23.976 fps is a video frame rate, exactly 24,000/1,001 frames per second (about 23.976023976 fps). It is a 24-fps-derived rate associated with the NTSC television system. People sometimes call it “23.976 Hz,” but fps is the clearer term for a video file; Hz usually describes a display’s refresh rate. Choose 23.976 when your camera, editing workflow, or delivery specification calls for it—not because it is automatically better or more cinematic than 24 fps.
What does 23.976 mean?
The exact rate is 24,000/1,001 fps, which equals 23.976023976… frames per second. Applications commonly round that to 23.976 or display it as 23.98. Apple’s media-format guidance represents the rate with a time scale of 24,000 and a sample duration of 1,001; the fraction is more precise than the rounded label (Apple Technical Q&A QA1447).
“23.976 Hz” is common shorthand, but it mixes two terms. Frames per second (fps) describes how often a video presents frames. Hertz (Hz) describes cycles per second and is commonly used for a monitor’s refresh rate. A display may refresh at 23.976 Hz or a multiple of it to match video cadence, but a video file’s rate is normally stated in fps.
The same 1/1,001 timing pattern appears in other familiar rates: 29.97 is 30,000/1,001 fps, and 59.94 is 60,000/1,001 fps. A decimal shown in a menu may be rounded, so check technical media information or the device manual when the precise rate matters.
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23.976 versus 24 fps
True 24 fps means exactly 24 frames each second. 23.976023976… is 24 fps scaled by 1,000/1,001, so it runs about 0.1% slower. Apple’s frame-rate documentation distinguishes 24.00 film from 24P at 23.976/23.98 (Apple Final Cut Pro frame-rate documentation).
| Label | Technical meaning | Common association |
|---|---|---|
| 24.000 fps | Exactly 24 frames per second | Film and some digital-cinema workflows |
| 23.976 fps | 24,000/1,001 fps | NTSC-compatible 24p video workflows |
| 23.98 | Usually a rounded display label for 23.976; check the underlying rate | Software and camera menus |
| 29.97 fps | 30,000/1,001 fps | NTSC-compatible video |
| 30.000 fps | Exactly 30 frames per second | Some progressive and computer-video workflows |
“24p” means progressive video in a 24-frame-derived workflow, but it does not always tell you whether the exact rate is 23.976 or 24.000. Some cameras use “24p” for 23.976; others offer a separate true-24 option. Apple notes that 23.98 can be represented in more than one way and prefers 24,000/1,001 for Final Cut Pro media (Apple Technical Q&A QA1447). Treat the menu name as a clue, not proof: inspect the recorded clip’s metadata.
Why 23.976 was created
23.976 grew out of the timing requirements of color NTSC television. Early black-and-white NTSC video used a nominal 30-frame-per-second system tied to a 60 Hz field rate. Adding color required a timing adjustment to reduce interference with existing monochrome reception, making the video rate 30,000/1,001, or about 29.97 fps. Film’s 24-fps rate was correspondingly normalized by 1/1,001 to make film-to-video transfer and pulldown fit that system. SMPTE identifies 24,000/1,001 as film normalized to NTSC and distinguishes it from true 24 Hz film (SMPTE RDD 6-2008).
It is therefore misleading to say that household electricity alone “created” 23.976. The history involves television timing and color compatibility, with 60 Hz part of the environment. Although analog NTSC is no longer the central delivery method for many viewers, the rate remains in cameras, editing presets, post-production conventions, archives, and professional media specifications.
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What changes when you use 23.976 instead of 24?
Duration
The difference is small but accumulates. A sequence containing 86,400 frames lasts one hour at 24 fps; playing those same frames at 23.976023976… takes about 3,603.6 seconds—one hour and 3.6 seconds. Conversely, playing 23.976 footage at true 24 fps shortens its duration by about 0.1% if the frames are simply played faster.
For the same frames with no added or removed frames:
- 24-fps duration played at 23.976 = original duration × 1.001.
- 23.976-fps duration played at 24 = original duration × 1,000/1,001.
Audio and synchronization
If picture and audio are based on different timing rates, the mismatch can cause gradual sync drift rather than an immediate problem. A 24-fps picture running against 23.976-fps playback can drift by roughly 3.6 seconds per hour if the audio is not adjusted to match. Dialogue, music, external recordings, timecode, subtitles, effects, and animation all need to follow the project’s chosen timing basis.
Pulldown and 29.97 delivery
A 23.976 progressive source can be mapped to 29.97 interlaced video with a repeating 3:2 pulldown cadence: 23.976 × 5/4 is approximately 29.97. In that cadence, four source frames are distributed across five output frames or fields. Pulldown changes how existing source frames are presented; it does not create five new moments of motion for every four source frames. Not every 29.97 delivery uses pulldown, so follow the actual delivery specification. SMPTE documents the NTSC-normalized rate distinction (SMPTE RDD 6-2008).
