I have three Osmo Action 4 cameras, all purchased within the last 6 weeks. They are fantastic cameras, and I am very happy with them, with the exception of one thing.... the Timecode feature is simply terrible to the point of being utterly useless. The cameras are used for motovlogging, with one on my helmet, one on my wifes helmet (she rides her own bike) and one on my dash. I need to be able to easily sync the video from all 3 cameras, and was very happy to learn the OA4 had a timecode feature, which is even mentioned in the advertising media specifically for the purpose of syncing different cameras.

I thought the easiest way to use this feature would be to reset the timecode on each camera at the same time. It's not that easy to do, but is possible with a bit of finger stretching, and initially I thought this was the answer. However, the cameras are incapable of keeping time properly, and so the sync drifts on each camera a different amount within minutes of resetting the timecode.

After some research, it seemed that buying a Tentacle Sync might be the answer, and is even recommended on this forum, so I spent (wasted!) another chunk of cash hoping this was the answer. The Tentacle does indeed jam-sync the cameras well to start with when the USB-C is connected, but again they drift away from each other within minutes and need to be resynced before every single shot. As we are riding motorbikes, this means that we have to stop and resync the cameras every time we want to record something to either use the Tentacle or just an old fashioned hand-clap. It's either that or accept the fact that I have to try to manually sync everything when editing, which can be very time consuming after a long bike tour with hours of footage.

I can honestly say the timecode feature is completely useless on these cameras as it is simply unusable. If it cant keep cameras in sync, what purpose does it have? A £5 watch from Amazon can keep perfect time, so I do not understand why 3 identical cameras can't.

Does anybody have any advice or work-arounds please?

Suggestion
sync all cams with mimo app to local time
reset time code and start the cams via remote

Hi there. Thank you for reaching out and we do apologize for the inconvenience. When multiple cameras are connected with the DJI Mimo app respectively, the camera will synchronize the system time of the phone, and then tap the Refresh icon on the camera screen to synchronize the timecode. Please upload a short video or screenshots showing the issue that you experienced that would be very helpful for us to isolate the problem.  

Note: Timecode can only count in whole rather than fractional frames. The NTSC frame rate used by Osmo Action 3 is 29.97fps instead of 30fps, which means that 0.03 frames are unaccounted for every second. Timecode can only count in whole rather than fractional frames. For example, timecode running at 29.97fps cannot account for the 0.03 frames that are missing in every second, so a device running timecode at 29.97fps runs a little slower than a normal clock, and the timecode on your recording would be behind by 3.6 seconds (108 frames (=0.03fps x 60s x 60min)/30fps = 3.6s).

DJI Paladin Posted at 2-23 22:38
Hi there. Thank you for reaching out and we do apologize for the inconvenience. When multiple cameras are connected with the DJI Mimo app respectively, the camera will synchronize the system time of the phone, and then tap the Refresh icon on the camera screen to synchronize the timecode. Please upload a short video or screenshots showing the issue that you experienced that would be very helpful for us to isolate the problem.  

Note: Timecode can only count in whole rather than fractional frames. The NTSC frame rate used by Osmo Action 3 is 29.97fps instead of 30fps, which means that 0.03 frames are unaccounted for every second. Timecode can only count in whole rather than fractional frames. For example, timecode running at 29.97fps cannot account for the 0.03 frames that are missing in every second, so a device running timecode at 29.97fps runs a little slower than a normal clock, and the timecode on your recording would be behind by 3.6 seconds (108 frames (=0.03fps x 60s x 60min)/30fps = 3.6s).

Hi, and thanks for your reply.

My issue isn't so much that the timecode isn't accurate to a normal clock, it's more there is such a variation between my three Action 4 cameras. I have attached a photo to show the problem. All three cameras are set with identical camera settings and were each connected in turn to the Mimo app one after another (I don't think there is a way of connecting all three at the same time), and the timecodes refreshed to match the time from the phone all as per your advice.

The photo was taken with 3 minutes of resetting each of the camera timecodes after connecting to the Mimo app. You can see that even after such a short time, camera 1 is already almost one second behind cameras 2 and 3, which are only 4 frames apart. This is useless for trying to sync the recordings and I cannot understand why three identical cameras can be so far apart.

lutzmix Posted at 2-23 21:52
Suggestion
sync all cams with mimo app to local time
reset time code and start the cams via remote

Hi, thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately this still doesn't solve the problem of the cameras all drifting at different rates. I can't use the remote to ensure they all start at the same time either, as one of the cameras is on my wife's crash helmet and she rides her own bike, so often out of range of the remote.

GreyBiker Posted at 2-24 05:34
Hi, and thanks for your reply.

