The first table shows how the same film looks using our 4 different processes. You can see that the difference can be significant for our Lake Charles customers.
The second table presents a case for scanning 8mm and Super 8 film at 2K resolution. In the past year we have done 20 comparisons. Contrary to popular belief, we do see a noticeable difference in quality between our Pro HD and Pro 2K process on 8mm and Super 8 film.
8mm And Super 8 Film Lake Charles |
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SD Scan
- This SD scan was performed with a SD frame by frame machine. The film is ran through a projector and captured using a camcorder.
- If you compare this to the HD or Pro 2K scan you can see that this SD scan almost looks blurry.
- In addition, you can see the blue color shift. This is very common on both 8mm and Super 8 film.
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Pro HD Scan
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Pro 2K Scan
- This Pro 2K Scan (1556 lines) was performed with a professional 2K Datacine machine.
- This example also includes our optional color correction restoration.
- Compared to the Pro HD scan you can see more details and better color and skin tone.
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Pro 4K Scan
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This Pro 4K Scan (3112 lines) was performed with a professional 4K Datacine machine.
- This example also includes our optional color correction restoration.
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Most 8mm and Super 8 film will not benefit from a 4K scan. But you can go out to a 4K format like 4K-ProRes. This would allow you to create formats for your 4K/UHD TV.
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Film Resolution |
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Resolution of Film
- Determining resolution of film can be a very complicated and controversial task involving many variables.
- The image to the left is a 2K scan (1556 lines from top to bottom) of 8mm film
- At full frame it looks nice and clear and you don't see a lot of film grain or digital pixilation.
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Film Grain
- As you zoom in you can start to see the film grain (looks like little dots or bumps).
- We've highlighted the smallest feature which is on the tip of this person's nose. This is about the size of the film grain.
- Film grain is laid out in a random pattern.
- Film grain is not laid out in a nice, neat pattern like digital pixels in a digital image.
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Film Grain vs Digital Pixel
- Here we are zoomed in enough on the 2K scanned image that you can see the digital pixels.
- The red highlighted area is the smallest feature size which is about 1 grain of film.
- In order to achieve a digital image as good as the film you would need to scan the film at 1/2 the size of the film grain or smaller. Here, the 2K scan is just enough to meet this requirement.
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Lake Charles Fun Facts: Lake Charles is known for gambling, rhythm and blues music and excellent cuisine. The town serves as the major educational center for the southwest portion of Louisiana. The city is a primary petrochemical refining area and features casino gambling. In 2005 Hurricane Rita caused extensive damage that will take years to fix.
Louisiana Fun Facts: Originally colonized by the French during the 18th century, it became U.S. territory as part of the historic Louisiana Purchase in 1803, and was admitted to the union in 1812. Louisiana’s capital city is Baton Rouge. It is also home to the historic port city New Orleans, which is famous for its unique cuisine, jazz and spectacular Mardi Gras festival.
