Timecode Formats

The SMPTE timecode format is expressed as: framerate/framerate multiplier/mode. The W3C standard for expressing the framerate multiplier has changed: the colon (:) used to separate the framerate from the multiplier has been replaced by a space. For example, 999:1000 is now expressed as 999 1000. For a further explanation of timecodes, review the Final Cut Pro X User’s Guide.

The following table shows the supported timecode formats and what the <start_time> would be for each of the timecode formats (note that the timecodes represent the 99,290th frame of the movie):

Description

Effective FPS

Timecode format (<timecode_format>)

<start_time> example (HH:MM:SS:FF)

Default (legacy)

N/A

(Note: qt_text does not include frames.)

qt_text

00:55:13.124

(Note:qt_text allows milliseconds, not frames.)

NTSC Video

29.97

30/999 1000/nonDrop1

30/1000 1001/nonDrop2

00:55:09:20

NTSC Video

29.97

30/999 1000/dropNTSC1

30/1000 1001/dropNTSC2

00:55:13;00

(Note: Drop frame mode requires the use of the semicolon after the seconds.)

NTSC Film (Imprecise)

23.976

24/999 1000/nonDrop

01:08:57:02

NTSC Film

24

24/1 1/nonDrop

01:08:57:02

PAL

25

25/1 1/nonDrop

01:06:11:15

ATSC Video

30

30/1 1/nonDrop

00:55:09:01

1 Imprecise: Many software-based video systems, including those from Apple, use the imprecise value of 29.97 as the frame rate for NTSC video. So although 1000 1001 would be the precise rate for NTSC, 999 1000 is used.

2 Precise: Use the 1000 1001 ratio if your source video is timed accurately to true NTSC standard framerate.