My issue isn't so much that the timecode isn't accurate to a normal clock, it's more there is such a variation between my three Action 4 cameras. I have attached a photo to show the problem. All three cameras are set with identical camera settings and were each connected in turn to the Mimo app one after another (I don't think there is a way of connecting all three at the same time), and the timecodes refreshed to match the time from the phone all as per your advice.[view_image]

Thank you for your response, GreyBiker. We will coordinate this with our relevant team for further clarification. We will keep you posted. Thank you for your patience.

Hi there. We have received an update from our relevant team. The issue needs to be further analyzed and confirmed, please provide us the information below.

1. Tentacle Sync Models.
2. Filming demonstration of time code synchronization of three cameras.
3. Provide the camera LOG file.
4. Provide the date and time for operating "timecode synchronization".
5. Tell us exactly how long it will take for the timecode to deviate after the synchronization is complete.

DJI Paladin Posted at 3-2 04:20
Hi there. We have received an update from our relevant team. The issue needs to be further analyzed and confirmed, please provide us the information below.

1. Tentacle Sync Models.

Hi DJI Paladin. Thank you for your response, and my apologies for taking so long to reply, but I have been on holiday.

To answer your questions:

1. The timecode generator I am using is the Tentacle Sync E Mk 2.
2. I have uploaded a short video of how I sync the cameras with the Tentacle to my DropBox and thi can be accessed on the following link https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vojoe21vzxkucjvgj8m55/YDFG8014.MP4?rlkey=zl0k7h9mfgwrm8md31s27d4wr&dl=0
3. I cannot find any log files on my cameras? My SD cards are all empty and formatted, so do the log files only get generated when video is recorded?
4. The timecode was synced today, 11th March 2024 at 10:32 (see photos)
5. The time for deviation to start varies from around 10 minutes to an hour and there does not seem to be any pattern. Sometimes two of the cameras will remain in sync within a few frames for several hours, whilst the other one drifts drastically and at other times all three will drift from each other very quickly.

I have shown below three photos of the cameras, one taken immediately after doing the sync with the Tentacle and then one hour and two hours after.

Photo 1 was taken immediately after doing the sync, and you can see that initially the cameras are all perfectly synchronised
Photo 2 was taken 1 hour after doing the sync, and you can see cam 2 is 15 frames ahead of cam 1 and cam 3 is 47 frames ahead of cam 1.
Photo 3 was taken 2 hours after doing the sync and now cam 2 is 45 frames ahead of cam 1 but cam 3 is now only 32 frames ahead of cam 1.







Unfortunately this inconsistent variation means the timecode function is just not worth having at the moment. I use these cameras when riding my motorbike, and it is impractical to keep stopping every 30 minutes to re-sync the cameras before being able to record.

GreyBiker Posted at 3-11 05:10
Hi DJI Paladin. Thank you for your response, and my apologies for taking so long to reply, but I have been on holiday.

To answer your questions:

Thank you for the information provided, GreyBiker. We will now coordinate this with the respective team for clarification. We will keep you posted. We appreciate your patience.

GreyBiker Posted at 3-11 05:10
Hi DJI Paladin. Thank you for your response, and my apologies for taking so long to reply, but I have been on holiday.

To answer your questions:

Hi there. Thank you for your patience. Please export the camera LOG file correctly. You may refer to the information below. We appreciate your understanding.

1. Go to camera unit System Settings - Device Info. Tap “Export Logs”.
2. Use the USB-C cable to connect Osmo Action 4 to a computer.
3. Select “File Transfer” on the Osmo Action 4 screen. Go to “My Computer”. Find the corresponding disc for the Osmo Action 4/Osmo Action 3/DJI Action 2 (internal storage).
4. Export all log files and zip them. Send the entire zip file back for analysis and confirmation (Also check the exact time point when the abnormality occurred to determine the log position)

Hi DJI Paladin, thank you for your reply and your continued assistance.

I have exported the log files from all three cameras as requested, and have uploaded the zip file to my DropBox account on this link https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wqlcwfgeqoakf5u85pq0w/Camera-log-files.zip?rlkey=64eg8opydgypr511liwa49okl&dl=0

The point in time where the abnormality starts to occur is from when I did the initial timecode sync at 10:32 on 11th March 2024. The photos in me earlier post then show the times after this when the problems were evident.

Hope this helps.

GreyBiker Posted at 3-21 05:03
Hi DJI Paladin, thank you for your reply and your continued assistance.

I have exported the log files from all three cameras as requested, and have uploaded the zip file to my DropBox account on this link https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wqlcwfgeqoakf5u85pq0w/Camera-log-files.zip?rlkey=64eg8opydgypr511liwa49okl&dl=0

Thank you for the information provided, GreyBiker. We will now forward this to our engineers. I will surely keep you posted once I receive an update. We appreciate your patience and understanding. Have a nice day ahead.

