How to find Frame Rate on Tape

[RGB]

I have a question. Is there a way to determine the frame rate shot on a mini dv tape. I am about to import some footage that my work gave me. they don't know what rate the video was shot in. I would like to know so when I edit this in FCP I will be doing and setting the proper capture settings. (is there a way to check this prior to capturing in FCP??)

 

[Oedipax]

Was it shot on a DVX? You can play the tape in a DVX and turn on the user bit displays to see if it's 24p or 24pa or 30p or 60i, if I remember correctly.

Second option would be to watch the footage through a VTR on a monitor, it'll be pretty obvious if it's 24p or 60i at least. 30p might be a little trickier to spot but still fairly distinct. If it's one of the two 24p flavors and you don't know which, you can just capture as 29.97 and then run it through a Cinema Tools reverse telecine (it'll work whether it's 24p or 24pa).

Basically you can't go wrong capturing at 29.97, since that's the only frame rate MiniDV will accept, but after that how you deal with it might change. You don't have to do the reverse pulldown at the time of capture, although it simplifies things if you know for a fact that a tape is 24pa.