296 Part 4 · Standards and Protocols Used in Entertainment Time code is one of the most widely used synchronization tools in show control, since it is easy to use, allows very precise cueing and accurate repeatability, and makes for easy pro- gramming of time-based systems. Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE, pronounced "sim-tee") Time Code (TC) was created first, and then MIDI Time Code (MTC) was developed to transport SMPTE time code over a MIDI link. While SMPTE TC is (at its lowest level) analog and MTC is digital, they share many common aspects, so we will cover the basics of time code first, and then get into specifics of each type. B ACKGROUND The development of SMPTE Time Code began in 1967, when, to facilitate electronic video- tape editing, the California-based company EECO developed a method of encoding video frames with an absolute time and frame number, based on a method used by NASA to syn- chronize telemetry tapes from its Apollo missions. 1 The EECO code was successful in the marketplace, and several other manufacturers developed their own proprietary time-coding methods. As with so many other prestandard-market-situations already discussed, this situa- tion became problematic, as equipment from one manufacturer would not work with gear from another. In 1969, the SMPTE formed a committee to create a standard time-coding scheme, and the result was eventually adopted by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a national standard. As of this writing, the latest version of this standard is SMPTE 12M-1999, entitled "SMPTE Standard for Television, Audio, and Film--Time and Control Code."