About Video Duration Calculator
The Video Duration Calculator solves three common production problems: totalling the combined duration of multiple video clips, converting between timecode formats (HH:MM:SS, seconds, frames), and splitting a total duration into equal segments for multi-part video series.
Timecode Formats
HH:MM:SS:FF (Drop Frame / Non-Drop Frame): Standard broadcast and editing timecode. Hours:Minutes:Seconds:Frames. The frame count depends on your frame rate. Decimal Seconds: Simple floating-point seconds value used in many APIs and export formats. Frame Count: Total number of frames elapsed since the start. Frame count = Seconds ร FPS.
Drop Frame vs Non-Drop Frame Timecode
NTSC video runs at 29.97 fps (not exactly 30). Over time, this causes timecode to drift from real clock time. Drop Frame timecode corrects this by occasionally skipping frame numbers (not actual frames) to keep timecode synchronized with real time. Non-Drop Frame (NDF) is simpler but drifts by ~3.6 seconds per hour at 29.97 fps.
Production Planning with Duration Calculator
The Add Durations feature lets you list all your clips and instantly see the total program length โ essential for broadcast delivery where you must hit exact durations. The Split Segments feature helps divide a long recording into equal-length parts for multi-episode uploads, with optional overlap for continuous content.