Video Timecode
Many customers find it valuable to have timecodes inserted in transcripts from film or video source media as a convenient way to locate the even in the original media. VoType can readily provide timecode markers in the transcript in situations including:
- VHS tapes or digital files with timecode burned in;
- Digital files with known starting time code;
- Digital files with a customer specified starting time code;
If you would like to have timecode notations inserted into your transcript, be sure to let VoType know both the frame rate (see below) and the frequency of the notation (usually once per minute, or once per page of transcript).
What timecode is:
Timecode is expressed as a numerical notation of hours, minutes, seconds, and frame, (for example 00:22:47.10). With that notaion, a timecode can refer to a precise frame in a video stream and as long as it begins at the same point, the code will refer to the same frame no matter what playback device you use.
If your original video media does not have timecode burned into the image, any capable video duplication house can do that for you, or perhaps even better, most video houses can capture the video to a digital format which will save time and cost as well as protecting the original media.
Burned in timecode
In duplicated or "dubbed" tapes, duplicators will often burn in the timecode, that is, overlay a timecode reference usually in the upper right corner of the frame, so viewers can see the exact timecode when the tape is viewed on players that don't have timecode reading capability.
Frame rates
If your source material is film, timecodes may vary somewhat since the standard frame rate of film is 24 frames per second (fps) and the standard for video is 30 frames per second (well, really it's 29.97 fps, but we don't want to quibble about .03 frames per second). When film is converted to video, though, in order to keep the apparent speed correct, it goes through a process called 3:2 pulldown (more than you ever wanted to know about that is here). So the timecode for your source media would then be reflected in the video standard instead of film.
The point of this is to understand the different options for accurately using timecodes in the transcript to refer back to the original media and to be able to specify to VoType how you would like timecode to be used for your project.
