Rick:
Ken is correct. Film has much higher resolution than HD video, so there's lots to work with from the old negatives.

The bigger problem is damage to the original films, either by them being dirty or colors fading over the years. Restoration work on the negatives, frame by frame, is painstaking but can yield beautiful quality HD.

::::::: No disrespect to Axiom, but my favorite woofer is my yellow lab :::::::