Tapeless Harddrive Super8 HD Transfer Info

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Bunner
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Tapeless Harddrive Super8 HD Transfer Info

Post by Bunner »

hey everyone. tell me what you think of this option. How the HD Cineglyph compares to the Spirit? What does Roger think their setup? Or if this is a good price for HD Super8 as quicktime files. 1920x1080 24p what they claim. will do a crop to fit 1920x1080 or matte it 4x3 with left and right black bars. Go to the bottom of the page and download the .pdf info for prices.
http://www.bonolabs.com/tapeless.htm

Could be an option for anyone looking at working with their first HD final cut super8 short film?[/url]
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Post by Nigel »

I am slightly skeptical of this service...Plus, I don't think that QT Files are by any means the industry standard. Will you be able to then take the files into a Lustre suite for color correction?? I dunno.

As to the Spirit--Of the 200 or so that are in use how many/if any are doing 2K from S8?? My guess is none. The transfer house I use has a Sony Vialta which does 2k 4:4:4 scans and it won't do S8.

So it is all hard to say--Plus, if you are throwing down this kind of cash why not go to HDCam 444 which is now available or just shoot S16 to start with?? Because 2k scans to a file format that is standard can be had for about the same rate per hour.

Good Luck
PS--A 2k scan will give you a 25mb image for each frame. That is a lot of info.
Santo

Post by Santo »

How does it compare to a Spirit transfer?

Well, at Flying Spot in Seattle, their standard rate is $400 an hour for a super 8 to HD transfer. Plus discounts with significant volume and negotiation knocking it down to SD price levels. Estimate a 2 to 2.5 to 1 ratio time for transfer to time of footage rate with their state-of-the-art equipment. These guys you posted about are offering, according to their pdf price list a $650 an hour level. I don't know what their speed is. So you are looking at about double the cost doing a transfer in any significant volume over industry standard HD Pro.

Another thing to consider is that conventional super 8 reversal is eclipsed in resolving power by a comfortable margin by HD, so there is no need to go beyond that. While super 8 negative, if charts and specs are what you base such things on, is at about par with HD when you are using V2 100T. So the two combined should make a terrific combination for a true shot on film look edited on Final Cut Pro HD. In theory, anyways. 2k transfer is overkill with any normally available super 8 stock.
Last edited by Santo on Sun Dec 05, 2004 10:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Alex

Post by Alex »

I researched Super-8 gates for the Spirit and it's cousin the Shadow and discovered there were a total of 15 worldwide. I wonder though if it makes sense to bother if there is no wetgate involved.
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Post by Nigel »

Flying Spot and anyone else that uses a Shadow can not give you 444 color even if they had a 444 deck like the new Sony.

Plus, if you are sending your film off to Flying Spot and not using their machine to go to HD then you may be better off paying half the price at CinePost. Example--You only transfer to MiniDV. Well, a 15 year old Rank machine will be able to give a better image than MiniDV can hold so why pay more?? In other words an older machine will handle any SD format just fine whether you are going to DigiBeta or MiniDV.

You need to think farther down the production chain than just the machine that is taking the film and putting it onto tape when you make your choices.

Good Luck
Alex

Post by Alex »

The original question was asking about 2K Super-8 HD. That is currently offered is it not?
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Comparing apples to oranges

Post by Bunner »

Santo wrote:How does it compare to a Spirit transfer?

