Hello everyone,
Welcome to the new thread!
Here we can continue discussing the Kodak Reels 8mm film digitizer and some cool, unsupported modifications some smart folks have discovered to improve the capture quality of this product. Thank you to everyone who has helped in this project since it's creation!
This project began in 2023 and the original thread sparked nearly 900 replies, 48 pages of discussion, and over 100,000 views! Therefore, it was time to do a bit of a reset. The goal is to consolidate information for newcomers and help better organize updates and how-to information inside, saving folks from sifting through 45 pages to find answers.
The original thread is still available to view, but all new discussions will take place here to avoid conversations getting lost. If you have a Wolverine model film digitizer, please see this helpful article "Firmware hack fo Wolverine 8mm film digitiser" by @Branchus.
An in-depth video review of the Kodak digitizer and an exploration of firmware options:
Before going further, please read below and consider this your first and only warning about the risks involved in modifying your digitizer device…
ABOUT FIRMWARE UPDATES AND THE RISKS INVOLVED
WARNING - THIS IS IMPORTANT, SERIOUSLY!:
These updates, mods, or instructions are in no way authorized or supported by Kodak or anyone. Any actions you take you do at your own risk, these instructions or files are provided as-is, with no warranty!
READ ME FIRST, PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION!
This thread discusses firmware updates. These are software updates that are flashed (or written) to a chip on a circuit board. These updates involve erasing and replacing the current data on the chip. Therefore, any updates done to your device permanently alter the original data or code, with no easy undo option.
If something goes wrong, theoretically it could brick the device (turn it into a brick) or create weird quality of life problem, like the LCD screen not displaying correctly, or other undesirable results that could hinder use of the product.
As of December 2025, Kodak’s Reels product currently has three identified variants or revisions, based on minor internal hardware changes. These are silent product versions that are not labeled or marked clearly in anyway. We can only use the serial numbers of the device, along with some guesswork, to loosely determine what model is what variant. We’ve nicknamed these revisions models A, B, and C. Based on this knowledge, in 2024 I created a simple Digitizer Lookup & Firmware Lookup web tool to try and determine which model a unit is. However, this simply CANNOT be aware of any new models or different serial number patterns Kodak may be silently releasing, etc. Please do take the lookup tool’s results with a grain of salt.
In 2024 Kodak briefly had firmware updates on their website, but these are no longer posted. Furthermore, these only supported models A and B - not newer C models. Users who updated their C models were forced to send them off to Kodak for an exchange, as these updates messed with the LCD screen or caused other issues. Kodak was not willing or able to provide firmware files so users could self resolve their problems.
While we’ve learned a lot since 2023, this is still a risky process! If you are able, you can backup the original firmware of your unit in one of two ways. This would give you a safety net before proceeding. However, both of these methods are quite involved and require you to open up your unit (very carefully). One method involves micro soldering three tiny wires and having a UART serial to USB adapter, the other method requires having an EPROM programmer with a clip-on adapter or desoldering the memory chip.
WHAT DO THESE MODS DO AND WHY?
Essentially, the original Kodak Reelz/Reels unit offers zero quality controls or video capture settings. During the capture of your 8mm film the device takes hundreds of individual photos and works to build a video file out of them. As part of this process, due to limited processor horsepower and memory, the unit compresses the final video file saved to the SD card. This often results in pixelated, poor looking transfers that can throw out a lot of picture information, like film grain. These videos also have incorrect speed and altered colors or poor white balance. While some have used AI upscaling tools to try and improve quality, as the old adage goes... "garbage in, garbage out".
Worst of all, fellow user @0dan0 discovered that when capturing images and creating a video file, the device is only using a small fraction of the image sensor. Therefore, each capture only uses a fraction of the total image resolution, roughly 640x400 pixels. Then, the device upscales that image to a larger size, like 1728x1296 pixels. This discards tons of picture information and detail! Therefore, previous firmware mods that only increased the video resolution and bitrate were still limited by this internal process. Lastly, the units have an auto white balance feature that cannot be turned off, this can often cause drastic shifts of colors or tones mid-scene.
There are currently TWO flavors of modifications available today, alongside the stock Kodak firmware files. One is fairly simple one, created by me, and the other is more complex and offers advanced features and better picture quality. Please note, that for my firmware (labeled “Mac84”) the picture resolution is not exactly better than the 0dan0 firmware. My mods were done long before the discovery of the image sensor cutoff in the workflow.
