Wrong TC on master file exports

[Oliver Peters]

[Bill Davis] “Since drop and non-drop TC are simply alternate numbering schemes for the exact number of actual frames s – it appears that somehow something under the hood in these NLEs is using the frame ID NUMBERS – rather than the metadata about the frames, themselves – for calculating TC IDs.”

I’m not sure what you mean by metadata about frames. Most NLEs (excluding Quantel and Autodesk) are not frame-based. There is metadata in the header for a file that tells the software what the start time and frame-mode should be. Then the NLE counts up from that and interpolates what timecode should be displayed. It does not actually read timecode information for the particular frame it’s parked on. That’s true of FCP X as well as most of the others.

When you compare the XML from X or 7, the difference is a DF versus an NDF display flag. This info is apparently used by QT player, for example, but ignored by FCP 7. If you “hack” the FCPXML to change it from DF to NDF and then re-import that FCPXML, the resulting exported media from that round-tripped sequence displays the correct TC values.

[Bill Davis] “Unless you’re CNN or some other type of 24 hour broadcast operation, drop frame timecode is another artifact of an NTSC system that honestly needs to fade away. “

DF is important in ALL broadcast operations in NTSC countries for long-form. It has nothing to do with 24-hour operation. It is mainly so the editor knows that when he’s edited a 1-hour-long show that starts at 1:00:00;00 and ends at 1:59:50;00 that in fact the duration is truly 59:50 and matching a real-time clock. You can get away with spots and promos being done in NDF TC, because the incremental offset is so small, but you cannot do that for shows.

In this case, though, it’s less of a factor, because these are 23.98 masters. You don’t go to air with 24p tapes, so I suppose the code could actually be anything. OTOH, if you open this file in a player with the idea of going to tape at a frame-accurate TC location (because X doesn’t support tape output), then it could becomes a very real problem for some folks.

– Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com