If you apply the Timecode FX to the media (in the media pool), it will show the media timecode (as opposed to event time or project time that you refer to in your email). You can set the timecode offset using the start timecode property of the media, if it's not already set correctly by the capture.

OK, I'm boggled. Like wcoxe in the second message, I'm preparing DVDs for legal purposes. My wife's a court reporter and videographer, and her clients are very excited about getting DVDs of their depositions. Without the time stamp, though, they are hard to use.

I applied the timestamp FX, which put hours:minutes:seconds;frames on the video. Early in the tape, it displays 22:26:56;12. That might be useful, except that the time recorded in the date/time data was 8:11 am. That is in no way related to 10:26 at night, which is what I'd get from 22:26. If I show the date/time data from the Canon GL2 camcorder, it is fine.

You said, "You can set the timecode offset using the start timecode property of the media, if it's not already set correctly by the capture." Setting an offset could be helpful, but I'd have to do it for each clip, I think. (They take breaks.) A real pain. I don't understand what you meant, anyway. Could you please elaborate?

Thanks very much, this is important,
Peyton Randolph

Hi Peyton,

The clip can have the TC reset in the Media Pool... right-click on the picon and select custom, to enter the time-of-day into the TC field.

Then you can add the TC fx to the clip in the media-pool to have the TC (TOD) displayed at the output.


Hi William,

In all fairness, one could ask: "WHY WHY WHY did you select a camera that cannot record the time/date in the video? I don't mean to be flippant, but the depo-shooters I know make that and confidence-monitoring a priority when selecting cameras and recorders.


I haven't dabbled in scripting yet, but I'll put timestamp burn-in on the todo list when i get there.


mph

Thanks very much, Marty!

I look forward to trying that, when I get home. Do I enter the actual time of day for each clip that I apply the TC FX to, or is that a selection under "custom," and it gets it from the Date/Time data stream from the camera? Either way sounds do-able.

In fairness to William, it is a shocker that it is so difficult to get the Date/Time off of the camera in a digital transfer. I think our Canon GL2 is a good example. After the tape is recorded, and you want to play it back to a TV, VCR or some other analog-input thingie, the camera lets you select what marginal info you want displayed. It is all preserved along with the video and sound, and you may display date/time in several formats, you can display tape remaining, audio levels, and other info. You can even change the assortment while playing back the tape, because it's data. It's mixed within the camera, and sent out to the LCD monitor and elsewhere.

Hook up the Firewire connection, though, and you don't get any of it. Very frustrating, and very surprising. The GL2 will let you record the marginal data as you tape, but then it is *all* burned into the video, and can not be unselected later. All or nothing. Lawyers reviewing their depositions are distracted by the pretty green and red audio levels going up and down.

Setting the time-of-day on the TC FX sounds pretty good, even if I do have to do it for each clip. Thanks again, Marty!

Cheers,
Peyton

Hi,

Fair enough... I know this is a pet-peeve of WC., but I personally don't think it is as elemental to NLE as some other things many Vegas users have been hoping for IMO. I'm all for having it as a feature, but I will concur with SoFo as to where on the priority list it has landed.


>>>>I enter the actual time of day for each clip that I apply the TC FX to, or is that a selection under "custom," and it gets it from the Date/Time data stream from the camera? "<<<<

Yeah, you gotta enter it manually fer each clip, and use the CG for the date, but hey... maybe it won't be this way for too long.




HTH, MPH

Tips:
http://www.martyhedler.com/homepage/Vegas_Tutorials.html


Bummer about that all or nothing jazz.

bravedog:

I know of nothing that can put a capture timestamp on the video. I also wonder just how useful from a legal perspective such a timestamp could be, since surely someone out there could fudge the dates given enough motivation. I can certainly see the convenience aspect, however.

As I've mentioned elsewhere on this board, you could perhaps save a step in your process if you capture using "ScenalyzerLive" instead of VidCap. Scenalyzer has the ability to name each captured clip with the timestamp of the first frame of that clip, so, for example, a clip might be automatically named "20030331 09 14 33.avi" which means the camcorder said the first frame of that clip was captured on March 31st 2003 at 9:14am (and 33 seconds). Still no automatic way of getting that avi name onto the video automatically, however.

If having the date/time stamp is real important, you can capture it from the analog out of the camera. Of course, this requires that you have an analog capture card or convertor, but if your job requires it, then it can be done.

Dave T2

riredale, i agree with questioning the validity of the datestamp. How maybe people out there never set the clock in their camera to begin with? True, most legal professionals would be careful to do so, but what if the possibility of the clock being set (or incorrectly set) was even mentioned to the jury? Wouldn't that cast doubt on them?

