Quick, guess what speed this old film was shot at.
(Hurry, you only have 200
other reels just like it to transfer.)
Real Time vs Scanning:
Which is best for me?
One of the challenges
with transferring old home movies is the
inability to know
the speed a customer's film was shot at until after
you watch it. Why?
Because these are Grandpa's films, not the
customer's, and it
is highly likely that Grandpa never really knew the
speed he shot them
at, all those years ago. So, most of the time, the
customer simply doesn't
know. More importantly, YOU don't know.
This can be a problem, especially with a lot of film to transfer.
Even with a real time
unit that might run at 1 or 2 speeds (hardly enough, really),
you would have to
man the entire transfer, watching for changes in playback
rate of the customer's
film. Why? Because home movies from the past
were shot at a variety
of speeds, such as 9, 12, 16, 18, 20 and 24fps.
While we also produce
a line of convenient real time units, such as
the CineMate, mi-Skan
and QuickSilver series, don't be seduced by the idea
that real time is
always more productive than scanning because that
isn't necessarily
true,
if you are working with the limited manpower typical
of small shops and
if
you
are striving for the same quality results.
(such as correct
playback speed or editing and color correcting your footage)
Transferring in real
time means that you must preview all the films
to determine the
correct speed, or you man the transfer, making color
and speed corrections
as you go, or you transfer all the film without
color correction
at a single frame rate based on your best guess.
But quality transfers require more than a "best guess".
The automated WorkPrinter,
Sniper and QuickSilver-FX units remove
the guesswork while
increasing productivity and quality. Only the
WorkPrinter, Sniper
and QuickSilver-FX units offer the advantage of placing
each frame of film
on an individual frame of video, prior to selecting the
playback rate. With
the total frame discretion that comes from TRUE,
automated frame-by-frame
scanning, accurate playback rates can be quickly
determined on the
computer
after the film has been transferred.
Automation then creates
new files with hyper-accurate playback rates,
just like you would
find on a $250,000 professional Rank.
And with the WorkPrinter,
Sniper and QuickSilver-FX units, you aren't
limited to just 1
or 2 playback rates built into your projector.
ANY playback rate
can be achieved, smoothly and automatically,
using your computer
and software in an unattended batch process that
frees up valuable
manpower. The resulting footage can then be more
efficiently edited
and color corrected on your computer's edit program.
Most importantly,
the original, frame accurate digital footage is unaltered and is
an archival, progressive
scan representation of each individual frame of film.
Such TRUE frame discretion
means your clients' films are future-proofed for easy
migration to progressive
scan media and are not forever limited to obsolete,
interlaced video
display. In fact, some real time units may boast
frame-by-frame scanning
but, in reality, will always produce interlaced video
frames that permanently
contain pieces of two film frames (see example), which
can't be separated
if you "guessed" the wrong speed prior to transfer.
If the customer complains
about the speed, better thread up the projector
again since the built-in
interlacing of the real time unit prevents
any sort of convenient
or efficient digital speed change application.
Of course, you would
not need to "guess" the speed as long as you stood over
that projector all
day long, watched for a speed change, stopped the
projector, rewound
the film, switched speeds, started the projector again,
and watched for the
next speed change. So the value of a "real time" transfer
is relative to how
much you value your own time or that of your employees.
In short: There is a difference between "speed" and "efficiency".
Which method should I choose?
Real time can
be handy, especially if transferring directly to tape or a
tabletop DVD recorder
and your customers don't mind the inherent compromises
associated with real
time transfers. That is why we make both the budget level
CineMate and mi-Skan
series, to accommodate that type of work flow.
But, let's face it:
Your customers have waited 60 years for a first rate
transfer of their
priceless home movies. So this isn't about speed.
For the customer,
it's all about quality. And, for you, it's all about
the number of paid
man-hours per job, which only increases if transferring
with a real time
unit that must be manned continuously for every session.
Only TRUE automated
frame by frame scanning serves
both these goals
by letting the computer do the repetitive work so you
can concentrate on
more important issues, like editing, color correcting
or customer service.
Compared to non-computerized real time units that
only increase operator
dependency, automatic WorkPrinter, Sniper
and QuickSilver-FX
units increase
your profit margin per job by
decreasing the
labor required for each roll of film, all via cheap
and easy to use computer
automation.
Employees are a valuable
asset.
On the other hand,
computers are cheap, never complain
about the workload,
and don't charge by the hour.
Our real time CineMate,
QuickSilver and mi-Skan units are already well
known for their terrific
quality but, do the math and view our demo DVD,
then you'll see why
our automated WorkPrinter, Sniper and QuickSilver-FX
scanning units not
only produce a superior image, but are
the most widely used
method of handling volume workloads with
minimal staff for
thousands of professional telecine
and archive shops
the world over.
