So you have some old films or video that you would like to transfer digitally to either VCD or DVD and you are not sure how to do it. One thing is for sure, you definitely need to transfer these to either VCD or DVD. The fact is film deteriorates, fades out and cracks, as well as any type of magnetic film format. If for anything, you need to preserve your family's history to keep an archive of your family's history for generations to come. You actually have a couple of options available to you, both of which will cost you a small investment, but will be well worth the investment in the end.
You can purchase the equipment and supplies and convert them on your own, as long as you have a fairly decent PC with a fair amount of hard drive space and speed, as well as a 8mm or DV video camera. First off you will need to purchase an 8mm/Super 8 film projector. Preferably a duel projector that is capable of projecting both formats. This can be obtained through E-Bay from anywhere between $50-100. Then you will need to purchase a film to video converter which runs anywhere between $10-25. This can be obtained through EBay, as well. Finally you will need to purchase a digital video converter for your PC. You can get a fairly good one for about $100. Make sure that it is compatible with your PC before purchasing it, though. Once you have all of your equipment and have set up your editing software, you can now begin to shot your film through the converter and capture it onto your video camera. Then you will need to take the recorded video of your films and load them up to your PC via your digital converter and software.
The other option you have is to go through a film transferring service. The cost of this all depends on how much film you have to be converted. Typically this can be on the average between $100-200. So as you see, the options are technically the same in costs, however, it all depends on whether you want to invest your time in transferring them on your own.
I specialize in transferring 8mm and Super8 film to VCD and DVD, so if you would like, I can give you a fair estimate on what your films would cost to transfer them to either VCD or DVD. Just email me how many reels you have along with the diameters of each at kovitch@familyarchives.info. Check out my website for additional information at www.familyarchives.info.
Good luck in what ever you decide to do!