100% bars and GLITS, 20″
The UK DPP line-up: EBU 100/0/100/0 bars filling the 16:9 frame with GLITS tone at −18 dBFS. Runs 09:59:30:00 to 09:59:50:00.
Free for video makers
Broadcast Clocks, Bars and Tone
Countdown clocks built to the UK DPP delivery layout, from 10 to 60 seconds, in UHD, HD and 720p at 25 and 29.97 fps. Add colour bars and line-up tone and the After Effects project behind them, and you have the whole head of a broadcast master.
- 1″ stepsThe hand jumps once a second round a circular face, as the DPP asks
- Cut to black at 3″Black and silence before the programme starts at 10:00:00:00
- TimecodedEach file starts at the right timecode, so it drops straight onto your timeline
- Broadcast legalRec.709, legal range, 10-bit ProRes 422 HQ masters with silent 24-bit audio
Countdown clocks
Each clock ends with 3 seconds of black, so its last frame is one frame before the programme starts. The slate lines are left blank for your details: add them with the form below, or in the After Effects project. ProRes 422 HQ MOV masters for broadcast delivery are here in HD at 25 fps; every size and rate comes as an H.264 MP4 for checking and offline edits. For a ProRes master at UHD, 720p or 29.97 fps, render it from the After Effects project in a few minutes.
25 fps
UK, Europe and PAL regions · programme starts 10:00:00:00| Length | UHD 3840 × 2160 | HD 1920 × 1080 | 720p 1280 × 720 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10″7″ of countdown, then 3″ of black: the UK DPP layout, and Clearcast’s 7″ clock for commercials. | |||
| 15″12″ of countdown and 3″ of black, for a longer read of the slate. | |||
| 20″17″ of countdown and 3″ of black, for broadcasters that ask for a clock of 20″ or more. | |||
| 30″27″ of countdown and 3″ of black: the legacy 30″ ident clock some broadcasters still take. | |||
| 60″57″ of countdown and 3″ of black, for long lead-ins, events and playout. |
29.97 fps
US, Canada, Japan and NTSC regions (non-drop timecode) · programme starts 01:00:00:00| Length | UHD 3840 × 2160 | HD 1920 × 1080 | 720p 1280 × 720 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10″7″ of countdown, then 3″ of black: the UK DPP layout, and Clearcast’s 7″ clock for commercials. | |||
| 15″12″ of countdown and 3″ of black, for a longer read of the slate. | |||
| 20″17″ of countdown and 3″ of black, for broadcasters that ask for a clock of 20″ or more. | |||
| 30″27″ of countdown and 3″ of black: the legacy 30″ ident clock some broadcasters still take. | |||
| 60″57″ of countdown and 3″ of black, for long lead-ins, events and playout. |
Add your programme details
Type the slate details and download them as a transparent PNG that lines up exactly with the blank lines on the clock. Lay it on the track above the clock for its full length. Nothing leaves your browser.
Long entries shrink to fit the line, just as they do in the After Effects project.
Colour bars and line-up tone
Line-up signals timed to sit straight before the clock, as ProRes in HD and MP4 at every size. Tone is a 1 kHz sine whose level is exact to a hundredth of a decibel; bars are built to the exact Rec.709 values (100% white at 940, black at 64 in 10-bit).
100% bars and GLITS, 60″
The same signals for a minute, from 09:58:50:00, for broadcasters and facilities that want a longer line-up.
100% bars and EBU stereo tone, 20″
EBU 100% bars with EBU Tech 3304 stereo tone (left channel interrupted every 3″) at −18 dBFS.
75% bars and GLITS, 60″
EBU 100/0/75/0 bars with GLITS at −18 dBFS: the classic line-up for checking monitors and older specifications.
SMPTE HD bars and tone, 60″
SMPTE RP 219 HD bars with 1 kHz at −20 dBFS (SMPTE RP 155) for US and NTSC deliveries. Ends at 00:59:50:00.
Black with sync plop, 3″
Black and silence from 09:59:57:00 with the DPP sync plop: two frames of white at 09:59:57:06 and one frame of 1 kHz tone.
