Sneak peek at the new RetroScan Universal

Forum covering all aspects of small gauge cinematography! This is the main discussion forum.

Moderator: Andreas Wideroe

User avatar
MovieStuff
Posts: 6135
Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 1:07 am
Real name: Roger Evans
Location: Kerrville, Texas
Contact:

Sneak peek at the new RetroScan Universal

Post by MovieStuff »

Image


We've been working on this for a while for the Hugh Hefner Film Archives at the University of Southern California, which originally needed a custom built 28mm scanner for a special collection. They already have a number of our Retro scanners but needed to save space so we decided to design this as an all-in-one unit. In addition to the custom 28mm gate, this replaces their 8mm, 9.5mm and 16mm units. We are also working on a 35mm gate. An identical unit will be delivered to the Academy of Motion Picture Film Archives.

We were eager to offer this on our website as well but we really didn't think we'd be able to go into production until the second quarter of next year. But, as they say, things change. A fortuitous series of recent events with a couple of our vendors has allowed us to push production up to this summer. Out of respect, I don't normally monopolize Andreas' forum with promotional stuff but, considering the recent discussion about building an open source scanner, I figured this might be germane since it allows use with any camera and software and not just our own. It also has interchangeable gates and folding arms for large reel capacity. You can see a larger picture and more info here:

http://www.moviestuff.tv

We are still formulating some final pricing and how gates will be bundled, etc. I will try to answer most questions as best as possible but I'm really slammed right now so forgive me if I occasionally seem vague. :)

Roger
User avatar
VideoFred
Senior member
Posts: 1940
Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 10:15 am
Location: Flanders - Belgium - Europe
Contact:

Re: Sneak peek at the new RetroScan Universal

Post by VideoFred »

Wow! Great design Roger! Very good acces to the film gate and very easy to change camera position in all directions. Do you transport the film with the take up reels only or are the small guide wheels also powered? A wetgate option would be nice too!

Fred.
my website:
http://www.super-8.be

about film transfering:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_k0IKckACujwT_fZHN6jlg
User avatar
MovieStuff
Posts: 6135
Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 1:07 am
Real name: Roger Evans
Location: Kerrville, Texas
Contact:

Re: Sneak peek at the new RetroScan Universal

Post by MovieStuff »

VideoFred wrote:Wow! Great design Roger! Very good acces to the film gate and very easy to change camera position in all directions.

Thanks for the kudos. Yes the camera compound on this is really handy. You can actually move the camera across several frames while it's running and choose the frame position you like best. You could shorten the tube and capture several frames at the same time, if you desired. It's a very adaptive system for people to experiment with. I'm actually working on a separate super slow motor/arm assembly that will start and stop automatically for stationary frame capture for use with a digital still camera. Maybe even a RGB stage for use with a black and white camera for super high resolution scans on the cheap. It's still early, of course.
VideoFred wrote:Do you transport the film with the take up reels only or are the small guide wheels also powered? A wetgate option would be nice too!

Fred.
Like the other Retro units, the take up reel is what pulls the film through. This means we can handle the film only by the very edges throughout the film path. Regarding wetgate, the modular design of the unit allows all kinds of DIY add-ons and modifications. That's why there is a base plate, which can be extended easily to accommodate various other rollers and accessories. We have no immediate plans for a wetgate as the diffusion light source is nice and close to the film plane and really does a great job of minimizing scratches. Not as good as a wetgate but more convenient for the average user running a high volume shop.

Roger
Will2
Senior member
Posts: 1983
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2005 12:18 am
Real name: Will Montgomery
Location: Dallas, TX
Contact:

Re: Sneak peek at the new RetroScan Universal

Post by Will2 »

Way to keep the innovations coming! This may be the perfect machine for me since I'm sitting on a closet full of 8mm and 16mm film (with a little 35 thrown in too!).

I'm sure it would slow everything down, but would a 2.7k or higher camera be possible? In 16mm a little extra resolution can be helpful...

Made in Texas. Love it.
User avatar
Nate Williams
Posts: 35
Joined: Tue May 15, 2012 2:25 am
Real name: Nate Williams
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Contact:

Re: Sneak peek at the new RetroScan Universal

Post by Nate Williams »

Exciting! I figured you'd eventually come up with a universal format Retro unit, it was just a matter of time. I probably won't be upgrading right away since I just recently got both a 16 and 8 Pro unit, but the extra desk space would be nice. The increased reel capacity would also be handy.

