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“Timecode format doesn’t match frame rate” error on import
Hello all,
This is kind of a Magic Bullet Grinder question, but it involves ingesting transcoded DSLR footage into CatDV.
I’m getting the above error when I ingest Grinder transcoded footage into CatDV.
Here’s a screen shot of my column view:
The top file, “MVI_6272.mov” is what I’ve ingested via Final Cut Log and Transfer. Everything seems ok, except that the TOD timecode is an hour fast, which is another issue altogether.
The second file is a Grinder transcode using “Same as Original” for the Conform Frame Rate setting. It looks like the timecode format is true 24fps vs 23.976. It also appears to be one frame longer in duration, but this is most likely a function of the timecode, as opposed to actual duration of the clip. When I compare the second clip to the first in FCP, they are the same duration with matching timecodes.
The third file is also a Grinder transcode using “23.976” for the Conform Frame Rate setting. I’m getting the same timecode error, but this clip is actually one frame shorter than the rest when compared in a timeline in FCP.
The last file is the original h.264 from the CF card.
So I guess my question is, what’s the deal? Is this something I should be worried about if I start using Grinder as a part of our workflow. Is the worst I could expect from this an annoying non-critical error every time I ingest transcoded footage into CatDV, or is there some scenario where this time code weirdness could come back to bite me? Lastly, is anyone else experiencing this issue.
Thanks for your time.
-Graham
OSX 10.6.8
AE CS5
FC Studio 3
Octo 2.26GB MacPro, 16 GB RAM -
1 Reply
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It’s not an error from CatDV’s point of view, just a warning. If you have 24.0 fps timecode on 23.976 fps footage you could conceivably get problems with longer clips, where stepping one frame might sometimes cause the displayed timeode to jump by two frames (or by none, it makes my brain hurt to try to work out which way round it would be). Or you might end up with situations where different apps display the timecode differently.
In the past we’ve had problems where FCP and QuickTime Player display different timecode, so however CatDV does it it can’t win and someone is going to complain! We therefore display import warnings if we detect any slight anomalies but if you don’t experience any actual problems in your workflow then you can safely ignore the warnings.
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