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APPENDIX C SMPTE TIMECODE
APPENDIX
269
SMPTE Timecode
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) timecode may be one of the most
misunderstood concepts among individuals within the music industry. The problem with SMPTE timecode
formats is that they may mean different things to people in the audio and video fields. What follows is a brief
description of each SMPTE timecode format.
Important:
When synchronizing audio to video, it is crucial
that the SMPTE timecode format used in the sequencer or
digital audio workstation is the same as the SMPTE timecode
striped onto the video. This guarantees that the SMPTE times
on the video screen and computer monitor synchronize during
playback.
SMPTE 25 EBU (25 fps, Video)
SMPTE 25 EBU timecode runs at 25 fps (frames per second), and matches the frame rate used by European
Broadcasting Union (EBU) television systems.
SMPTE 25 EBU format is used for PAL DV/D1 video projects.
SMPTE Drop Frame (29.97 fps, Video)
SMPTE Drop Frame timecode runs at 29.97 fps, and matches the frame rate used by NTSC television
systems (North America, Japan).
SMPTE Drop Frame format is used for NTSC DV/D1 video projects.
Both SMPTE Drop and SMPTE Non-Drop run at 29.97 fps. In both formats, the actual frames are not
discarded, but they are numbered differently. SMPTE Drop removes certain frame numbers from the
counting system to keep the SMPTE clock from drifting from real (“wall clock”) time. The time is adjusted
forward by two frames on every minute boundary except 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50. For example, when
SMPTE Drop time increments from 00:00:59.29, the next value is 00:01:00.02.
SMPTE Non-Drop Frame (29.97 fps, Video)
SMPTE Non-Drop Frame timecode runs at a rate of 29.97 fps. This leads to a discrepancy between real
(“wall clock”) time and the SMPTE time, because there is no compensation in the counting system as there
is in SMPTE Drop Frame.
SMPTE Non-Drop format is used for NTSC D1 video projects that are recorded on master tapes striped with
Non-Drop timecode.
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