What Is Timecode?
Timecode is a signal recorded with your video that uniquely identifies every frame of
your tape using a time stamp in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames. Timecode uses
the following format:
Timecode was invented in the late 1960s so that computer video editing systems could
automatically find specific frames on tape and record editing decisions that could then
be performed over and over again. The Society of Motion Picture and Television
Engineers (SMPTE) standardized several electronic timecode formats for video in 1967.
Note: Other types of address code, such as Keycode and ink numbers, are used for
editing film. For more information, see the documentation that came with Cinema Tools.