What is SMPTE timecode?

SMPTE stands for Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. This society created a timecode clock that allows both components of audio and video to synchronize with one another, referred to as SMPTE timecode.

SMPTE timecode is a format for labeling and identifying frames in a video and serves as a reference point for all involved in the post-production stage. It is referred to as absolute time because it has a constant, unchanging speed as compared to music where the speed can vary, referred to as relative time, when scoring to picture.

Here is an example: 01:03:07:15. This group of numbers gives each frame in a film a specific location. The first group of 2 numbers (01) are the hours, the second 2 numbers (03) are the minutes, the third 2 numbers (07) are the seconds, and the last 2 numbers (15) are the number of frames. So, this timecode represents 1 hour, 3 minutes, 7 seconds, and 15 frames into the film.

Note

In the United States, the...