How to record time & date over video

[Craig Seeman]

You can do it on output going to an external device but not on anything recorded to the card.
Of course there’s metadata but courts don’t accept that as a “stamp.” The irony is one can certainly counterfeit a visual time date stamp.

[Bengt-goran Bengtsson]

Terry,
the best is to select timecode=clock!
Enter Menu and down to TB/UB set-menu.
Mode: select clock.
/BG

[Craig Seeman]

That will embed the info but when doing legal Depositions the courts generally want that info visibly burned into the camera master (so simply embed or burn in dub is usually not legally acceptable).

Taking a “live” (during the shooting) output to an external device with the above burned in might be acceptable as a master.

Keep in mind there’s a legal concern that embedded metadata can be altered without a trace. It possible to fabricate time/date information when dubbing. Camera masters with the info burned in is generally considered the most secure for that reason.

With the advent of tapeless recording the courts may have to consider what they’d consider legally secure in that circumstance.

Also note that long into the use of DV, Depositions were still done on VHS because the potential of 2 to 6 hour record times on a single tape (tape changes are a major interruption). Security is far more important than quality (but that’s an unfortunate mistake in my opinion where seeing the detail in the deponent’s body language can have impact).

[Bengt-goran Bengtsson]

Hmm interesting.
Today there are no “camera” master. What is origingal and what is copy in the digital world.

Maybe it is nessesary to invent new ways of prof. If you turn on a radio station on a scene to prove the timecode and then continue to film? Then there will be a independant “stamp” in the film. But that is also possible to fake… But free running clock timecode together with that type of independant stamping…
You can film your watch (analog) before shooting and then go to a police station and do the same…
Maybe we need to talk to Sony to build in some features that is difficult to change. Like timecode embedded in the videocode itself. I think adobe has something like that in photoshop?

I think time is essential here. After shooting, or during, you need a testemony, like a police telling the time… as soon as possible.
But I have no leagal experience on this. I still think the “clock” timecode is the best so far…

/BG