About timecode

Many camcorders and high‑end video decks record timecode, which marks specific frames with unique addresses. Timecode is important whenever you want to capture exactly the same frames that were identified or captured previously, as in the following tasks:

You want to log clips before you capture them.
You plan to capture clips using batch (automated) capture.
You want to recapture clips because the original files became corrupted or were deleted.
You plan to export sequences to another system by using AAF or EDL.
You’re using a system in which you edit quickly with low‑resolution captures, and later recapture the clips at full resolution and quality for the final version.
You plan to synchronize captured video with audio recorded separately.

Unlike the numbers on time counters found in home VCRs, timecode is recorded onto videotape as part of the video signal. If footage lacks timecode, you can add it by copying it with a camera or deck that writes timecode. You can then log or capture the video from that device.

For best results, timecode should run continuously from the beginning to the end of the tape; it shouldn’t restart from zero anywhere in the middle. In editing, if you log a capture In point such as 00:00:01:09 but that number occurs on the tape two or three times because of timecode restarts, Adobe Premiere Pro can’t be certain which 00:00:01:09 is the place to start its capture. It can easily capture the wrong clips from tapes with discontinuous timecode.

To ensure unbroken timecode, you need to either shoot it continuously or stripe your tape with it before shooting.

To ensure that you always shoot continuous timecode, record at least 5 seconds of extra video past the end of the action in any shot. If you review a clip in the camera, be sure to rewind the tape back into that 5‑second margin before recording again. Your camcorder reads the timecode from the frame on which you stop and begins recording timecode with the very next frame number when you start your next shot. Be careful; if you leave a gap between the last frame of the previous shot and the first frame of the next, the camcorder begins writing timecode at 00:00:00:00 again.

For more information about timecode, see the video tutorial, Digital Video Principals: Timecode, on the lynda.com website.