24 Speed Question

[Graeme Nattress]

Which video cameras actually record at 24.00, 30.00 or 60.00 fps though?? I’m thinking I remember the original HDCAM having a 24.00 option, but I can’t remember, and I’ve not used a varicam enough to know off the top of my head. Everything affordable always uses the NTSC fractional rates though 🙂 Indeed, I’m sure in the HD specs there’s both integer and NTSC fractional frame rates.

As for audio – audio is audio and doesn’t have a frame rate per se, and only becomes an issue when you’re shooting at non NTSC rates that need to be slowed by 1000/1001 % for monitoring on NTSC monitor, which is most typically when shooting film. If you shoot at say 24.00fps or 23.98fps, it doesn’t matter to your audio, as long as you don’t try to change your 24.00 to play at 23.98 or your 23.98 to play at 24.00.

The whole issue, really though, is a mess. The 1000/1001 fudge factor came about to put colour in NTSC, and has not been relevant for many years as the technology has improved to not need it, and indeed, the advent of digital broadcasting makes nonesense of it. Similarly, 7.5IRE setup was sensibly ditched in Japanese NTSC about 20 years ago, whereas USA and Canada still use it, even though it no longer makes sense. With digital TV, a choice could have been made to ditch the fudge factor, but wasn’t. Of course, it’s rich of me to suggest this being born in a PAL country 🙂

Graeme

– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP

[Nils]

Yes, and what about PAL? Are we also 24.979895656464fps or are we just plain 25.00fps/50.00i??

Nils
PAL Land

Sydney, Australia

[Graeme Nattress]

PAL is Exactly 25.0000000fps or 50.0000000 fields per second. It uses nice, sensible, integer frame rates.

Graeme

– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP