Not quite sure what your question is.

The starting timecode is 00:00:00:000.

Unless you have Freerun SMPTE T/C Sync + Genlock slaved between your cameras via XLR, that is what you should expect at the beginning of every clip.

I suspect your are confusing SMPTE timecode with timestamp, which is something quite different.

Actually, looking for the time/date stamp in the AVCHD files was my first clue that something was wrong, because that's missing too. It was there in MiniDV land - I can bring in an AVI shot on my DVX and timecode in is there and accurate, timecode out is there and accurate, as is the date/time stamp.

So as my camera runs a timecode, either free run or rec run, and that timecode is clearly visible on the clip thumbnails within the camera in playback mode, that timecode is then NOT going to be saved in the clip itself? My DVX did it - every frame of video recorded to tape has the timecode embedded so that I can see, without variation, the timecode in the Project Media window as well as on the event on the timeline.

And I never had any TCG's or cables connecting second cameras or anything like that.

I find it very difficult to believe that they would design it so that every clip will always start with zero. Why then would the camera even show a timecode? Or give the option for free run or rec run? To what advantage would it be for the cam to always generate a time code, display it on the LCD, display it in the clip thumbnail, just to reset to zero on every clip when brought into Vegas?

Panasonic guy said he found articles on Cow about Sony being aware of this issue, but I can't find anything. Anywhere.

Frustrated.

UTC Timestamp and SMPTE timecode are two entirely different things. I don't know how to state this any more clearly.

You really should read up on the differences.

He should be able to reference his time-stamp,or time code start, under clip properties/Media window.

Correct guys?

Will

"He should be able to reference his time-stamp,or time code start, under clip properties/Media window. "

Indeed but I think with a lot of the new cameras this kind of "stuff" isn't in the video file itself.

Bob.

Or go to the Preview Device Preferences | Video window and select 'Timecode' from the 'Show Source Frame Numbers on Event Thumbnails as...' dropdown.
Footage from my EX camera shows the proper time code. Stuff shot with my canon dslr starts every clip at 0:00.

Potentially dumb questions but I'll ask them anway.
Did you set the camera's clock when you first got it or is the internal battery dead?
I know for a fact (and from experience) that if the clock isn't set or the battery is dead, proper timecode will not be recorded.

Mike

As far as I know, still cameras don't actually put timecode in files, so anything from a still camera would start at 0:00. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

The video cameras are another matter. They do indeed record timecode, although Bob's suggestion that the timecode is in a separate file is an interesting idea.

One thing I've noticed in files captured in Premiere CS2 Vs Vegas is that they can't see each other's time code. This is from DV files captured from the same tape so I assume the timecode is getting different labels in the file headers. The TC definitely exists in both files. So evidently the TC can be written to file in ways that Vegas (or PPro) doesn't recognize.

Rob Mack

Mike, I don't remember this in quite that way. What I remember is that for DV tapes you need to set the camera's Time of Day or scene detection won't work. Scene detection usually works by detecting jumps in the ToD.

Does this also affect time code? Remember that TC can be set manually on higher end cameras. In this way you can set Tape One to start at hour 1, Tape Two to hour 2, etc.

Rob

Rob, I can tell you that, with consumer camcorders at least, if the clock hasn't been set, scene breaks will not be detected.
Time code (OK, pseudo time code) is derived from the internal clock and if it hasn't been set or if the internal battery is dead, this is what happens.
I use a pro camera and love being able to preset TC to anything I want as well as jam-syncing it if the need arises.
Once again though, if the internal battery is dead, scene breaks will not be detected.

Mike

The fundamental problem as I understand it is that Vegas does not read timecode. It calculates timecode from the TC at the start of the file. It's darn important for users to understand this, even with DV.
One mistake a few have made is assuming all you need to archive is a Vegas project and the source tapes and you can recapture and rebuild your project and you cannot. To do that you need the VidCap file or the source files. Just the tapes and the project file is not enough.

Bob.