Well, at Flying Spot in Seattle, their standard rate is $400 an hour for a super 8 to HD transfer....... These guys you posted about are offering, according to their pdf price list a $650 an hour level. I don't know what their speed is. So you are looking at about double the cost doing a transfer in any significant volume over industry standard HD Pro.
That $650 an hour is running time (hour of running film) not hour of service time like flying spot.
But even at that assessment, Flying spot is optimize (lets say 1 light) to get in an optimized transfer of 8 rolls of super8 for the $200 1/2hr minimum rate..you have 8rolls/$200=$25 (a roll) put on tape.
At this place, Bonolabs, you are optimized to 6rolls @ their 1/4hr running time transfer. which is 6rolls/$162.50= $27.08(a roll)
its $2 more per roll if under these circumstances of per roll cost.
The thing i like about the bonolabs option is that you get a quicktime files on harddrive back, and dont have to pay extra for a transfer HDformat/digibeta to files from some other place. 2k may be overkill for Super8, but is it still cheaper this option?, or can someone figure out a route and explain how to go Flyingspot DigiBeta to someone that can convert to files to edit as the end result..and explain/illustrate the total cost per, lets say a small film project of 6rolls. (Some of us don't have a way to capture digibeta)
I guess the digibeta to files is an option i'm sure a lot of people would be interested to figure out as it seems the best option for super8 as a videoedit? 10bit 4:2:2 uncompressed
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Post by Bunner »

oh. my post above that price to price comparison does not take into account the tape costs/Harddrive borrowing cost.. or the film prep. its just transfer cost vs transfer cost based on their setup specs.
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Post by Daniel »

A 2k scan will give you a 25mb image for each frame.
A 2k frame is around 10 to 12 MB.
As to the Spirit--Of the 200 or so that are in use how many/if any are doing 2K from S8?? My guess is none.
The Film Unit in New Zealand have 2k output frame their Spirit with super8 gate.
There is also Condor and VTR, London's post-production centres with super8 2k scanning technology.

Regards,
Daniel
Alex

Post by Alex »

You don't have to transfer to HD to playback your film transfer on HD.

The key is to accept a box image on the HD screen, in which case your digibeta transfer will still look spectacular. Problems arise when one tries to stretch the image to fill the HD screen.
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Post by Bunner »

Nigel wrote:I am slightly skeptical of this service...Plus, I don't think that QT Files are by any means the industry standard. Will you be able to then take the files into a Lustre suite for color correction?? I dunno.
Nigel thanks for your input/response. I wonder if more of the industry will be using Final Cut Pro working with quicktime as a standard. especially now with Final Cut Pro HD and all. Cold Mountain shot digital and done on Final Cut ProHD. i wonder how much of the market apple is consuming. Im not familiar with Lustre suite..im just a hobbyist.
Nigel wrote:Because 2k scans to a file format that is standard can be had for about the same rate per hour.
really. thats cool. Could you share the info for the place to transfer that..im interested.
Nigel wrote:PS--A 2k scan will give you a 25mb image for each frame. That is a lot of info.
wow. that is a lot of info. my after effects setting for film 2k (2048x1536) 8bit is only 12mb. i guess it would be 16bit color for that file size you mention.


Lets say even if this bonolabs place would transfer the full 1.5 ratio of super 8 onto a 1920x1080 frame with black left/right borders.. you would still be getting back a 1620x1080 usable file. which means you can take that file and still fit the HDTV 1280x720 format in after effects with cropping top and bottom. I guess this workaround seems silly, but once the HDCams are available to transfer to and as consumers we have access to this format..this idea will be useless. but would super8 still be overkill (k40) lets say, to fill the resolution of 1280x720?
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Post by christoph »

Alex wrote:I researched Super-8 gates for the Spirit and it's cousin the Shadow and discovered there were a total of 15 worldwide. I wonder though if it makes sense to bother if there is no wetgate involved.
i would be interested in this list... could you post it?

++ christoph ++
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Post by mattias »

Nigel wrote:I don't think that QT Files are by any means the industry standard
they are. that or tiff sequences is what i've always been instructed to deliver.

/matt
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Post by mattias »

anything over sd res for super 8 is overkill image resolution-wise. for blowups and future proofing 2k is probably the best. otherwise you have to digitally up-res the image later, which produces artifacts and costs time and money.

/matt
Alex

Post by Alex »

christoph wrote:
Alex wrote:I researched Super-8 gates for the Spirit and it's cousin the Shadow and discovered there were a total of 15 worldwide. I wonder though if it makes sense to bother if there is no wetgate involved.
i would be interested in this list... could you post it?

++ christoph ++
Here is the link.

http://www.cinematography.com/forum2004 ... topic=1829
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