This International Standard specifies a digital time and control code for use in television, film, and accompanying audio systems operating at nominal rate of 60, 59,94, 50, 30, 29,97, 25, 24 and 23,98 frames per second. This International Standard specifies a time address, binary groups, and flag bit structure. In addition, the standard specifies a binary group flag assignment, a linear time code transport, and a vertical interval time code transport.

This International Standard defines primary data transport structures for linear time code (LTC) and vertical interval time code (VITC). This standard specifies the LTC modulation and timing for all video formats. This standard also defines the VITC modulation and location for 525/59,94 and 625/50 analogue composite and component systems only.

NOTE The digital representation of analogue VITC (D-VITC) is specified in SMPTE 266M and is defined for 525/59,94 and 625/50 digital component systems only. High definition formats, such as those documented in SMPTE 274M and SMPTE 296M, should use ancillary time code (ATC) as specified in SMPTE 12M-2 (formerly SMPTE RP 188) for transport of time code in the digital video data stream. For future implementations of time code for digital standard definition formats, the use of ATC rather than D-VITC is encouraged.