Apple Final Cut Pro 6 - Manual (Page 784)

Chapter 25 Working with Timecode 451
III
Working with 60 fps Timecode
Some high definition video formats, such as 720p60, have a video frame rate of 60
(or 59.94) fps. Final Cut Pro can display 60 fps timecode for 60 fps media files, or you
can choose to view the timecode at 30 fps, using the special 60 @ 30 timecode
display option.
60 @ 30 is a timecode display option used specifically with 59.94 and 60 fps video footage.
Because 30 fps is a more universally accepted timecode rate than 60 fps, it can be useful
to view your timecode this way. Also, most DVCPRO HD VTRs display this timecode rate
when playing back 60 fps tapes. Each 60 @ 30 timecode number represents a pair of
video frames, with the second frame distinguished by an asterisk (*).
When you are using 60 @ 30 timecode, Final Cut Pro recognizes asterisks when you
type them into timecode fields. Typing + (plus) followed by * (asterisk) in 60 @ 30 mode
is the same as typing +1 in 60 fps timecode.
Note: Mapping 60 frames to 30 numbers per second is not a new concept. VITC
timecode represents each pair of fields (in other words, each frame) with a single
timecode number. Fields 1 and 2 are distinguished by an asterisk placed on field 2.
60 @ 30 timecode works similarly.
Working with 24 @ 25 fps Timecode
Final Cut Pro has a special timecode format for editing 24 fps film that was transferred
to 25 fps PAL video.
24 @ 25 timecode displays 25 fps timecode while you edit 24 fps video. This allows you
to see the actual source timecode from the 25 fps PAL videotape even though you are
editing at a frame rate of 24 fps. Editing at 24 fps is important because this is how the
final film will be projected, but 25 fps timecode is important because this accurately
shows you where each video frame comes from on the PAL videotapes. The PAL
videotapes, in turn, correspond to the original film edge code numbers. If you don’t
maintain the 25 fps timecode while editing in Final Cut Pro, you can’t accurately trace
your footage back to the original film negative to make a proper negative cut.
For more information about 24 @ 25 fps editing, see the documentation that came
with Cinema Tools.