film Conversion Inclusions page.
Extra Preparation Charges:
NB: All film must be on reels in order to be converted on our system. In cases where film is supplied without reels (coiled loose, or on cores) there will be some extra costs in labour & for us to supply reels. And occasionally we may encounter film, which while on reels, may require extra preparation, not covered within our regular service. Click here to learn more.
Interstate? Outside Greater Brisbane?
We understand that it isn't always easy - or even possible - to drop in to our centrally located store. So until June 30th 2025 RetroMedia is offering Free Shipping to clients who mail in their job!
Free Trackable Shipping (Return Journey) offer for mailed-in projects!
How it works: For mailed-in jobs, we'll pick up the tab for outbound (return journey) trackable postage, Australia-wide. NB: You must quote our promo code "FREESHIP25" at the time of ordering to avail of this offer.
To get the best price on your postage to us, we recommend that you use Australia Post Pre-Paid Satchels (or Express Satchels if you prefer) to post in your job, as these are a flat price Australia-wide. If you want to use a box, it will usually be cheaper to place the box inside a pre-paid satchel, especially if you are interstate.
Hunting for more in-depth technical detail?
Join the thousands of Aussie families enjoying their digised memories!
Get Your Media To Us
Gather up your media and drop it over or ship it to our Brisbane store. No need to thoroughly organise it all. Just a basic sort out, and a quick dust off & we can take care of the rest.
We Digitise & Preserve
We'll work our magic to professionally clean and convert your old media to future-proof digital formats.
You Relax & Enjoy
Experience the excitement of watching and sharing your memories anywhere, any time you like!
Contact Us For A Custom Quote
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