New Retro-8 Pro

[carllooper]

The only reason one stops at a certain pixel resolution is...

We need someone to do executive summaries of your posts, Carl.

Ha ha.

[Richard Hale]

:lol: The speed increase of the Retro8-Pro is good news.
:roll: However, one must look at the actual computer time required using the Retro-Scan software to produce a computer file usable outside the RetroScan software.
Reel Size: 400'| Scan Time 2fps= 4 hours |Scan Time 15fps= 30 min |Export (sequential tiff) Time= 64 min |Total Time Retro8= 5+ hours |Total Time Retro8-Pro= 1 1/2 hours

In order to speed my current 2fps scan workflow I use a second computer. I scan the first reel and set it to export while the second computer is scanning the next reel and then when the second computer is exporting I scan with the first computer and so forth.
With the 2fps machine this essentially doubles the throughput.
With the RetroScan Pro 15fps it can scan twice as fast as it can export resulting (using 400' reels as the example) in a half hour delay before the first computer would be free to scan again.

Since the new Pro software requires an i7 processor clocked at 3+ghz I do hope that the proprietary captured file readable only by RetroScan does not change and would be readable by both the old and new software. If this is the case one would not have to discard his previous computers of a slower clock speed but use them for export while the faster computer does the scanning.
Perhaps an export/view only version of the software might be in order. Why not add the ability to select a range to be exported so that a certain part of the scan could be exported when the whole may not be needed.
Richard Hale

[MovieStuff]

The files produced by the 2fps Retro-8 and the 15fps Retro-8 Pro are exactly the same. In fact, you could take files produced by the new RetroScan-HD Pro software and process them in the older RetroScan-HD software. So the only difference between the two units is speed. The old unit would take 4 hours to scan 400 feet and the new unit takes only about 30 minutes. But processing time is identical.

Regarding CPU speed, we don't require an i7 specifically. But we do require a minimum 2.5 GHz or faster Intel processor. We will be continually testing to see what the absolute minimum CPU speed might be but, realistically, there is hardly a difference in price between an i5 laptop and an i7 laptop and anyone working seriously in HD will always want as much speed as possible, even if they weren't buying the Retro-8 unit. So the CPU speed issue is really only a concern to people that bought or already own AMD systems, which so far don't seem to work with the high speed Retro system. But we'll be testing more with high speed AMD systems in the future.

Roger

[Paul Thrussell]

I have to say, the more I use my unit the more I appreciate the huge amount of effort and ingenuity that went into the design.

Out of curiosity as I may spring for the upgrade at a later date, are all AMD processors totally out for now, or might the high-end 8-core FX series ones work?

On the subject of computer specs, I've noticed sometimes if I do more than one scan of a particular film, clumps of sequential frames in the middle of a shot will be skipped in one scan that won't be skipped in another. Is that likely to be due to the CPU/hard drive being overworked (the machine I was using is on the low end of the necessary specs, and I was doing uncompressed capture) or is that related more to a glitch in the optical perf detection in the older model (although I did use the same exposure for both passes, so I'm inclined to think it's not that the highlights were blown out)?

[Nate Williams]

It's been awhile since there's been any chatter about the new Pro units. It looks like there is going to be a price hike after January which I'm guessing means there's quite a bit of demand for these units. That's great news for Roger!

Has anyone gotten their Retro-8 Upgraded to Pro yet? What do you think?

[camera8mm]

I am considering buying one of the 8mm pro units although slightly discouraged by moviestuffs lack of service to older products. Who else would service the unit if it breaks after or during the warranty?

[MovieStuff]

I am considering buying one of the 8mm pro units although slightly discouraged by moviestuffs lack of service to older products. Who else would service the unit if it breaks after or during the warranty?

Hi!

I think you misunderstand. Our older product line was made from existing projectors. Every projector that came in had to be serviced and repaired and modified before we could begin to build a telecine unit out of it. Making a product out of a preexisting projector is kind of like selling classic cars that have been modified into hot rods. There is a limit to how long something like that can be effectively supported. That said, since we started in 2001, we really never made money on repairs outside of warranty and, on the rare occasion we did charge, it was cost only. Indeed, over the last year, I have given away tons of left over parts and components to owners of our previous product line to help them out. So I think our record of customer support is pretty solid.

However, several years ago - after more than 12 years and over 10,000 units sold - we began to notice that viable projector chassis were getting harder to find and, due to the economy, some of our suppliers decided they would not supply components unless we ordered, like, 500-1000 at a time, which is impractical for a niche market. At the same time, the Academy of Motion Pictures Archives asked us to design for them a custom unit. They had been using our previous units for over 10 years with no complaints but they had a unique problem: All their interns were so young that they really didn't know how to handle and maintain projector based technology. So the Academy wanted something simpler and gave us a "wish list' of features, such HD/SD capability, zero image area contact, ease of maintenance, and off the shelf PC compatibility. Once we committed to designing the new units for them, we figured that was the future since we would be making all components ourselves. We weren't sure how long it would take us but, to be fair to our previous customer base, we did post a notice on our website that service for our older product line would cease in about 2 years, as we figured that was about how long our parts inventory would last. That was about three years ago. So the drop in service of older units was hardly a sudden decision and we did our best to give everyone advance notice.