Line-up pack
The tones as 48 kHz 24-bit WAV files, a minute each (GLITS, EBU stereo, 1 kHz at −18 dBFS and at −20 dBFS), the one-frame sync plop, and EBU 100% and 75% bars as PNG stills at UHD, HD and 720p, to build your own line-up in any edit.
How the head of a master is laid out
The UK DPP layout for a programme at 25 fps. At 29.97 fps the same layout usually runs to a programme start of 01:00:00:00.
- 09:59:50:00Ident clockAt least 7″, 1″ steps, no audio
- 09:59:57:00Black and silence3″, optional sync plop at 09:59:57:06
- 10:00:00:00ProgrammeFirst frame of vision
- Circular face with a hand moving in one-second steps: clocks with only a digital count are not accepted
- Slate lines for everything the DPP asks for: programme ID, title, series and episode, episode title, version and part, plus production company and contact number
- No technical information on the slate, and no tone or ident audio over the clock
- All text and graphics inside the 90% graphics-safe area
- Rec.709 colour, legal range (64–940 in 10-bit), tagged BT.709 throughout
- ProRes 422 HQ 4:2:2 10-bit, progressive, with two channels of silent 48 kHz 24-bit PCM
- 100% EBU bars filling the 16:9 frame for UK delivery; SMPTE RP 219 bars for US work
- GLITS: left channel cut for 250 ms every 4″, right cut twice; EBU: left cut for 250 ms every 3″
Built to the UK DPP AS-11 delivery specification and common international practice. Every broadcaster publishes its own requirements, so check the current specification for your channel before you deliver.
Tested for broadcast
We measured the files you download, not the design. Every frame of every HD 25 fps ProRes clock and line-up file went through ffprobe and ffmpeg: luma and chroma levels frame by frame, audio level and timing, timecode, metadata, and a frame-by-frame test that the picture changes only on the second. The MP4s and other sizes are made from the same After Effects masters.
18 of 18 checks passed
UK DPP AS-11 delivery specification · EBU R103 levels · EBU R95 safe areas · ITU-R BT.709
Countdown clocks
| Check | Requirement | Measured | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| File format | ProRes 422 HQ, 10-bit 4:2:2, 1920 × 1080, progressive, square pixels, 16:9 | apch (422 HQ), 10-bit 4:2:2, 1920 × 1080, progressive, 1:1, 16:9 | Pass |
| Frame rate and length | Whole frames at the delivery rate | 25.000 fps: the 10″ clock is exactly 250 frames (29.97 fps: 300 frames) | Pass |
| Timecode | Clock ends on the programme start, 10:00:00:00 | Starts 09:59:50:00 (10″), 09:59:45:00 (15″), 09:59:40:00 (20″), 09:59:30:00 (30″), 09:59:00:00 (60″) | Pass |
| Clock movement | A hand moving in 1″ steps round a circular face, not smooth motion | The picture changes only on frames 25, 50, 75… — exactly once a second (30, 60, 90… at 29.97 fps) | Pass |
| Countdown | At least 7″ of clock | 7″ in the 10″ clock; 12″, 17″, 27″ and 57″ in the longer ones | Pass |
| Cut to black | Black and silence for the last 3″ | Frames 175–249 of the 10″ clock are all luma 64 (true black), from 09:59:57:00 | Pass |
| Audio | No tone or ident over the clock | Two channels of 48 kHz 24-bit PCM at digital silence (peak −∞ dBFS); 480,000 samples per 10″, matching the picture to the sample | Pass |
| Luma levels | EBU R103: −1% to +103% (10-bit 55–966) | Flayr 64–944 (0% to 100.5%); unbranded 60–945 (−0.5% to 100.6%), every frame of every clock | Pass |
| Chroma levels | Within 64–960 (10-bit) | Flayr 309–588; unbranded 511–513 | Pass |
| Colour metadata | BT.709 primaries, transfer and matrix, narrow range | Tagged BT.709 / BT.709 / BT.709, narrow (TV) range | Pass |
| Safe areas | All graphics inside the 90% graphics-safe area (EBU R95) | Nearest graphic is 7.1% from the frame edge; 5% is required | Pass |
| Slate | Programme ID, title, episode, episode title, version, part; no technical information | All six DPP lines, plus production company and contact, which the DPP allows | Pass |
Bars, tone and sync plop
