FCP Warning Drop vs Non-Drop Frame

[Paul Katz]

I figured it out! All you have to do is: Go to USER PREFERENCES:TIMELINE OPTIONS: if you are shooting 24P or 24Pa footage just UN-check Drop Frame. 24P footage is Non-Drop Frame. Now you d\won’t get that annoying pop-up “You are about to capture Drop Frame Media from a Device Currently Detecting or configured for Non-Drop Frame media”!
Cheers…
Paul

[Ken Jones]

Watch out! By changing your “Timeline Options” to NDF all of the timelines you create will now be non-drop. This will be a problem if you will be editing long form programs, or especially programs for broadcast.

The capture error message you are experiencing is due to FCP seeing whatever type of timecode your deck is generating. If you put one of the tapes in the deck and roll a few seconds before you select batch capture you should not get this error message.

[Paul Katz]

Hi Ken,
So you’re saying even with the timeline options checked for “drop frame”, if I roll the tape a little before batch capture (even though the footage is Non-Drop)I should not get the warning?
After this project if I want to capture “Drop Frame” footage ,I will have to go back to Timeline options and audio/Video settings and change back device control presets to “Drop Frame”.
Cheers,
Paul

[Ken Jones]

You did not state you were changing “device control presets” you said you were changing “timeline options”.

If you have a tape that was recorded with DF you must capture it as DF. Conversely, if you have a tape that was recorded with NDF you must capture it as NDF. FCP will not change NDF to DF or vice versa during capture.

You do understand the difference between DF and NDF? Do some Google research or perhaps consult the FCP manuals concerning capture protocol. Don’t make me go all “Zelin” on you. 😉

[Paul Katz]

Yes Ken I understand DF vs NDF. All I can tell you is that since I’m capturing NDF media and set things up in FCP to capture NDF my system is capturing perfectly and purrin’ like a kitten…
When the time comes for me to capture DF media i’ll change things accordingly.
Cheers,
Paul

[Ken Jones]

I am glad things are working for you. I see that same error message all of the time.
My guess is that if you were to shut off your deck/camera, restart FCP, and then turn back on your deck/camera without a tape inserted that you would once again get the error message.

[Jesus Ali]

Not to revive an old argument, but in Paul’s 2nd Post I also had an “Aha!” Moment and came to the same conclusion he did. And I don’t think that Ken understands that “Aha” moment the way Paul and I do.

But then I started thinking some more and I am questioning the Aha-ness of Paul’s conclusion.

Isn’t 23.98 actually Drop-Frame?
Straight on 24 would be NOT Drop-Frame. But isn’t 23.98 meant to match television rates of 29.97 (i.e. Drop Frame) counting?

So, since 2:3:3:2 actually results in footage that 23.98, aren’t we actually capturing Drop-Frame?

And even if the computer “reads” the 60i tape, isn’t it actually capturing 29.97 (drop-frame) footage?

So now, I understand even LESS why the warning comes up! So far, ignoring it has not given me any problems.

Thanks guys!

[Gary Adcock]

[Jesus Ali] “Isn’t 23.98 actually Drop-Frame?
Straight on 24 would be NOT Drop-Frame. But isn’t 23.98 meant to match television rates of 29.97 “

NO. NO NO

There is no such thing as drop frame below 30fps.

The 23.98 timing is to allow NTSC sync, but you are not “dropping frames” To achieve the 23.976 frame rate the decks recording mechanism is PHYSICALLY slowed during the record so that the content plays properly on SD TV sets.

this is why an HDCam tape can record 30 min at 29.97 but 45 min at 23.98.

gary adcock
Studio37
HD & Film Consultation
Post and Production Workflows for the Digitally Inclined
Chicago, IL

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/adcock_gary/AJAIOHD.php