Anyone know why OP3 is 29.97 and not 30fps? I'm not an expert at the technical details of video editing yet, but wondering how to match iPhone clips at 30fps with OP3 clips that are 29.97, and what the purpose of using 29.97 is..

It was due to the introduction of colour in TVs. In black and white days, it was 30 but it had to be lowered due to interference when colour was introduced.

It is a pain.

PAL countries use 25/50 dead on but the trouble with 30, is that 30 is also referring to 29.97

24 is another pain. Projectors use 24 but TVs .... 23.97

Do all IPhone clips come up at 30 or are they variable. Reason I ask is that my old phone used to come up with all kinds of fractions. 29.95, 29.96, all over the place. 29.97 is correct.


In real life, people won't (hopefully) notice.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/ph ... s-video-framerates/

Interference? Color information perhaps...

I will notice, and I feel it may affect audio syncing. Since the OP3 has a 1” sensor and is being used professionally by some as secondary camera, I do think they should add true 24fps and 30fps so people can produce professional results. I personally am now using the OP3 as my main camera, and my iPhone as a secondary camera, when needed, but the iPhone only offers true 24 and 30fps. I prefer 30fps over 24fps - I like the look better -, so I hope they add a real 30fps option soon! I’m going to soon have a mess of different fps on my captures.

Burt37 Posted at 11-16 02:37
https://www.digitaltrends.com/ph ... s-video-framerates/

Interference? Color information perhaps...

Oh, sorry. I thought it was something to do with sub carrier frequencies in broadcast tv.

Rishio Posted at 11-16 02:44
I will notice, and I feel it may affect audio syncing. Since the OP3 has a 1” sensor and is being used professionally by some as secondary camera, I do think they should add true 24fps and 30fps so people can produce professional results. I personally am now using the OP3 as my main camera, and my iPhone as a secondary camera, when needed, but the iPhone only offers true 24 and 30fps. I prefer 30fps over 24fps - I like the look better -, so I hope they add a real 30fps option soon! I’m going to soon have a mess of different fps on my captures.

Does your editor show exact 30 from IPhone footage? 30 is also used to describe 29.97.

Hi there. Thank you for reaching out. When the NTSC system is applied to black and white displays (Luma component), the frame rate is indeed 30 fps/60 Hz. However, after the chroma component is added, the subcarrier of the chroma component and the original brightness component are modulated. Due to the inconsistent frequencies, this will lead to the generation of a beat frequency. The solution is to change the frame rate to 30000/1001 (29.97) and 24000/1001 (23.98). This will greatly reduce the frequency at which the beat frequency is generated. This rule has remained a standard for CRT TVs. Hence, it is normal for a video shot at 24 fps to be displayed as 23.98 fps. Hope this helps. Have a nice day ahead.

DJI Paladin Posted at 11-16 03:19
Hi there. Thank you for reaching out. When the NTSC system is applied to black and white displays (Luma component), the frame rate is indeed 30 fps/60 Hz. However, after the chroma component is added, the subcarrier of the chroma component and the original brightness component are modulated. Due to the inconsistent frequencies, this will lead to the generation of a beat frequency. The solution is to change the frame rate to 30000/1001 (29.97) and 24000/1001 (23.98). This will greatly reduce the frequency at which the beat frequency is generated. This rule has remained a standard for CRT TVs. Hence, it is normal for a video shot at 24 fps to be displayed as 23.98 fps. Hope this helps. Have a nice day ahead.

Wow!!! Thank you. It’s complex but that was brilliantly described.

Can also add that 24 fps (23.97 fps) was the slowest they could record movies back in the day and still look smooth enough, when film costs a lot of money so they needed to save a lot.
But for true smoothness in a video you need 60 fps for it to look realistic from what we people see.

Also many cameras write 24 since it's shorter than writing 23.97, but it still record in 23.97.

DJI Paladin Posted at 11-16 03:19
Hi there. Thank you for reaching out. When the NTSC system is applied to black and white displays (Luma component), the frame rate is indeed 30 fps/60 Hz. However, after the chroma component is added, the subcarrier of the chroma component and the original brightness component are modulated. Due to the inconsistent frequencies, this will lead to the generation of a beat frequency. The solution is to change the frame rate to 30000/1001 (29.97) and 24000/1001 (23.98). This will greatly reduce the frequency at which the beat frequency is generated. This rule has remained a standard for CRT TVs. Hence, it is normal for a video shot at 24 fps to be displayed as 23.98 fps. Hope this helps. Have a nice day ahead.

Thanks for the explanation Dji Paladin ✪

I did check the iPhone videos, and it does seem they do true 30fps and 24fps, not 23.97 or 29.97. I checked in my video editor. I wonder why Apple chooses that and DJI chooses 29.7.

Yes, it is curious. Probably because It's not really a camera? I know my old camera gave all sorts of non existent frame rates, averaging around 30!!!!

I do agree, 30fps would be easier but TV companies won't switch.

It’s an NTSC standard lots of stuff online will put you right. A full second's difference for every thousand seconds, so make sure the audio keeps up ;+)

Hallmark007 Posted at 11-16 08:50
It’s an NTSC standard lots of stuff online will put you right. A full second's difference for every thousand seconds, so make sure the audio keeps up ;+)

Is it OK on short clips? I've never tried this out. How long before it notices?

