[FFmpeg-user] retain timecode stream when transcoding v210 to FFV1/MKV

[Christian Sievers]

Hi,

Thanks everyone for the timecode primers. Yes, these are archival considerations. Ideally, you don’t want to lose any information. 

This is what the time code tracks typically look like in our archive, using Mediainfo. There’s never more than one, and staff would have noticed if the digitisation had failed. So I think it’s safe to say, the timecode didn’t break. We have been using FCP7 and an Aja Kona card on an old, old Mac.

Other
ID                                       : 3
Type                                     : Time code
Format                                   : QuickTime TC
Duration                                 : 40 s 240 ms
Frame rate                               : 25.000 FPS
Time code of first frame                 : 00:04:08:17
Time code of last frame                  : 00:04:48:22
Time code, stripped                      : Yes



> When FFMPEG generates an MKV file from an input that has a timecode track,
> it also stores that initial timecode value but as as a piece of metadata,
> not a timecode track.
> So the loss of timecode track isn’t quite as “lossy” as it might first
> appear, as timecode isn’t always captured super well during digitisation to
> begin with.

You’re right. Transcoding the FFV1 file back to v210 “recovers” the timecode track!