Apple Final Cut Pro 5 - Manual (Page 774)

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Working With Timecode
Timecode provides a unique address for each video
frame on your tapes. Timecode is the vital organizational
link between your original camera tapes, media files on
disk, and clips in your Final Cut Pro project.
This chapter covers the following:
 About Timecode in Final Cut Pro (p. 439)
 Displaying Timecode in Final Cut Pro (p. 440)
 Modifying Timecode in Media Files (p. 446)
 Working With 60 fps Timecode (p. 451)
 Working With 24 @ 25 fps Timecode (p. 451)
 Generating Timecode Window Burns (p. 452)
About Timecode in Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro works with SMPTE standard timecode, which is displayed in the
following format:
hours:minutes:seconds:frames, or HH:MM:SS:FF
Each frame on a videotape has a unique timecode number, which helps you keep track of
video frames. The frame counter (FF) changes depending on the frame rate. For example,
with 30 fps (frames per second) timecode, the frame counter counts from :00 to :29, and
then back to :00 again. The frame counter in 25 fps timecode counts from :00 to :24.
Note: Some videotapes that are recorded improperly may have the same timecode
numbers in more than one location (for example, multiple occurrences of 00:00:00:00),
which makes it hard to identify where on a tape a particular shot is located. For more
information about handling these tapes, see Volume I, Chapter 19, “Capturing Your
Footage to Disk.”