Time Code: 30fps or 29.97?

S

Scott_Spears

Well-known member
I should know this, but I'm curious what code the DVX100 lays down. The reason I ask is I just worked on a music video and they believe there was time code drift during a 4 min. take. I captured the footage into Final Cut Pro with visible time code on screeen (running through a Canopus box) and found that at the end of 4 min. the code was off 8 frames, meaning at the end the time line showed one code and the visible code was off bt 8 frames. Any ideas?

Scott
 
Depends on if you had the camera set to Drop-frame or Non-drop-frame.
Drop frame would be 29.97
Non Drop would be 30.00
 
Sounds like you were in non-drop mode. Non-drop counts the actual frames, whereas drop-frame counts the actual running time, not the # of frames.

The DVX can do both. In 24P mode it's always non-drop.
 
Then why would one capture at 29.97 rather than 30? (Ref: sticky subject on capturing 24P in FCP.)
 
29.97 for broadcast, 30 for everything else.
Broadcast requires 29.97 because it is more accurate. 30 minutes is truely 30 minutes if timed with drop-frame.
30 minutes non-drop would be 30minutes 1sec. 24 frames.
 
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