I noticed you moved the sensors to the left side and a bit closer, does that help with frame registration? With the movable camera, does that mean overscanning will be possible?
aj
Senior member
Posts: 3556
Joined: Thu Oct 02, 2003 1:15 pm
Real name: Andre
Location: Netherlands
Contact:

Re: Sneak peek at the new RetroScan Universal

Post by aj »

It certainly looks beautiful! Important to draw the first attention. Of AÏDA (attention, interest, desire, action) :)

The blackbox with the rollers and gate is a module which can be interchanged with others?
Kind regards,

André
mr8mm
Posts: 522
Joined: Wed May 11, 2005 7:18 pm
Real name: john schwind
Location: California
Contact:

Re: Sneak peek at the new RetroScan Universal

Post by mr8mm »

Absolutly beautiful piece of equipment. A work of art. But my problem is that 90% of my S8 and some R8 is sound. Any thoughts on transferring sound to the digital image? I suppose the visual could be digitized then a second pass with a sound projector to add the sound to the digital image. Maintaining sync might be a problem but if done on small pieces might be acceptable.
User avatar
MovieStuff
Posts: 6135
Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 1:07 am
Real name: Roger Evans
Location: Kerrville, Texas
Contact:

Re: Sneak peek at the new RetroScan Universal

Post by MovieStuff »

Will2 wrote:
I'm sure it would slow everything down, but would a 2.7k or higher camera be possible?
Sure. The camera is totally removable and we will be offering affordable adapter plates. I would say the only limiting factor would be the chip size of the chosen camera. When you get too large, the distance from the film gets to be unwieldy but I'm pretty sure most any camera could be adapted to this unit. As I noted previously, I am working on a mod that will even allow start and stop of the frames. So, really, most any file size should be workable as long as speed isn't an issue.
memoriesrenewed wrote:
I noticed you moved the sensors to the left side and a bit closer, does that help with frame registration?
Yes. By simplifying the film path and having a "straight shot" between the sensor and the target area, the registration is more constant. Also, by moving the sensor before the gate, any image disturbance at the beginning of the roll due to leader thickness happens during the capture of the leader and not the actual film. Also, because the sensor is so much closer, minor jumps at splices are minimized or eliminated altogether. And, finally, the tension spring common to the all the previous Retro units has been eliminated with an auto tension mechanism that maintains perfect tension all the time without need for adjustment. Side to side registration is now regulated by lateral spring clips that maintain gentle pressure on the factory edge of the film.
memoriesrenewed wrote: With the movable camera, does that mean overscanning will be possible?
Yes. Because the camera can move up and down and because the lens tube can be lengthened or shortened, you can pretty much have any cropping desired. However, the unit normally uses the entire imaging chip for max resolution of just the frame picture area. If you reduce the image to pick up the sprocket holes during capture, you will be limited to about 720p resolution, which looks great, but is less than what the camera can actually deliver. The Chameleon we use actually scans at 964p, which is about 80 lines short top and bottom of 1080. But, based on my experience, most people that seek to scan in 1080 want to include the frame lines visible at the top and bottom of the scan so they can be assured they are getting all the frame. They then crop into that 1080 image to pull out the 8mm frame. Ironically, when you do that, you actually end up with about a 964 capture frame. So rather than deal with the extra per frame data baggage of a 1080 capture for what is, essentially, a 4:3 frame, we just go ahead and capture 4:3 at 964 and the software will then gently upscale to 1080. Purists my differ but we've done tests and those missing 160 lines don't add up to much. I'm working on some samples for the web but it looks great.
aj wrote: The blackbox with the rollers and gate is a module which can be interchanged with others?
Yes. The gates are attached by two thumb screws and it takes about 60 seconds to change gates, which auto align with the light source that is built into the base. So each gate has its own diffuser.

Image
mr8mm wrote:Any thoughts on transferring sound to the digital image? I suppose the visual could be digitized then a second pass with a sound projector to add the sound to the digital image. Maintaining sync might be a problem but if done on small pieces might be acceptable.
We will (probably) never produce a sound unit. Too much R&D for too little gain, from my standpoint. If every roll of film had a soundtrack then that would be different, of course, but the majority of film out there is silent and that's where our market is.

