Need recommendation on converting Reel to DVD

[Rick T]

I am looking for any suggestions on a player that I can put 8mm reels on and connect the outputs to my Mac. Such as RCA connections, composite, or firewire. I am not looking for an audio player. I need to transfer video.

I have searched for player but I am not finding enough information about them to know what to get. I find people doing it but they do not say what they use. Any help would be great!

Thanks,

[ItsMe]

I take it you mean 8mm film reel? If so you could try setting up a projector and using a DV camcorder to film the footage and then transfering from the camcorder to your PC. I did this with a load of footage from my father and it worked fairly well.

[Rick T]

Thanks for the post ItsMe! The suggestion you make may be a solution I will use or at least test to see the results. I am not familiar with 8mm film on reel and am learning. Someone had asked me if it could be done and I told them i would research it.

When I hear 8mm film reel, I think of a lot of light flutter when it is projected to a wall or screen. Whether I am right or not, I don't know. Still even curious to know, if I do find one with at least RCA type connections, will I be loosing far to many frames or tearing due to the lack of speed with that connection. I sometimes get tearing with the firewire connection.

So, I don't know. I will keep researching but keep the suggestion you made in mind.

Thanks,

[whowhat]

Does it have to be to a DV camera? Can you use an analog Video Camera?

[Rick T]

I am sure it could be a analog video camera versus a DV but the amount of captured lines of resolution will be less, depending on the camera. Also, some of the better named DV's, i.e. Canon, Sony, ect., claim 540+ lines of horizontal resolution, whereas, some of the analog video cameras get about 430 lines of horizontal resolution. Lastly, transfering from camera to a PC/Mac is preferably done via Firewire, which some DV's come with that connection, to get a better quality recording.