Frames per second, or fps for short, can be thought of as how many “still images” are in one second of video. There are many different standards that determine the appropriate fps for a given use. In NTSC standard broadcast systems video playback is delivered as and should be set at 29.97 frames per second.
Please note that 59.94 fps (exactly twice the frames as 29.97) and 23.98 are also acceptable frame rates.
Possible Solutions and Examples
Ideally the original video should be recorded as 29.97 or 59.94 so that the video is natively the correct frame rate. The only solution for fixing the frame rate of a spot that is not 29.97 is to re-encode the file with the appropriate fps settings. We have tutorials that can help you do this in a variety of editing & transcoding software. Please be aware that files that have been re-encoded to change the frame rate may appear jittery when played.
Lets take a look at some of the typical frame rate errors and why they are caused.
Frame rate is set to 24 fps
24 frames per second is the standard fps for film. This standard is less “smooth” and is what gives films their distinct look.
Example:
Video frame rate should be ‘29.970’ fps. Found ‘24.000’ fps.
Possible Solution:
Solution: This file will need to be re-encoded to be 29.97 fps
Frame rate is set to 25 fps
NTSC broadcast systems are designed to play video at 29.97 or 59.94 fps and is traditionally used by North America and Japan. On the other hand; Many other parts of the world adhear to the PAL standard for broadcasting which uses a 25.00 or 50.00 fps. The PAL standard for fps is 25.00 due to differences in the power systems used by those areas that adhere to the standard.
Example:
Video frame rate should be ‘29.970’ fps. Found ‘25.000’ fps.
Possible Solution:
Solution: This file will need to be re-encoded to be 29.97 fps
Frame rate is set to 60 fps
30 or 60 fps may seem very close to 29.97 or 59.94 fps but many NTSC broadcasting systems will not be able to properly play files that are created with an even 30 or 60 fps.
Example:
Video frame rate should be ‘29.970’ fps. Found ‘60.000’ fps.
Possible Solution:
Solution: This file will need to be re-encoded to be 59.94 or 29.97 fps