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Both rates have nearly identical cadence in ordinary viewing. A rate near 24 fps is associated with cinema, but frame rate alone does not create a cinematic look. Shutter speed or angle, motion blur, lenses, lighting, camera movement, color, composition, and display behavior all contribute. Choosing 23.976 for compatibility does not make footage inherently more film-like.
Conforming footage is not the same as converting it
When source footage and a project use different rates, the editor must determine how to map one timing to the other. The terms matter because the choices affect motion, duration, or both.
- Conforming or interpreting footage changes the playback speed assigned to existing frames. It does not need to create new frames, but it changes the clip’s duration and may require audio to follow the same speed change.
- Frame-rate conversion creates a new frame stream at another rate by repeating, dropping, blending, or interpolating frames. Depending on the method and footage, this can introduce judder or other motion artifacts.
- Audio time-stretching changes audio duration while attempting to preserve pitch. A speed change without pitch correction changes pitch along with duration.
Adobe describes conforming footage to a composition rate and time-stretching between rates in its After Effects footage-interpretation guidance. The right approach depends on whether you need to preserve duration, preserve the original frame cadence, maintain audio pitch, or meet a specific delivery format.
How to choose the frame rate
Start with the delivery requirement and the whole production chain, not with a generic “best” setting. The same rate should be supported by the camera, editor, audio and timecode workflow, effects, and final delivery where possible.
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- Choose 23.976 when the camera, established post-production pipeline, or delivery specification expects it, including workflows that need compatibility with 29.97 NTSC-derived video.
- Choose 24.000 when the specification explicitly calls for true 24 fps and all cameras, audio, effects, and delivery systems are set up for it.
- Consider 25 fps for a 50 Hz-oriented broadcast workflow when the production or delivery requirement specifies it.
- Choose a higher rate such as 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94, or 60 when the desired motion, slow-motion plan, or delivery specification calls for it.
These are workflow considerations, not universal regional rules. North American work does not always require 23.976, and a streaming destination does not by itself establish a required rate. Use the production’s explicit specification.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A practical workflow to prevent frame-rate problems
- Before shooting: Confirm the intended delivery rate, then set each camera to the exact rate required. If the menu only says “24p,” check the camera manual or record a test clip and inspect its metadata.
- Before editing: Verify the rates of camera clips, the project or sequence, audio recorder and timecode, effects and animation, and the intended export. Apple and Adobe documentation explain their own rate and timing conventions; do not assume similar menu labels mean identical settings.
- Set a deliberate project rate: Match the approved workflow rather than letting the first imported clip or an application default make the choice for you.
- For mismatched media, decide what must stay constant: Choose whether to preserve duration, source motion cadence, audio pitch, or a specified output rate. Then use a conform or conversion method suited to that goal.
- Export to the approved specification: Do not assume that exporting 23.976 media at 24 fps is harmless because the displayed values look close. Check whether the export will speed up, repeat or drop frames, or use another conversion.
- Check long-form synchronization: For interviews, concerts, lectures, or other extended recordings, compare picture and audio near the beginning and end. This can reveal gradual drift that a short test would miss.
Repeatedly converting the same footage through multiple intermediate rates can compound motion problems. Keep the original media and make the required conform or conversion as directly as the workflow allows.
Frame rate and drop-frame timecode are different
Frame rate describes how frequently video frames are presented or encoded. Timecode is a way of numbering frames against clock time. Drop-frame timecode does not delete video frames; it skips selected frame numbers in the count so that displayed time stays closer to real clock time. This issue is classically associated with 29.97 and 59.94 workflows. 23.976 projects commonly use non-drop timecode, so do not assume a 23.976 project needs a corresponding drop-frame mode.
In Logic Pro’s timecode display, a semicolon indicates drop-frame notation; Apple also explains the difference between drop-frame and non-drop-frame settings (Apple Logic Pro synchronization settings).
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Common problems and what to check
The camera says 24p, but the editor reports 23.976
The camera may use “24p” as a user-facing label for 23.976. Check the actual clip metadata and set the project using that rate unless the production deliberately calls for a conform.
Mixed-rate footage looks uneven or changes duration
The editor may be conforming clips or converting their frame streams differently. Check the clip interpretation and sequence rate, then decide whether the desired result is a speed change or frame-rate conversion.
Audio drifts during a long recording
Check that the picture, audio recorder, and any timecode or synchronization equipment share the same timing basis. If one source is 24.000 and another is 23.976, a consistent, intentional conform may be needed.
Applications disagree between 23.98 and 23.976
The visible values may be rounded labels or different metadata representations. Inspect the technical rate or time scale where available; do not infer exact timing from the number of decimals shown.
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Only the timecode numbering skips values; the video frames remain. Check whether the display is showing drop-frame notation before diagnosing missing picture.
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