A few years back a good friend of mine was a juror in a child porn case, and a colleague of mine was brought in as an expert witness. The prosecution's entire case hinged on when the photos had been saved to the defendant's hard drive. As my friend so aptly put it, everyone in the court room just knew the dirty rotten scumbag was guilty. However, my colleague was able to demonstrate in a few moments how easily, quickly, and above all untraceably, the dates could be changed, assuming the computer's clock was even correct to begin with. Sadly, the jury had to vote 12-0 for not guilty, based on the evidence presented.

As far as this thread is concerned, i would think that any method of generating a timecode on the video, even if it is precisely accurate, could be called into question. I certainly wouldn't try to base any case on it.

When you start and stop during a video tape depo the videographer is responsible for stating on tape what time it is. " This is the video tape depo Donald Duck the time is -------- todays date is --------- " all of which is also visually on the tape. If they do not match the court or someone would object and disallow the tape.
JM

Legal admissibility of the DVD is not the point at *all*. No edited video could be admissible as original evidence. Extracts could be used to illustrate points, as long as they were noted as extracts, and the time was mentioned as "at or about.." The original tapes are archived, the camera's time is set, and the tapes track with the time-stamps on my wife's transcript.

The point of the DVD is convenience for the attorney's, who are our clients. They like to look at a comment in the transcript, and rapidly find that spot in the video, using the time for reference. It's not legal admissibility, but value-added for a new way of using video. A time code that's accurate +/- a few seconds would be fine for that.

Cheers,
Peyton

Howdy, Marty,

<<The clip can have the TC reset in the Media Pool... right-click on the picon and select custom, to enter the time-of-day into the TC field.>>

I'm still lost. :( I can not find anywhere where I might enter time of day into a field associated with the Timecode. Did you mean to type "picon?" New term for me, I took it as icon. Anyway, I've right-clicked on the following, and see no option for "custom": The media clip in the media pool, the media clip after the TC FX is applied in the media pool, the icon for the TC FX when you right-click the media clip and choose FX, and the moving example TC picture, when you click the FX tab to see all the FX.

Could you please walk me through to the point of entering a time of day, slowly? I'm new to all this, but fairly bright. Just need a few more bread crumbs to follow the trail properly.

Thanks,
Peyton

Ahhh, nifty!

I just checked this in Vegas 3 and Vegas 4 and it works the same way in both. Right-mouse-button click on the clip in media pool (yes, that little picture icon you see is a "picon") and choose Properties. Under Timecode, select use custom timecode. This lets you enter hh:mm:ss;ff for the start of the clip. So, if you know the clip started at, say, 2:15pm, you could enter 14:15:00;00. Then when you drop the Timecode FX onto the clip in the media pool the timecode will start at this time rather than the tape timecode (which usually starts at 00:00:00;00 at the beginning of the tape or wherever the track is discontinuous).

It's probably a good thing to understand that "timecode" on the tape is NOT the same thing as the date/time stamp you see in the camera's display. Timecode simply clocks the frames from the beginning of the tape or tape segment. It does not represent the date or time that the video was shot.

You would have to set this manually for each clip, but it shouldn't take too much time if you've got good records from the taping sessions.

Hi Peyton, All...

Thank you to Kelly (Chienworks) re. changing the TC...

Here's an idea for U Time-date burners: (Works only in V4)

Drop a title into the TL, same duration on a track directly above yer clip
Add the DF-TC fx onto the Text media picon in the Media Pool
Change the TC to custom on the *title* and set to the time-of day of the start of the video clip
Type the date in the title event and position above/below/next to the TC window
Drop a cookie cutter on the title Track, and position to cut-away the frames portion of the TC window

You should have a decent Date-time burn now. (you may fiddle with the title shadow border, etc.)

Here's the joy: To make another for the next clip just Ctrl-drag the event to copy as a new media event, and reset the TC in the MP. Done.

More joy: if you group the two events (video and title), trimming the video will also update the title and burn-in.



HTH, MPH

Tips:
http://www.martyhedler.com/homepage/Vegas_Tutorials.html

Peyton, If your looking for value added for your clients, try the program called Sanction. You convert the video to mpeg1 put it on a cd, sync it up to the electronic transcript. Then all the lawyers have to do is highlight the area on the transcript that they want to see and the video starts at that point. It's from a company called Verdict systems. Do a google search and you can find them.

John M.

Kelly and Marty,

Wow! Good instructions and great ideas. I'm looking forward to getting off of work so I can get to work.

I guess "cookie cutter" is left as an intellectual exercise for the student. ;) I'll squawk if I can't figure that out.

I appreciate it, y'all!
Peyton

Thanks, John!

I'll find that, see how it would get along with my wife's software. She uses Eclipse and ETranscript.

Cheers,
Peyton