Iancraig10 Posted at 11-16 08:09
Yes, it is curious. Probably because It's not really a camera? I know my old camera gave all sorts of non existent frame rates, averaging around 30!!!!

I do agree, 30fps would be easier but TV companies won't switch.

But does anyone here care about putting their PocketCam content on TV? Just curious - it never occurred to me people want to do that.

Rishio Posted at 11-16 09:33
But does anyone here care about putting their PocketCam content on TV? Just curious - it never occurred to me people want to do that.

My footage is regularly played on TV, but the standards don't really apply any more. My TV will play both.

Rishio Posted at 11-16 09:33
But does anyone here care about putting their PocketCam content on TV? Just curious - it never occurred to me people want to do that.

Have loads of people around or an evening with your wife and show them all your short videos, you will never have to worry about them calling over again and the wife might leave you for good can’t think of another reason to watch on the big screen ..

We love holiday vids and watching together. Everyone in the family has a go and I stick it all together. Then they get stashed for posterity!

Actually, Action 4 footage really pops on a large TV in 4K. Probably burst out if I got a Pocket 3 .....

DJI Paladin Posted at 11-16 03:19
Hi there. Thank you for reaching out. When the NTSC system is applied to black and white displays (Luma component), the frame rate is indeed 30 fps/60 Hz. However, after the chroma component is added, the subcarrier of the chroma component and the original brightness component are modulated. Due to the inconsistent frequencies, this will lead to the generation of a beat frequency. The solution is to change the frame rate to 30000/1001 (29.97) and 24000/1001 (23.98). This will greatly reduce the frequency at which the beat frequency is generated. This rule has remained a standard for CRT TVs. Hence, it is normal for a video shot at 24 fps to be displayed as 23.98 fps. Hope this helps. Have a nice day ahead.

It's not relevant anymore since nobody is using CRT screens nor the NTSC standard anywhere.

Just bring true 24/30/60 FPS support to the next firmware.

hehe2 Posted at 11-17 09:43
It's not relevant anymore since nobody is using CRT screens nor the NTSC standard anywhere.

Just bring true 24/30/60 FPS support to the next firmware.

Although CRTs are no longer in use as TV sets the terrestrial broadcasters still broadcast an interlaced frame output that has to be recombined by the TV set and still relies on the Chroma subsampling. Audio has its own frame rates depending on the codec choices made. They are never the same as the video content.
H265 can record at a variable frame rate that can be as low as a few frames per second up to well above the chosen frame rate dependant on the speed of change of movement between frames, so I feel debating frame rates today is a bit of a mute point. More problematic is the choice of video editor. I have noticed some drone footage can be jerky in some video editors when the drone turns if the recorded frame rate is 29.97 but if the project is set to 30fps and does not allow the project to change to the recorded footage frame rate but displays and renders at 30fps, the jerkiness of the video goes away in the rendered file. Some video editors though do not handle variable frame rate files well and often lose audio sync when such a file is shortened in the editor. This is down to the individual video files alterations to the codec that the camera manufacturer has altered. There appears to be no standard for such alterations. Smartphone HEVC recordings can be problematic for windows based editors to cope with. Some editors are better at handling such files than others but seems to be a bone of contention on some video editing forums.
If you want to change the file frame rate to a round 30fps on exporting your video from your chosen video editor then change it. Most people will not notice and the shortening of length that will produce is fairly negligible in my opinion.

Iancraig10 Posted at 11-16 03:50
Wow!!! Thank you. It’s complex but that was brilliantly described.

No worries, Ian. Should you have other inquiries, feel free to contact us. Have a nice day ahead!

Rishio Posted at 11-16 07:12
Thanks for the explanation Dji Paladin ✪

You are very much welcome, Rishio. Thank you for your valued support.

hehe2 Posted at 11-17 09:43
It's not relevant anymore since nobody is using CRT screens nor the NTSC standard anywhere.

Just bring true 24/30/60 FPS support to the next firmware.

We appreciate your feedback. Rest assured that this will be forwarded to our relevant team for attention. Thank you for your continued support!

hehe2 Posted at 11-17 09:43
It's not relevant anymore since nobody is using CRT screens nor the NTSC standard anywhere.

Just bring true 24/30/60 FPS support to the next firmware.

I agree with this, especially since the most popular video camera in the world, the iPhone, uses true 24/30/60 - and it seems like a good idea for the pocket footage to match that so that it can be used together with an iPhone.

DJI Paladin Posted at 2023-11-16 03:19
Hi there. Thank you for reaching out. When the NTSC system is applied to black and white displays (Luma component), the frame rate is indeed 30 fps/60 Hz. However, after the chroma component is added, the subcarrier of the chroma component and the original brightness component are modulated. Due to the inconsistent frequencies, this will lead to the generation of a beat frequency. The solution is to change the frame rate to 30000/1001 (29.97) and 24000/1001 (23.98). This will greatly reduce the frequency at which the beat frequency is generated. This rule has remained a standard for CRT TVs. Hence, it is normal for a video shot at 24 fps to be displayed as 23.98 fps. Hope this helps. Have a nice day ahead.

I also appreciate this comment. I was ignorant of the details, and always thought that it was due to DF since motion pictures and sound are strange bedfellows when they have to come together.