Why do timecode and real time differ at 23.976 fps?

Timecode counts 24 nominal frames per second, but the frames actually play 0.1% slower. An hour of timecode is about 3.6 seconds longer in real time; the tool shows both.

The first frame. Timecode 00:00:00:00 is frame 0, so frame counts here start at zero, matching NLEs and ffmpeg.

Frames ↔ Timecode Converter

Frame counts to timestamps and back.

Frame rate

Frame numberFrame 0 is the first frame

Timecode

00:03:00:07

at 23.976 fps, non-drop

Real elapsed

180.472 s

Frames

4,327

Timecode

00:03:00:07

Frame 4,327 at 23.976 fps — where is that in the video? Convert frame counts to timecode and real elapsed seconds, or go the other way from a timestamp to an exact frame number, at every standard rate.

How to use it

1.Choose the frame rate.
2.Enter a frame number, or a timecode to reverse.
3.Read the timecode, real seconds, and frame count.

Questions people ask

Why do timecode and real time differ at 23.976 fps?: Timecode counts 24 nominal frames per second, but the frames actually play 0.1% slower. An hour of timecode is about 3.6 seconds longer in real time; the tool shows both.
What's frame 0?: The first frame. Timecode 00:00:00:00 is frame 0, so frame counts here start at zero, matching NLEs and ffmpeg.

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