KODAK DIGITIZER HARDWARE SPECS
Image sensor used: AR0330 3.15 megapixel sensor (datasheet is attached below)
System on a chip: Novatek 400 MHz processor with 128 MB of RAM (model NT96658MBG-NH)
Flash memory chip: 4 megabytes (MX25L3236F)
Power supply: DC 12V, 1.5 AMP (Center positive)
Storage: SD card slot (FAT32 format is required for flashing firmware)
USB: Micro USB port for playback power and storage connectivity (downloading)
FIRMWARE OPTIONS
Currently 0dan0’s firmware is the most advanced. However, each option has some quirks. You can download them using the links below or from the Lookup Tool. Here is a brief summary.
VIDEO EXAMPLES (...coming soon!)
TBA...
HISTORY, HOW WAS THIS DISCOVERED?
Watch the Mac84 video or read the archived thread for details about how this project started.
ADDITIONAL MODS AND TECHNICAL THINGS
Welcome to the new thread!
Here we can continue discussing the Kodak Reels 8mm film digitizer and some cool, unsupported modifications some smart folks have discovered to improve the capture quality of this product. Thank you to everyone who has helped in this project since it's creation!
This project began in 2023 and the original thread sparked nearly 900 replies, 48 pages of discussion, and over 100,000 views! Therefore, it was time to do a bit of a reset. The goal is to consolidate information for newcomers and help better organize updates and how-to information inside, saving folks from sifting through 45 pages to find answers.
The original thread is still available to view, but all new discussions will take place here to avoid conversations getting lost. If you have a Wolverine model film digitizer, please see this helpful article "Firmware hack fo Wolverine 8mm film digitiser" by @Branchus.
An in-depth video review of the Kodak digitizer and an exploration of firmware options:
Before going further, please read below and consider this your first and only warning about the risks involved in modifying your digitizer device…
ABOUT FIRMWARE UPDATES AND THE RISKS INVOLVED
WARNING - THIS IS IMPORTANT, SERIOUSLY!:
These updates, mods, or instructions are in no way authorized or supported by Kodak or anyone. Any actions you take you do at your own risk, these instructions or files are provided as-is, with no warranty!
READ ME FIRST, PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION! This thread discusses firmware updates. These are software updates that are flashed (or written) to a chip on a circuit board. These updates involve erasing and replacing the current data on the chip. Therefore, any updates done to your device permanently alter the original data or code, with no easy undo option.
If something goes wrong, theoretically it could brick the device (turn it into a brick) or create weird quality of life problem, like the LCD screen not displaying correctly, or other undesirable results that could hinder use of the product.
As of December 2025, Kodak’s Reels product currently has three identified variants or revisions, based on minor internal hardware changes. These are silent product versions that are not labeled or marked clearly in anyway. We can only use the serial numbers of the device, along with some guesswork, to loosely determine what model is what variant. We’ve nicknamed these revisions models A, B, and C. Based on this knowledge, in 2024 I created a simple Digitizer Lookup & Firmware Lookup web tool to try and determine which model a unit is. However, this simply CANNOT be aware of any new models or different serial number patterns Kodak may be silently releasing, etc. Please do take the lookup tool’s results with a grain of salt.
In 2024 Kodak briefly had firmware updates on their website, but these are no longer posted. Furthermore, these only supported models A and B - not newer C models. Users who updated their C models were forced to send them off to Kodak for an exchange, as these updates messed with the LCD screen or caused other issues. Kodak was not willing or able to provide firmware files so users could self resolve their problems.
While we’ve learned a lot since 2023, this is still a risky process! If you are able, you can backup the original firmware of your unit in one of two ways. This would give you a safety net before proceeding. However, both of these methods are quite involved and require you to open up your unit (very carefully). One method involves micro soldering three tiny wires and having a UART serial to USB adapter, the other method requires having an EPROM programmer with a clip-on adapter or desoldering the memory chip.
WHAT DO THESE MODS DO AND WHY?
Essentially, the original Kodak Reelz/Reels unit offers zero quality controls or video capture settings. During the capture of your 8mm film the device takes hundreds of individual photos and works to build a video file out of them. As part of this process, due to limited processor horsepower and memory, the unit compresses the final video file saved to the SD card. This often results in pixelated, poor looking transfers that can throw out a lot of picture information, like film grain. These videos also have incorrect speed and altered colors or poor white balance. While some have used AI upscaling tools to try and improve quality, as the old adage goes... "garbage in, garbage out".
