I want to offer an alternative to the timecode struct, I had issues when I needed to roll timecode across the midnight hour: I solved it by adding code to the bad format error code, it was a quick (ugly) fix.

recently I was playing with extention methods and thought that it might be simpler to create timecode from the DateTime and Timespan classes in the CLR, in my case I am only interested in PAL 25fps so I created a couple of extention methods. I wondered if this would be a simpler approach? So here are the few lines of code which I worte to extend DateTime and Timespan, hopefully it may be of use to someone.

public static partial class DateTimeExtentions
{
public static string ToTimecodeString(this DateTime DateTime)
{
return GetTimeCodeAsString(DateTime.TimeOfDay);
}

public static string ToTimecodeString(this TimeSpan TimeSpan)
{
return GetTimeCodeAsString(TimeSpan);
}

private static string GetTimeCodeAsString(TimeSpan TimeOfDay)
{

long framecount = AbsoluteTimeToFrames(TimeOfDay.TotalSeconds);
int hours = Convert.ToInt32((framecount / 90000) % 24);
int minutes = Convert.ToInt32((framecount – (90000 * hours)) / 1500);
int seconds = Convert.ToInt32(((framecount – (1500 * minutes) – (90000 * hours)) / 25));
int frames = Convert.ToInt32(framecount – (25 * seconds) – (1500 * minutes) – (90000 * hours));

return FormatTimeCodeString(hours, minutes, seconds, frames);
}

private static string FormatTimeCodeString(int hours, int minutes, int seconds, int frames)
{
string framesSeparator = “:”;

return string.Format(“{0:D2}:{1:D2}:{2:D2}{4}{3:D2}”, hours, minutes, seconds, frames, framesSeparator);

}

private static long AbsoluteTimeToFrames(double totalSeconds)
{
return Convert.ToInt64(25 * totalSeconds);
}
}

I have been looking into a way of allowing users to export clips from a live feed in real time. I managed to do that but only if i have a well converted mp4 file, then i can use code shop h264 streaming module, w/o reencoding.

To allow users to export clips from a live feed being saved to files at the same time is my next goal. Any ideas? I would like to provide a in and out so that they can adjust the trim. I’m looking at the m3u8next.

Thanks,
Rod

Yes, still active. Just busy. Depending on where you picked the timecode.cs file up from that was definitely a known issue. I think it was fixed in the Microsoft Media Platform Editor code drops and if not I can try to post an updated version that I have. It was basically a rounding issue.

I am not sure this blog is still active, but I have implemented your suggestion with TimeCode.cs for subtitle editor purposes.

When using 29.97 it works great, but in 24fps i have sometimes 1-2 frame offset between the real frame and the calculated frame from TimeCode. (I have watermarked frame counter on the movie itself – so I can compare results).

Any idea what can cause this? can this be related to this comment here where the calculation takes time more than 1 frame???

Thanks!

Actually, I’m doing VOD now but the application will have live events too, so if it’s different I’d love to know it .

Thanks!

I assume that this is for VOD only?