| Check | Requirement | Measured | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colour bars | EBU 100% bars (100/0/100/0) filling the 16:9 frame | Exact BT.709 values: white 940, black 64, yellow 877/64/553, red 250/409/960 (Y/Cb/Cr, 10-bit) | Pass |
| Tone level | 1 kHz sine at −18 dBFS (−20 dBFS for SMPTE) | Peak −18.00 dBFS; −20.00 dBFS in the SMPTE files | Pass |
| GLITS | Left cut for 250 ms every 4″; right cut twice for 250 ms, 250 ms apart | Left silent 0–250 ms, right 500–750 ms and 1,000–1,250 ms, repeating every 4.000″; every cut on a zero crossing, so no clicks | Pass |
| EBU stereo tone | Left cut for 250 ms every 3″ | Left silent 0–250 ms every 3.000″; right continuous | Pass |
| Sync plop | Two frames of white at 09:59:57:06, one frame of 1 kHz tone on the first | Frames :06 and :07 at luma 940; tone only from 240 to 280 ms, at −18 dBFS | Pass |
| Timing | 20″ of line-up from 09:59:30:00 | Starts 09:59:30:00, exactly 500 frames, with 960,000 samples of tone | Pass |
10-bit code values: black is 64, white 940; percentages are of that range. These are our own measurements, not a broadcaster’s sign-off: check the current delivery specification for your channel.
After Effects project
Make it your own
The project every clock on this page was rendered from: After Effects 2026 or later, built from shape layers and text, so it stays sharp at any size. Type the slate details once in the EDIT ME composition and every clock updates; long entries shrink to fit.
- UHD and HD compositions for all five lengths at 25 fps
- The count, sweep and hand are expressions: change the frame rate or the length and the clock follows
- Optional DPP sync plop (2 frames of white and a frame of tone), switched off
- Uses Geist, a free font from Google Fonts
For your own productions
The black unbranded set
The same clocks on black with neutral greys and no Flayr logo or web address: every length, size and frame rate as MP4, ProRes 422 HQ masters in HD at 25 fps, and its own After Effects project for any other master.
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Questions
What makes a countdown clock broadcast compliant?
UK broadcasters follow the DPP layout: a clock of at least 7 seconds with a hand moving in one-second steps around a circular face (a digital count alone is not accepted), showing the programme ID, title, episode and version, with no tone or audio over it, then 3 seconds of black and silence before the programme starts at 10:00:00:00. These clocks follow that layout, keep all text inside the 90% graphics-safe area and use legal Rec.709 levels.
Which clock length should I use?
For UK delivery use the 10 second clock: 7 seconds of countdown from 09:59:50:00, then black from 09:59:57:00. Use a longer one when your broadcaster or facility asks for it; some still take a 30 second legacy clock with 90 seconds of line-up.
How do I put my programme details on the clock?
Fill in the form on this page to download a transparent PNG of your details, sized for UHD, HD or 720p, and lay it over the clock in your edit. Or open the After Effects project, type the details once in the EDIT ME composition and every clock updates.
Which bars and tone does a UK broadcaster want?
The DPP specification asks for 100% colour bars (EBU 100/0/100/0) filling the 16:9 frame, not SMPTE bars, with GLITS or EBU stereo tone at 1 kHz and −18 dBFS. US deliveries usually use SMPTE HD bars with tone at −20 dBFS.
What is the sync plop?
An optional sync check: two frames of white at 09:59:57:06 with one frame of 1 kHz tone on the first white frame, in the black after the clock. The clocks here leave it out; use the 3 second black-with-plop file, or switch it on in the After Effects project, if your broadcaster wants it.
Are these suitable for every broadcaster?
They follow the UK DPP delivery specification and common international practice, but every broadcaster publishes its own delivery requirements. Check the current specification for your channel before you deliver.