Digital Specialists

16mm film description:
16mm film refers to a popular, economical gauge of film used for non-theatrical film making. 16 mm refers to the width of the film. It was introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1923 as an inexpensive amateur alternative to the conventional 35mm film format. The silent 16mm format was initially aimed at the home enthusiast, but by the 1930s it had begun to make inroads into the educational market. The addition of optical sound tracks and, most notably, Kodachrome in 1935, gave an enormous boost to the 16mm market. Used extensively in WW2, there was a huge expansion of 16mm professional film making in the post-war years. Films for clients in government, business, medical, industrial sectors and related service industries created a large network of 16mm professional filmmakers in the 1950s and 1960s. The advent of television also enhanced the use of 16mm film, initially for its advantage of cost and portability over 35mm. At first used as a news-gathering format, the 16mm format was also used to create programming shot outside the confines of the more rigid television production sets. The home movie market eventually switched to the even less expensive 8mm and Super8 format.

In later years a sound track was added on one side of the 16mm film, sacrificing one row of perforations. It was accepted as an SMPE standard in 1932.

16mm film transfers to DVD
Of all the film format that we convert to dvd, 16mm is by far the most historic. Our 16mm to DVD transfers are done on the most up to date, professionally maintained projectors available. The format is by far the best quality we see and after being in the business for as many years as we have that is a lot of film. What made 16mm film so special (it is still used today by many film schools) is the size of the film versus 8mm and Super8mm with sound. By having a largest area to record more information the film was able to handle tough lighting situations much better.

At TorontoHomeMovies.com what makes our 16mm to dvd conversion process unique is our "Direct to Digital" transfer technique. By recording the image from the film gate there is no cropping, colours are rendered true, and sharpness is guaranteed. Once the footage hs been captured digitally each frame is adjusted for sharpnes, clarity and color. Utilizing the latest in Professional editing software and audio hardware your footage is separated by reel. We then review each and every frame and make needed changes.

If your objective is to simply have your 16mm footage converted to DVD for your family to review we will create a high bitrate DVD that will have automated chapters and a menu. If you plan to edit your footage then ask us about transferring your 16mm footage to MiniDV tape, Digital8 tape, DVCAM or to a portrable HD. We can proovide for your editing pleasure 16mm to .avi or 16mm to .dv formats.

Our 16mm to DVD conversions are available to both consumer and businesses looking for the highest quality conversions available in Canada and the USA. If you are located in the southern US please check out our Florida location, and in Quebec please visit www.MontrealHomeMovies.com

Questions? Call us Toll Free 866 559 1163 or email us at info@TorontoHomeMovies.com

History of 16mm
Kodak could not lag behind Pathé. John Capstaff of the Kodak laboratories had already been experimenting with another size. They had come to the conclusion that 10mm was the minimum image width for acceptable quality. Perforations on both sides would occupy another 6mm, making a total of 16mm. This gauge had the additional advantage that flammable 35mm stock could not not be slit in half for amateur use.

In 1923 16mm was introduced. In the battle for the amateur market Pathé boasted that its size was cheaper because of its economical use of the film width. Its prices suited all(?) purses. In their sales’ slogans Pathé boasted that 9,5mm had almost the same frame size of 16mm at the price of 8mm.

Kodak opposed that middle perforations could cause stripes over the image. Moreover if the projector claw failed to hit the perforation accurately the images could easily be damaged.

The grain quality of 16mm was better. Kodak introduced with 16mm a reversal developing process with variable second exposure. It did away with the procedure followed so far to have negative film copied onto positive stock. As a result the costs were reduced to only 1/6 of the negative/positive process.

In later years a sound track was added on one side of the film, sacrificing one row of perforations. It was accepted as an SMPE standard in 1932. 

The 16mm used by professionals was given a boost by the introduction of super 16 mm in 1971. The 16mm image was enlarged by using also the space normally taken up by the sound track. This film size is excellently suitable to be blown up to 35mm. Because of its widescreen dimensions it lends itself perfectly for modern televion systems, like Pal Plus. There are suggestions to enlarge the image size even further by introducing vertical perforations similar to those used in super 8mm.