Most everyone has old home movies that are enjoyed on special occasions, family reunions, Christmas parties, etc. We watch them to remember how things used to be or to revisit someone special that is no longer with us. Some of these film reels have no sound, such as the 8mm films our dad's took before microphones were attached. Others are videotapes that may have been sitting around in the attic for many years. Whatever the form, they are very important to us. We hold them dear as they are the clearest, most truthful memories we have.

Video Killed the Radio Star

The Buggles said it best with their song, "Video Killed the Radio Star". The song is about a singer whose career is cut by the introduction of TV. For children of the 1980s, this was one of the first videos we would see on something called MTV.

The technological revolution we see now has certainly given much to society and continues to do so, but there are some things that no longer seem to be as useful as they were years ago. 8 tracks and betamaxs were replaced by tape decks and VCRs, while tape decks and VCRs went to the wayside for CD players and DVDs. Even now, MP3 players and Blu-Rays are replacing those.

Preserving the images and sound on videotapes for as long as possible has actually already reached the end of the lifespan of the media. It has been discovered that videotapes degrade much quicker than originally thought. Ten years is the limit for many tapes. There are many issues that cause videotapes to degrade.

The coolest thing about old home movies was when there was a family get together, and someone would break out the projector to show the funny clips buried in those old home movie film reels. The not-so-cool was having to watch all of the other stuff that was boring. The old projector may have had a fast speed setting to get to the best parts, and maybe it even had reverse to make the scenes even funnier, but it was nothing like a modern DVD player.

Have you ever heard of 2 inch quadruplex? How about Betamax? If you are over forty you probably heard of Betamax. Both are videotape formats that are basically the same as the “tape” that is in all of those old VHS tapes you have boxed up. You know the ones. There are little Becky's first words, Steve's first steps, the wedding ceremony of your oldest daughter, even great grandma at her last birthday party before she passed away.

There is only one professional 8mm film to DVD transfer service that will treat your precious and irreplaceable memories shot on 8mm film with the utmost respect they deserve. Those brief moments in time that have been caught on frames of 8mm film oh so long ago can be preserved in a modern digital format that can last forever.

Who said there is no such thing as a free lunch? Well, there might not actually be a free lunch, but there certainly is a free website to do some intense editing of those new digital videos that you had made from all those old home movies. The place is JayCut, and it is just the thing for the aspiring director who wants to take the family digital videos and turn them into the next Oscar winner. Okay, maybe an Oscar won't be waiting in the wings, but the joy of being able to be your own Steven Spielberg for the family videos is fun.

Hey, we folks who just want our old 8mm films and 16mm films transferred to DVD usually have no idea of the high-tech stuff that goes into getting the job done right. If a person wants to risk ruining the old film and desires lousy results, just run the brittle old film through a garage sale projector and videotape what is projected on the wall. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that there were still a few "professionals" out there doing just that.

Have you ever watched those documentaries on television where they use archival film footage to help tell a story from our past? I don't think I could find an adult among us who has not seen at least one. Good directors of such documentaries take advantage of having the survivors who were a part of the event be a part of the documentary. Now let me tell you how this ties in with 8mm film conversion.

You just have to go to www.qik.com. That is if you have a modern phone that is video capable, and if you have an unlimited data plan. Why? Well I'm going to go right ahead and tell you!

Qik is a software application (app) available for smartphones such as the iPhone and Android, but they also have apps for a whole bunch of other phones. I downloaded one for my Motorola Q9h which is ancient when compared to the latest and greatest phones that are available.