Roger
User avatar
Davideo
Posts: 372
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2006 12:21 am
Location: Seguin, Texas
Contact:

Re: Sneak peek at the new RetroScan Universal

Post by Davideo »

Great looking machine, Roger!

Is it safe to assume the hardware is resolution independent due to the ability to change cameras and that resolution is determined by the Retro software? And that future software updates may allow for higher resolutions like 4K?

I would like some type of provision to keep hair and dirt from getting into the light source. This has to be manually done from time to time during transfer even if the films have been cleaned well prior to transfer. Gunk can float around the room you're transferring in.

I work a lot with degraded Vinegar prints and the 2fps machines I use are at the right speed so I can monitor warped film as they enter the gate slowly. 15fps would be too fast for this purpose. Any thoughts on this?
User avatar
MovieStuff
Posts: 6135
Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 1:07 am
Real name: Roger Evans
Location: Kerrville, Texas
Contact:

Re: Sneak peek at the new RetroScan Universal

Post by MovieStuff »

Davideo wrote:Great looking machine, Roger!
Thanks! It sort of looks like something you'd find in a late 50s optometrist office. :)

Davideo wrote:Is it safe to assume the hardware is resolution independent due to the ability to change cameras and that resolution is determined by the Retro software?
Well, sort of. Every camera has its own set of drivers. It takes time to develop a piece of software that incorporates those drivers. Our current software uses drivers that are specific to the Chameleon and will not work on any other camera. So the resolution isn't really limited by the software but by the camera we have chosen to write software for. If you wanted to replace the camera with a higher resolution camera, you would need to use the manufacturer's software, which is usually featureless but free. We would only support the mechanics of the unit in that instance. Interfacing an unknown camera with the unit won't void the warranty but we would not be able to help sort out any kind of compatibility issues because we would have no experience with that camera.

Davideo wrote:And that future software updates may allow for higher resolutions like 4K?
Probably the easiest way to get 4k out of this unit is to employ something like the shutterless Panasonic DSLR. We are working on a special motor assembly that would advance and stop on each frame and trigger a camera automatically. It would be slow but you won't be able to produce 4k transfers any cheaper than that, IMHO.

Davideo wrote:I would like some type of provision to keep hair and dirt from getting into the light source. This has to be manually done from time to time during transfer even if the films have been cleaned well prior to transfer. Gunk can float around the room you're transferring in.
Yes. On this unit the diffuser is right behind the film to help reduce scratches. But it is far enough away that it is still out of focus in case some tiny lint or debris drops into the diffuser. Easy access for cleaning, obviously.
Davideo wrote:I work a lot with degraded Vinegar prints and the 2fps machines I use are at the right speed so I can monitor warped film as they enter the gate slowly. 15fps would be too fast for this purpose. Any thoughts on this?
Well, this unit presumes that the film is flat and not warped. So there may be some films that simply will not run on the normal gates but we are working on some specialty gates specifically for warped film.

Roger
User avatar
Davideo
Posts: 372
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2006 12:21 am
Location: Seguin, Texas
Contact:

Re: Sneak peek at the new RetroScan Universal

Post by Davideo »

Sounds good on all fronts. I probably wouldn't replace our existing equipment, but rather, look at this as an additional machine with the 9.5mm, 28mm, and 35mm gates to gain capability in those formats.
User avatar
vintagefilm
Posts: 21
Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2014 9:26 pm
Real name: Grace McKay
Contact:

Re: Sneak peek at the new RetroScan Universal

Post by vintagefilm »

Very nice Roger!
Grace McKay
Electric Pictures
Spirit High Definition Motion Picture Telecine Scanning
ElectricPictures.tv
949-838-0001
Craig05
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 8:34 am
Real name: Craig McCourry

Re: Sneak peek at the new RetroScan Universal

Post by Craig05 »

Wow Roger… looks amazing! I have a lot of 35mm that needs to be eventually scanned. :)
David M. Leugers
Posts: 1632
Joined: Thu May 02, 2002 12:42 am

Re: Sneak peek at the new RetroScan Universal

Post by David M. Leugers »

What a great design. Congrats on what is sure to be a major success!
Gargamel
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 10:23 am
Real name: Andre
Location: Brittany

Re: Sneak peek at the new RetroScan Universal

Post by Gargamel »

Congratulations for that wonderful machine...
Surely only a dream for many, but a pleasure to see here !
Post Reply