Hello there. Thank you for patiently waiting. After verification, it is confirmed that if the camera is shut down or the parameters are switched after the time code is synchronized, the time code will deviate. Please confirm if the above situation has occurred after timecode synchronization. If yes, you can only reconnect the time coder to synchronize the timecode. Hope this helps.

DJI Paladin Posted at 3-23 22:24
Hello there. Thank you for patiently waiting. After verification, it is confirmed that if the camera is shut down or the parameters are switched after the time code is synchronized, the time code will deviate. Please confirm if the above situation has occurred after timecode synchronization. If yes, you can only reconnect the time coder to synchronize the timecode. Hope this helps.

Hi DJI Paladin, and thank you for the information.

I can confirm I have carried out another test, this time with the Auto shutdown timer set to 30 minutes (was previously 5 minutes). Once I synced the timecodes on all three cameras, I left them turned on for the duration of the battery life, just waking up the screens when they were about to shutdown automatically to make sure they stayed turned on. I photographed the timecodes every 30 minutes and can confirm that after approximately 2 hours the timecodes on each camera had not deviated.

This confirms what your engineers have reported, that the problem occurs when the cameras auto-shutdown. This also means that the timecode function is really of no use at all in the Action 4 camera, which is unlikely to be kept turned on for 2 hours at a time. That is a real pity as it would have been so useful for my motovlogging but is it simply not practical to keep the cameras on for so long, or to have to stop and re-sync every time I want to record.

Thank you for your assistance in clarifying this.

GreyBiker Posted at 3-26 00:56
Hi DJI Paladin, and thank you for the information.

I can confirm I have carried out another test, this time with the Auto shutdown timer set to 30 minutes (was previously 5 minutes). Once I synced the timecodes on all three cameras, I left them turned on for the duration of the battery life, just waking up the screens when they were about to shutdown automatically to make sure they stayed turned on. I photographed the timecodes every 30 minutes and can confirm that after approximately 2 hours the timecodes on each camera had not deviated.

You are most welcome, GreyBiker and we appreciate you for sharing the test you conducted with the unit. Should you have other technical inquiries or concerns, feel free to contact us. Thank you for your valued support!

@GreyBiker - I have 3 Osmo Action 4's and use timecode.  The difference is I jam sync the timecodes and keep the cameras powered on the whole time as I run 2 of them on external power and the other one I let turn on/off.  I do get some drift but not like you're seeing.  I use loop mode recording.  That said there is still a serious bug in timecode in continuously powered cameras in loop mode!  You (and others who read this thread) should be aware of it since one of your options might be to continuously power your cameras....it still won't work as expected and DJI has thus far stated that this known bug won't be fixed.  Here's the bug report [https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... D923%26typeid%3D923] with a video that shows the issue.

The timecode is pretty much useless,  I get a lot of drift in the first 1/2 hour.   it's not worth it if you have to adjust the Timecode on every clip.
sometimes I will jam sync from the deity tc-1, one camera after another and the cams can't even get the start timecode the same, it's usually off by 1 from just from the 30 seconds it takes to sync both cams to the
timecode generator.     I am probably going to return the deity tc-1 it just doesn't work well enough to be useful.

Not sure how much this relates to your problem but he address it here. Down in his comments, he addresses that DJI has no plans to fix this issue. He does mention some workarounds in his comments but still would be nice if the timecode worked as it should.

snorkel Posted at 5-16 05:51
The timecode is pretty much useless,  I get a lot of drift in the first 1/2 hour.   it's not worth it if you have to adjust the Timecode on every clip.
sometimes I will jam sync from the deity tc-1, one camera after another and the cams can't even get the start timecode the same, it's usually off by 1 from just from the 30 seconds it takes to sync both cams to the
timecode generator.     I am probably going to return the deity tc-1 it just doesn't work well enough to be useful.

Yes, I ended up selling the Tentacle Sync in the end as Timecode just is not usable or reliable on these cameras.

ronj Posted at 5-7 14:54
@GreyBiker - I have 3 Osmo Action 4's and use timecode.  The difference is I jam sync the timecodes and keep the cameras powered on the whole time as I run 2 of them on external power and the other one I let turn on/off.  I do get some drift but not like you're seeing.  I use loop mode recording.  That said there is still a serious bug in timecode in continuously powered cameras in loop mode!  You (and others who read this thread) should be aware of it since one of your options might be to continuously power your cameras....it still won't work as expected and DJI has thus far stated that this known bug won't be fixed.  Here's the bug report [https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=298365&extra=page%3D1%26filter%3Dtypeid%26typeid%3D923%26typeid%3D923] with a video that shows the issue.

Keeping them powered on would certainly help, but it's just not an option when using them on motorbikes unfortunately.

lutzmix Posted at 2-23 21:52
Suggestion
sync all cams with mimo app to local time
reset time code and start the cams via remote

This method doesn’t work properly. Time shows different. Tested many times. Best way if you reset timecode  at same time.