Frequently Asked Questions

Manual syncing is tedious and error-prone. If you use the same clock to timestamp all the files you record, you can sync them automatically in post-production.

Dish takes public radio signals from atomic clocks and embeds precise timecode in cameras and audio recorders.

Yes. Dish PRO works with professional cameras that have a hardware timecode (TC) input. Dish DM, designed for DSLR and Mirrorless, works with any camera recorder that has a microphone input. Dish DM even works with cell phones that have microphone inputs.

Dish receives time signals from satellites, like a satellite dish.

Nothing. Dish is entirely plug-and-play. You turn it on, plug it in, get satellite lock and go to work.

All Dishes everywhere in the world report the same time-of-day timecode, in UTC (more specifically, in International Atomic Time).

It doesn’t. As long as you have access to satellite signal, even intermittently, the Dish doesn’t drift. The satellite signal is accurate to about 60 nanoseconds. By comparison, a 30fps frame is 33 milliseconds long. Satellite timing error is one half-millionths of a frame.

Dish continues to run on its internal clock and report accurate timecode. The built-in TCXO clock keeps accurate time between signal acquisitions.

Dish comes with a standard, 1/4-20 threaded socket. This is the same socket that tripods use. You can mount a DISH on a cold shoe or a cheese plate.

Dish DM supports all standard SMPTE rates: 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 29.97df, 30 fps. Dish DM outputs fixed framerate, and post software does the necessary arithmetic. Standard Dish DM configuration is 24fps. By special order (e.g. for European customers) Dish DM is available with other frame rates.

Dish PRO comes with a BNC connector and plugs into the TC (timecode) input on your camera. Dish DM comes with an 1/8″ TRS socket and plugs into the microphone input on your camera.

Dish PRO outputs line-level SMPTE timecode. This is the standard timecode that cameras and sound recorders expect. Dish DM outputs mic-level LTC or Linear TimeCode. This is the signal that NLEs like Avid and Davinci Resolve call "audio timecode" or "audio LTC."

No. Many DSLRs disconnect onboard microphones if you plug in an external input. For just this use case, we’ve included a microphone in the Dish. If you plug a Dish into your DSLR, you get timecode on the left audio channel and scratch audio on the right.

Yes, for cameras that lack hardware timecode inputs. NLEs or standalone utilities can extract the timecode from audio.

Blinking green = good timecode. Blinking yellow = good timecode but battery low. Blinking red = good timecode but replace battery soon. At startup, Dish goes through a sequence of steps in acquiring a time fix from satellites. The sequence (solid red--solid yellow--solid green) indicates progressively accurate solution. When Dish starts blinking, it meant it has acquired a precise time fix and is outputting timecode. During normal operation, Dish blinks at the top of a second. This allows you to confirm, visually, that your Dishes are in sync.

Dish runs on 2 AA batteries.

A pair of fresh, high-quality alkaline AAs lasts 40 hours. We recommend rechargeable NiMH AAs.

We’ve considered that, and may incorporate it into an upcoming version of Dish if customers want it. One big advantage of AAs is that you can always replace them. If your PA forgot to charge the built-in lithium, you’re out for half a day.

Dish gets accurate time anywhere it can get a satellite signal. Anywhere your phone can determine its location, Dish can receive accurate time.

Satellite signals cannot penetrate underground or underwater. Additionally, US export regulations restrict satellite receivers over certain altitudes and over certain speeds. So if you’re shooting on a nuclear submarine, or in a missile silo, or on a missile in flight, Dish can’t get accurate time.

Sounds like an interesting shoot! Make sure you turn your Dishes on and get a signal before you go underground. Your Dishes continue to run on internal TCXO clocks. Your Dish will tell you if it drifts enough to need a re-sync with the satellite.

If you are happy with your current workflow, we support you in continuing to use it. You probably built your toolset over a long period of time, and we respect your comfort with it.

The clapper slate has been with us since the invention of talkies. Its longevity speaks to its usefulness. An assistant editor looks for the first frame where the sticks are closed, and lines that up with the audible clap on the soundtrack. He or she has to do that for every take and every scene. The process is tedious and error-prone. On a big production it adds cost and schedule. On a low-budget project, manual sync may well result in “infinite post.”

There is some amazing post-production software. Sync by sound works best when the shoot is in a controlled environment, with the cameras and the microphones close together. The algorithms work especially well when they can latch onto a loud sound, like the clapper. The results are less consistent when filming in noisy environments such as street interviews or BTS. Sync by sound fails entirely when the camera cannot hear the same sound as the microphone, e.g., shooting through windows, shooting in a car, or with telephoto lenses.

For sync by sound, basic physics. Sound travels much slower than light. Speed of sound is 1,125 feet per second. During a single, 30fps frame, sound travels 1125/30=37.5 feet. If your boom mic (or lav) is on the talent, and the camera is 40 feet away, you’re out of sync by a whole frame. This comes up all the time when filming public speakers. If your camera is in the back of an auditorium, its audio is several frames behind the master track.

Jam-sync gets most of the way there. It requires higher-end cameras and a a responsible adult to jam them to a master clock, several times per day. In contrast, Dish works with any camera, requires no manual intervention and never drifts.

They exist. The gear costs $5,000 to $15,000 and it takes a dedicated professional to run the system. You want to make sure the wireless is running, that no other transmission is stepping on the master clock, that all the receivers are on the right frequency and that they all run at the same frame rates. Dish is a lot like this system, only it costs 1/20th and our master transmitter is in orbit 20,000 km above the Earth–and the government is looking after its health.