TOOL · TIMECODE

Frames ↔ HH:MM:SS:FF.

Convert frame counts to SMPTE timecode and back at 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50 or 60 fps. Drop-frame support for the broadcast-correct 29.97 NDF / DF distinction. Everything is two-way bound — type in any field, the rest update live.

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Frame rateDrop-frame (29.97 only)

Frames

Timecode

Seconds (wall clock)

Frame count: 180
Wall clock: 00:00:06.000
Duration: 6.000s @ 30 fps

WHAT IS DROP-FRAME?

The 29.97 problem.

NTSC broadcast runs at 29.97 fps — not 30. If you count frames as if it were 30, an hour of footage drifts by ~3.6 seconds. Drop-frame timecode "drops" two frame labels every minute (except every tenth) to keep wall-clock time aligned with frame count.

Drop-frame doesn't actually drop frames — it just renumbers them. The footage plays back the same. Use DF when delivering to broadcast; use NDF for everything else.

FRAME RATES IN THE WILD

Pick the right one.

23.976 fps — "Cinema" for NTSC delivery. Films pulled down for US TV.
24 fps — Theatrical film. The classic.
25 fps — PAL broadcast (UK, EU, AU). No drop-frame needed.
29.97 fps — NTSC broadcast. Drop-frame for >10 min content.
30 fps — Web, social. Many phones default here.
50 / 60 fps — Sports, gaming, smooth motion content.

Need the full pipeline?

HyperFrames renders deterministic MP4 from HTML — at any of these rates.

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HTML → MP4 GIF → MP4 For educators

The 29.97 problem.

Drop-frame doesn't actually drop frames — it just renumbers them. The footage plays back the same. Use DF when delivering to broadcast; use NDF for everything else.

Pick the right one.

23.976 fps — "Cinema" for NTSC delivery. Films pulled down for US TV.

24 fps — Theatrical film. The classic.

25 fps — PAL broadcast (UK, EU, AU). No drop-frame needed.

29.97 fps — NTSC broadcast. Drop-frame for >10 min content.

30 fps — Web, social. Many phones default here.

50 / 60 fps — Sports, gaming, smooth motion content.