// import reels from CSV
One reel per line: IN_TC,OUT_TC — e.g. 01:00:00:00,01:22:08:00
What is a longplay?
Feature films and long-form programs are often cut and delivered as separate reels — typically 20–30 minutes each — to make editing, finishing, and quality control more manageable. A longplay (LP) is a single continuous assembly of all reels end-to-end. Converting between reel-based timecode and longplay timecode is a fundamental part of post-production conforming, online editing, and deliverable preparation.
Reel hour convention
Each reel is assigned its own timecode hour: Reel 1 material carries the hour digit 01, Reel 2 carries 02, and so on. This means all timecodes within a reel are self-identifying — 03:14:22:10 unambiguously refers to something in Reel 3. This tool validates that every reel's in-point falls within its expected hour.
Leaders and content
Each reel as delivered includes a head leader (countdown, SMPTE bars, slate) at the start and a tail leader (black, beeps) at the end. The head and tail durations entered here are stripped from the reel in/out points to isolate the picture content. The content duration — from first frame of action to last — is what gets placed onto the longplay timeline.
LP first frame of action
The longplay timeline starts at the first frame of action (FFOA), typically 01:00:00:00. This field lets you specify a different starting TC if your longplay FFOA begins elsewhere. All reel content is placed sequentially from that point forward, with each reel's last frame immediately preceding the next reel's first frame — no gaps, no duplicate frames.