Like our older units, the Retro units have a one year warranty on all parts and labor but have been designed to make it easier for the user to self service than the older projector based units which had many moving parts. There are really only two moving parts in the entire unit and each component is held in place with nothing more than a couple of phillips head screws. In fact, there are no belts, no slip clutches, no sprockets, no claws, no capstans, no flywheels, no gears to lube and nothing internal to maintain in any way. If you look on the back of the front panel, all components are in a single layer with nothing that overlaps so you don't have to remove layers of circuit boards and gear boxes just to change a component. No soldering is required as all components, including the circuit board, are plug and play. So in the unlikely event that, say, the heavy duty take up motor were to fail, we could send you another and you could replace it in a few minutes. The same with the LED, the rewind motor, the logic board, etc. In fact, we could send you an entire electronics assembly that you could replace in a matter of minutes. And, of course, we make these from scratch and not from old projectors so we have a lot more control over parts availability and servicing issues than we did when we were making our previous product line.

Andreas is very generous in letting me address your question on the forum but, if you are interested in more information, please contact me off list.

My best,
Roger

[Nate Williams]

I can attest to how easy it is to maintain the Retro units. I've had to replace the take up motor in my first unit, and the sensor LEDs in one of my Pro units and both jobs were a breeze. The parts were covered by warranty and didn't cost me a penny.

I just received my upgraded Retro-8 Pro unit and captured a test film. It's nothing short of amazing. The added speed is tremendous, and the exposure knob seems to be enhanced and more accurate. Thanks again Roger and all those at MovieStuff!

[Timmovie]

Ordered ours today. Every frame of our faces is smiling.

Talked to Roger in person today. Wonderful gentleman who knows what he is talking about
and also sincerely cares for his customers. All good.
countdown : 59 days...

[neelyre]

Been a Moviestuff customer for 7 years now and can attest to Roger's & company's capability and generosity with help (tech advice or a spare part) and so on.

Do they still offer the Retro $1200 upgrade (from 2fps to 15fps)? I don't see the upgrade link on the site anymore. Also, does the upgrade include the bluepoint technology or just the speed increase?

Another question, one of the reasons I still love using the SniperHD with Velocity is the choice of processing frame speeds. As a small business, I get a decent amount of film that has different film speeds, and being able to adjust on processing is pretty cool. I know I could use non linear software to adjust or use a program to re-create the file from image sequence, but that's an extra step I'd prefer not to exercise as I am busy enough as is, and some of my clients want the raw quicktime files as is (but at specific frame speed).

Is that something that could be implemented in a later version of the software.

Thanks!

Rick

[Timmovie]

RetroPro arrived yesterday. Today, Tuesday, just scanned first film. I believe 'Awesome' is the word.
It take a bit of time to finish the learning curve. Just read instructions slowly.
I took movie, put in PremiereCC, added a Neato Noise Repair addon, and then boosted sharpness. Very nice.

Machine is very nice. Reminds me when I first received the great TEAC four channel reel to reel years ago.
Very solid. Very well thought out.
The two support legs were wobbly. Tried instructions adjustment, but still has some wobble. A slight drill adjustment in the leg should allow the screw to slide backwards just a bit more, making everything level.

Waited years for a machine that would do this quality. The old style had such quality and sync problems.
After test one : I highly recommend the Retro8Pro to any archive'r of 8mm and Super8 films.

[Will2]

Roger, you should have a booth at NAB. It would be fun to see you there next to Sony or Arri...show them the little guy can still innovate and make great products. You could walk around with a Super 8 camera and compare them to the latest Alexa...that would be a YouTube video worth seeing!

"Yeah mister Arri rep, that's a nice camera, but mine cost $12 and the batteries last much longer. Plus, try to keep a digital file for 100 years..." ***MIC DROP***

[Timmovie]

Update : Roger suggested: by loosening all four screws, two on each leg, then wiggle a bit and the machine lines up very nicely for your table you are working on. I like that it is flexible like this. Very well thought out by Roger.
Great machine continues to be great.

[Paul Thrussell]

These are such low-maintenance units compared to film chain-style systems that it can be a bit of a panic when something minor goes wrong! A bad USB cable recently gave me a scare - thought for sure that the camera in my scanner was done for, but thankfully not!

Been having some issues with the focus which I only just noticed this evening. Oddly, when the film isn't sitting properly in the gate I get a sharper image than when it is! And of course it had to happen right before the weekend when Roger's office is closed

[MovieStuff]

We have shipped probably about 1000 units so far and, occasionally, the focus will drift during shipping. Contact me off list and I will be happy to talk you through resetting the focus. Once it's set, it should stay for all future transfers because the emulsion is always the same distance from the lens regardless of film thickness.

Roger