Timecode ''stepiness" problem

[djrappa]

Hi All
I had seen this in previous versions but I had hoped v5 would solve it. When I have my sequence set to receive timecode it will have very steppy playback as long as it is 'locked' to the incoming timecode. The clips will stutter and the players will appear to have difficulty locking to one another.
If I set the timecode mode to continue and then mute the timecode send and allow the sequence to freewheel all is fine.

Does anyone have any thoughts?

Setup is a manager running 4 players and SMPTE input via the usb timecode widget.

[Patrick Verhey]

Hi,

did you ever check your incoming timecode signal? Which timecode interface are you using? And do you use the latest driver version for that interface?
We did do intense testing on the timecode interface and we never had any problems like that.

There might be also a physical problem with your interface itself. Did you had the chance to check if another interface is behaving the same?

best regards

Patrick

[JustynR]

I've had this problem too...

It turns out it was my fault...

2 things -
1 I had it set to the wrong timecode - I had it set to 30f per second in PB, but I was actually receiving 29.97 - I changed it on the timeline settings and it worked great.

Also, it turns out on another show, that it was too loud. As soon as I put it through a little 4 channel mixer and turned it down... it worked just fine.

j

[Markus Zeppenfeld]

Hi,

if it is possible I would advice to check the input by generating the LTC from a different device. This way you could check if it is the sender or receiver which is causing the issue. The best way would be to generate the timecode via another PB or WD device.
As well the tip from Justyn is absolutely correct to ensure that the LTC is set to the right framerate. As well NDF (non-drop-frame) or DF (drop-frame) could be an issue.

Let us know if this will change anything.

Markus

[djrappa]

Originally it was set to 25fps (as I hadn't changed it from default), but the sequence was 24. Timecode did nothing until I changed it to 24fps to match the sequence, then it worked.
Can confirm both are 24fps and the signal is 24fps. The timecode was generated from PB originally, recorded and is then being played straight back in. Same issue exists with any source.

The interface is the coolux USB widget.
Are there recent drivers for this device?

Any other piece of equipment sitting on the same timecode is AOK with the signal.

[djrappa]

Thanks guys, it was actually the volume, it was coming in a bit hot from audio land, turning it down solved the issue