Worst of all, fellow user @0dan0 discovered that when capturing images and creating a video file, the device is only using a small fraction of the image sensor. Therefore, each capture only uses a fraction of the total image resolution, roughly 640x400 pixels. Then, the device upscales that image to a larger size, like 1728x1296 pixels. This discards tons of picture information and detail! Therefore, previous firmware mods that only increased the video resolution and bitrate were still limited by this internal process. Lastly, the units have an auto white balance feature that cannot be turned off, this can often cause drastic shifts of colors or tones mid-scene.
There are currently TWO flavors of modifications available today, alongside the stock Kodak firmware files. One is fairly simple one, created by me, and the other is more complex and offers advanced features and better picture quality. Please note, that for my firmware (labeled “Mac84”) the picture resolution is not exactly better than the 0dan0 firmware. My mods were done long before the discovery of the image sensor cutoff in the workflow.
KODAK DIGITIZER HARDWARE SPECS
Image sensor used: AR0330 3.15 megapixel sensor (datasheet is attached below)
System on a chip: Novatek 400 MHz processor with 128 MB of RAM (model NT96658MBG-NH)
Flash memory chip: 4 megabytes (MX25L3236F)
Power supply: DC 12V, 1.5 AMP (Center positive)
Storage: SD card slot (FAT32 format is required for flashing firmware)
USB: Micro USB port for playback power and storage connectivity (downloading)
FIRMWARE OPTIONS
Currently 0dan0’s firmware is the most advanced. However, each option has some quirks. You can download them using the links below or from the Lookup Tool. Here is a brief summary.
- Stock Kodak Firmware (available for unit models nicknamed A, B, and C) - Download via the lookup tool
- Resolution: 1728x1296
- Video bit rate: 6,400
- Frame rate: 20 fps
- Enhancements: None, this is the firmware that comes with all units.
- Issues to know about: Low image sensor capture resolution, poor white balance, low video bitrate
-
Mac84 Modded Firmware (for units A, B, and C) - Download via the lookup tool
- Resolution options: 1728x1296 or 1920x1440*
- Video bit rate: 12,600
- Frame rate: 20 fps Enhancements: None Quirks: Digitizer cannot playback some captured recordings on built-in screen due to higher resolution or bitrate options.
- Important notes: The 1920x1440 resolution is not a true representation of the image quality due to the image sensor cutoff described above.
- Quirks: Due to the image sensor cutoff, the picture quality isn't as clear as it could be.
- 0dan0 Firmware (For units A, B, and C) - Download here(version 7.3, December 2nd, 2025)
- Resolution: 1600x1200)
- Video bit rate: Variable, with a peak of 35 Mb/S
- Frame rate: Variable, user can select 16, 18 or 24 fps
- Primary enhancements: RGB histogram, editable white balance, adjustable auto exposure, ISO & exposure statistics, additional color tint controls, advanced frame adjust (allows for additional digital zooming/cropping).
- Other enhancements: Visual histograms, MP4 metadata fix, disabled 3D noise reduction, auto stop when film reel is done, custom boot / shutdown graphic with firmware information, and many more.
- Quirks: Detailed images can overload the unit, leading to a crash and requiring a restart. 32GB FAT32 formatted SD cards are strongly preferred to reduce errors. 4GB max file sizes. Digitizer cannot playback captured recordings on the built-in screen.
- How to open the device
- How to flash firmware to the device
- How to install serial headers / adapters
- Firmware mod guides - for @0dan0 features
- Hardware photos / camera datasheet / chipset info
- 3D models: See this post for a 12mm macro lens mount
VIDEO EXAMPLES (...coming soon!)
TBA...
HISTORY, HOW WAS THIS DISCOVERED?
Watch the Mac84 video or read the archived thread for details about how this project started.
ADDITIONAL MODS AND TECHNICAL THINGS
Besides firmware, there are some other physical improvements you can make to your device to let it perform better, or resolve problems.
- Takeup reel motor issues
If the takeup reel motor fails, you can either replace the motor or unplug it. A failed motor can cause the system to not turn on.
- Power supplies
The power supply is a standard barrel jack adapter, DC 12V, 1.5 AMP (Center positive). I've been successfully using a hard drive power supply that is similar, but with a 2 AMP rating and have had no issues.
- Plastic reel posts
Earlier Reels/Reelz products had 3 plastic posts, newer units have 4. Either way, these can scratch the film, some users have wrapped these in soft materials, or have skipped them and just let film collect in a plastic bin.
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