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- ATC
Ancillary timecode. Time-address data carried in an SDI ancillary packet under the relevant standard. Its presence and mapping depend on the transport and device; it is separate from the picture scan format.
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- Audio pull-up / pull-down
An intentional change in audio playback speed through a clock-rate or interpretation choice. State the actual record and playback rates: the words pull-up and pull-down alone leave the operation ambiguous.
Read the guide- BWF
Broadcast Wave Format adds broadcast-related metadata to a WAVE-family audio file. A timestamp or nominal sample-rate field is not proof that every recorder and application will interpret a pull setting identically.
Read the guide- Cadence
The pattern relating source pictures to displayed or transported frames and fields. A 2:3 telecine cadence can contain repeated fields; inverse telecine must identify the actual phase and field order.
Read the guide- Capture rate
The number of distinct pictures recorded per second of real recording time under the stated camera mode. Playing those pictures at another rate changes their duration. Verify what the camera means by sensor rate or recording rate.
Read the guide- Conform
In the rate examples here, reinterpret the same frame sequence at a new playback rate, retaining every source picture. In other post-production contexts, conform can instead mean rebuilding an edit from original media. State which operation is intended.
Read the guide- DF / drop-frame
A label-counting convention that skips specified timecode numbers to closely track elapsed time at fractional video rates. No picture frames are discarded. This website offers DF for 29.97 and full-rate 59.94 representations.
Read the guide- DPX
Digital Picture Exchange: an image-file format with image and metadata fields. A numbered DPX filename, its header timecode and its film identification are separate pieces of information; validate their relationship rather than assuming it.
Read the guide- Edge code
Identification exposed or printed along a film edge. It can help locate physical film, but it is not the same as a scan filename or arbitrary reel name. KEYKODE is a specific Kodak system within this area.
Read the guide- Exclusive out
An endpoint convention in which the out value identifies the offset just after the selection. Selection length is out minus in in a shared frame-count timebase. Identical offsets describe zero frames.
Read the guide- Field
For interlaced material, one temporal sampling of alternating raster lines. Two fields form an interlaced frame. Two PsF segments also divide a raster, but represent one progressive picture rather than two successive image moments.
Read the guide- Frame / picture
A whole picture unit in the declared representation. In interlaced video a frame contains two fields. Avoid using frame count to mean field count, timecode label count or a transport packet count.
Read the guide- Frame rate
Pictures per physical second under a stated interpretation. Integer and fractional rates are distinct: the 23.976 shorthand used here means exactly 24000/1001. A nominal 24-count timecode field does not make that playback rate exactly 24.
Read the guide- Free Run
A timecode mode whose counter continues independently of a camera recording trigger. Whether it stays locked, drifts, or changes behavior in off-speed mode depends on the generator and camera configuration.
Read the guide- Genlock
Locking a device video timing generator to a suitable external reference. It concerns video rate and phase alignment. Matching timecode labels alone does not establish that two image sampling systems are genlocked.
Read the guide- HFR
High frame rate. The term needs an explicit picture rate and representation. A camera capture rate, display rate and timecode packing scheme can all differ; a two-digit frame field is not a complete HFR interchange specification.
Read the guide- Inclusive out
An endpoint convention in which the out value identifies the last included picture. Length is out minus in plus one frame. Identical in and out labels select one picture if both refer to the same continuous source.
Read the guide- Jam sync
Setting a timecode generator from another reference so their labels agree at that point. Subsequent agreement depends on clock behavior and any continued synchronization. A jam by itself does not guarantee long-term video or audio sample alignment.
Read the guide- KEYKODE
Kodak film identification with human-readable and machine-readable markings. Retain the lab-provided identification and perf-aware frame relationship. It locates physical film; it is not interchangeable with a user-assigned digital reel identifier.
Read the guide- LTC
Linear timecode: a serial time-address signal often handled through an audio-like electrical path. Decoding its labels and deriving a camera timing reference from it are different functions. Some camera modes support specific LTC timing-lock behavior.
Read the guide- NDF / non-drop-frame
Timecode counting without skipped labels. Fractional-rate playback still uses a nominal integer count in the frame field, so the label clock and physical elapsed seconds diverge. NDF does not mean the media plays at an integer rate.
Read the guide- NTSC / PAL rate families
Legacy analogue television terms often used as shorthand for fractional 29.97/59.94 and integer 25/50 workflows. Modern HD/UHD should be specified with exact picture dimensions, scan type, rates and delivery requirements rather than those abbreviations alone.
Read the guide- Off-speed recording
Recording pictures at a capture rate that differs from the intended project playback rate. It creates a timing change on playback; sound recording and timecode treatment can be camera- and mode-specific.
Read the guide- Perf / perforation
A sprocket hole in motion-picture film. The number advanced per picture affects footage-to-frame conversion: 35 mm 2-perf, 3-perf and 4-perf use different nominal factors even on the same gauge.
Read the guide- Pitch
In audio, perceived frequency can change when uncorrected playback speed changes. In film, perforation pitch is a physical spacing. State the context: a nominal roll-runtime factor does not specify a measured perforation pitch.
Read the guide- Project rate
The intended playback timebase of the project or camera recording workflow. It may differ from sensor capture speed. Exact behavior and terminology depend on the system, so preserve both rates in the camera report.
Read the guide- PsF
Progressive segmented frame. A progressive picture is carried as two segments that can resemble interlaced transport, but do not represent two different capture instants. Confirm the signal interpretation rather than deinterlacing by assumption.
Read the guide- Reel identifier
A logical identifier used to distinguish source media or rolls during editorial and conform. Its uniqueness and relationship to camera-roll, lab-roll and scan names must be agreed; matching timecode alone is not enough to identify a source.
Read the guide- Sample rate
Audio samples per physical second at recording or playback. A nominal file-header value and the actual clock used during capture can have different roles in a pull workflow. Bit depth is a separate quantity.
Read the guide- Sample-rate conversion / SRC
Recalculating samples for another sample rate. A normal duration-preserving conversion changes sample count appropriately while retaining timing and pitch. Merely changing a header or playback interpretation does not perform that operation.
Read the guide- Sensor rate
A camera-specific term for image capture timing. It should not be confused with project playback rate, shutter exposure duration or sensor readout time. Consult the particular model and recording-mode documentation.
Read the guide- Timebase
The declared rate and counting interpretation that give timing values meaning. Before combining offsets, establish the rate, DF/NDF convention, origin and continuity. A numerical label without those assumptions is incomplete.
Read the guide- Timecode
A time-address system used to label positions in media or a production timing workflow. Its label, rate, counting mode, source and carriage all matter. A timecode value is not, by itself, a complete description of a media format.
Read the guide- Timecode day
One complete 00–23-hour label cycle in the selected convention. At fractional rates it need not last exactly 86400 physical seconds. Source software versions can use different wrap policies; declare the policy before subtracting across a boundary.
Read the guide- VITC
Vertical interval timecode, historically associated with the video vertical blanking interval. Distinguish that legacy signal from VITC-related labels carried as ancillary data in digital interfaces. Consult the transport and applicable standard.
Read the guide- Word clock
An audio sample-timing reference. It concerns sample cadence, whereas timecode identifies positions. A suitable common clock or synchronization system is needed when sample alignment matters; common timecode numbers alone do not prove it.
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Read the full method.
These concise definitions introduce the library's working conventions. For source-specific behavior and primary references, follow the linked articles and their documentation. In particular, confirm the recording device, software version, frame-count representation and delivery specification before a turnover.
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