Convert between SMPTE timecode HH:MM:SS:FF and frame counts, add or subtract durations, and measure runtime between two timecodes — drop-frame and non-drop frame aware, from 23.976 up to 60 fps.
NTSC video runs at exactly 30000/1001 ≈ 29.97 fps, not 30 fps. After one hour of non-drop 30 fps counting, real time has advanced by 3 seconds and 18 frames further than the timecode. Drop-frame compensates: at the start of every minute (except every 10th), it skips frame numbers 00 and 01 — 2 frame numbers × 9 minutes × 6 ten-minute blocks = 108 dropped numbers per hour, the offset needed to keep the timecode aligned with the wall clock. Only frame numbers are skipped — no video frames are actually dropped.
Drop-frame timecodes use a semicolon before the frame field: 01:00:00;00. Non-drop uses the standard colon. This tool accepts either separator.
| Rate | Exact | Used by |
|---|---|---|
| 23.976 | 24000/1001 | Film telecined to NTSC, streaming film |
| 24 | 24 | Theatrical cinema, Blu-ray film |
| 25 | 25 | PAL television (Europe, Australia) |
| 29.97 | 30000/1001 | NTSC video (US, Japan)DF |
| 30 | 30 | Web video, some camera modes |
| 50 | 50 | PAL HD broadcast |
| 59.94 | 60000/1001 | ATSC HD broadcast (US)DF |
| 60 | 60 | High-frame-rate web and gaming |