Frame Rate Audit

Analyze video frame rate characteristics, detect CFR vs VFR, find duplicate frames, and diagnose timing issues.

Key Concepts

CFR vs VFR

CFR (Constant Frame Rate):

• Every frame has identical duration
• Required by most video editors
• Preferred for distribution

VFR (Variable Frame Rate):

• Frame durations vary
• Common in screen recordings, phone videos
• Causes editor sync issues

Common Frame Rates

23.976 vs 24: Nearly identical visually. The fractional rate exists for NTSC broadcast compatibility from analog TV era.

Audit Workflow

Step 1: Check MediaInfo

mediainfo video.mkv

Look for:

Frame rate mode    : Constant or Variable
Frame rate         : 23.976 (24000/1001) FPS

Frame rate mode tells you CFR vs VFR.

Step 2: Detailed Frame Analysis

For deeper analysis:

# Check frame rate mode specifically
mediainfo --Inform="Video;%FrameRate_Mode%" video.mkv

# Get frame count
ffprobe -v error -count_packets -select_streams v:0 \
  -show_entries stream=nb_read_packets -of csv=p=0 video.mkv

Step 3: Detect Duplicate Frames

Using ffmpeg:

# Detect duplicate frames (mpdecimate filter)
ffmpeg -i video.mkv -vf "mpdecimate,setpts=N/FRAME_RATE/TB" \
  -f null - 2>&1 | grep "drop"

Manual inspection with mpv:

• Open video in mpv
• Step frame-by-frame with . and ,
• Compare adjacent frames visually
• Look for identical frames in sequence

Step 4: Check for Judder

Judder causes:

• Frame rate mismatch with display
• Incorrect pulldown handling
• Duplicate frames creating uneven motion

Visual test:

• Watch panning shots
• Motion should be smooth
• Stuttering indicates timing issues

Common Issues

VFR Causing Editor Problems

Symptoms:

• Audio/video desync in editors
• Random stuttering
• Export timing issues

Solution: Convert to CFR before editing:

ffmpeg -i vfr_video.mkv -vsync cfr -r 30 cfr_video.mkv

Duplicate Frames

Symptoms:

• Motion appears to stutter
• Some frames are identical to previous
• Uneven playback

Causes:

• Bad frame rate conversion
• Screen recording with drops
• Encoding errors

Detection: Step through video frame-by-frame. If two adjacent frames are identical, you have duplicates.

Wrong Frame Rate Tag

Symptoms:

• Video plays too fast or slow
• Audio sync issues
• Duration doesn't match expected

Solution: Retag without reencoding:

# Change frame rate metadata only
ffmpeg -i video.mkv -c copy -video_track_timescale 24000 output.mkv

Interpolation Damage

Symptoms:

• "Soap opera effect" smoothness
• Morphing/warping on motion
• Ghosting around moving objects

Cause: Frame interpolation (RIFE, SVP, TV motion smoothing) generating fake frames.

Why it's bad:

• Invented frames don't match source
• Artistic intent is 24fps, not 60fps
• Creates unnatural motion

Editor Compatibility

Premiere Pro / DaVinci / Vegas

Requirements:

• CFR strongly preferred
• Fractional rates (23.976) can cause issues
• Some editors handle VFR poorly

Before importing:

1. Check if source is CFR
2. If VFR, convert to CFR first
3. Use MkvToMp4 or ffmpeg for conversion

MKV to MP4 for Editors

Standard remux may preserve VFR timestamps:

# May not fix VFR
ffmpeg -i input.mkv -c copy output.mp4

Force true CFR:

# Step 1: Set timescale
ffmpeg -i input.mkv -c copy -video_track_timescale 24000 temp.mp4

# Step 2: Round timestamps (for 23.976 fps)
ffmpeg -i temp.mp4 -c copy \
  -bsf:v "setts=dts=1001*round(DTS/1001):pts=1001*round(PTS/1001)" output.mp4

Quick Reference

Tools

• MediaInfo: Frame rate mode detection
• ffprobe: Detailed timing analysis
• mpv: Frame stepping (. and , keys)
• MkvToMp4: VFR to CFR conversion for editors

Additional Resources

• ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/encoding-commands.md - Frame rate conversion commands
• ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/tools.md - Tool recommendations