Film-Format-Translator is a small application, useful to all Mac users of the movie and/or video industry.
It converts film footage values to various kinds of SMPTE time codes, and vice versa.
Conversion can be done amongst the following formats:
- SMPTE Time Codes for NTSC (29.97 fps, Drop Frame)
- SMPTE Time Codes for NTSC (29.97 fps, Non Drop Frame)
- SMPTE Time Codes for PAL / SECAM (25 fps)
- 35mm (16 frames / ft)
- 16mm (40 frames / ft
- Sequential frame number
• INSTALLATION •
Film-Format-Translator is compatible with System 6 and System 7.
Since it is an application, you can place it anywhere on your hard disk and double-click on its icon to launch it. For best results, avoid placing it in the trash can of your Macintosh.
System 7 users are advised to put Film-Format-Translator – or an alias of it – in the Apple Menu Items folder of the System folder.
• HOW TO USE IT •
Film-Format-Translator is operated in a way very similar to the Apple Calculator Desk Accessory. It is self-explanatory and, if you do not understand what it does, you probably don’t need it.
Put simply, Film-Format-Translator converts film and video formats.
1) Select the format of the input (16mm, 35mm, PAL/SECAM Time Code, etc.)
2) Enter the value to convert using the numeric keypad of Film-Format-Translator
or the keyboard of your Macintosh.
3) Select the destination format.
Time codes (NTSC, PAL) are assumed to be in the format
"Hours:Minutes:Seconds:Frames"
where each of Hours, Minutes, Seconds and Frames represent 2 digits.
Film formats (16mm, 35mm) are assumed to be in the format
"Feet ’ Frame"
where Frame represents 2 digits.
Punctuation characters can be used interchangeably for your best convenience. Thus, typing "/", ":", ";" or "." on the keyboard yields a "’" if the current format is 35mm or 16mm, and a ":" if the current format is a time code.
<Empty string> and "0" (zero) are equivalent and can be used interchangebly. Thus, the following entries are all equivalent to "00:01:00:00":
1::
1:0:0
00000:00000001:00000000:
The followings two inputs are equivalent to "00:00:00:29"
29
0000:::0000029
The "S" button (stands for Simplify) can be used to express a value in the current film/video format, in its standard form. For example:
16 simplifies to 1'00 in 35mm
16 simplifies to 0'16 in 16mm
4’36 simplifies to 6'04 in 35mm
4’36 simplifies to 4’36 in 16mm
At any time, the display can be Cut, Copied, Pasted or Cleared using the standard commands of the File menu.
• QUICK REFERENCE and SHORTCUTS •
The following keyboard shortcuts can be used:
- ESCAPE or "C": clear display
- RETURN or ENTER or "S": simplify
- TAB or DOWN ARROW: next format
- SHIFT-TAB or UP ARROW: previous format
• OTHER PRODUCTS •
INTÉGRATION is the author of:
- DigiLink™, a set of user-friendly and programer-friendly tools which
allow access to a DigiSync film barcode reader from virtually any application.
They can be used from Claris FileMaker™ Pro, Hypercard™ (and similar products),
Macromedia Director™, Microsoft Excel™, etc. With the help of Quickeys™, they
can be used from any non-AppleEvent compatbile application.
(DigiSync is a neat film barcode reader/frame counter developed by Research
In Motion and The National Film Board of Canada).
DigiLink can be easily extended to interface any serial-port driven device
with virtually any application of your choice, provided you Mac runs System 7.x.
- Animaster™, a top-of-the-line motion control software designed to drive movie
cameras. Certainly the most advanced and most user-friendly product of its
category.
- Numerous interactive multimedia titles on CD-ROM and other media
(we are one of the oldest multimedia companies in Canada).
- Numerous external commands, functions and objects which bring to Macromedia
Director™, Hypercard, Supercard, Plus, etc. the versatility of compiled programs.
We develop this for other small companies, at a reasonable price and royalty-free.
• HISTORY •
Versions 1.0 and 1.1 of Film Format Translator were designed for in-house use.
They were REALLY ugly.
Version 1.2 is bilingual. It detects the System version of your Macintosh and configures itself accordingly to French or English. By default, it will set itself to run in English.
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS •
We would especially like to thank Robert Karam from Pixelimage for his aestetic touch up of this product. We also thank André Deltell and Pierre Morency for their precious suggestions.
• BUSINESS MATTERS •
This tool is distributed under the shareware system, which allows you to try it before you buy it. Feel free to duplicate it and distribute it to your friends and collegues or upload it to bulletin boards etc., provided it is unmodified and bundled with the "Read-Me" files. Obviously, INTÉGRATION Inc. retains all rights on it.
You can use Film-Format-Translator freely for 15 days then choose to pay a shareware fee of US$25 — or equivalent (Canadian residents add GST and QST wherever applicable) — or delete it from your disk. In both cases, we encourage you to pass it on to friends and collegues, and to give us your feedback on this product.
Once we receive your payment, we will send you an official registration certificate, you registration number and an invoice. We will also add you on our mailing list so that you are kept informed of new products we develop (either free-, share- or commercial-ware).
INTÉGRATION Inc. is a succesful consulting and software development company founded in 1989.
Its mission is to bring effective and innovative solutions to the communications industry. These include:
- software for the movie/video industry
- multimedia titles development
- all kinds of Office Automation and Information Technology
related services to public relation, communication, advertising agencies
INTÉGRATION Inc.
1425 West René-Lévesque, suite 402
Montréal (QUÉBEC) Canada
H3G 1T7
Phone: (514) 871-2871
Fax: (514) 871-9871
QuickMail: (514) 871-1735 (weekdays from 8AM to 8PM)
AppleLink: CDA 0507
Compuserve: 72730,2556 [Vahé Kassardjian]
By the way, did you know that
- Macintosh is a registred trademark of Apple Computer Inc.
- DigiSync and Animaster are registred trademark of the NFBC.
- Excel is a registred trademark of Microsoft corp.
- FileMaker and Hypercard are registred trademarks of Claris corp.
- Quickeys is a registred trademark of CE Software.
