When dealing with video segmentsāespecially in systems that rely on distributed cameras, cloud storage, and multiple data streamsātime synchronization becomes one of the most critical challenges. Without precise timing information, aligning events between multiple feeds (e.g., video, audio, and sensor data) becomes error-prone.
Rhombus has implemented a custom timestamp embedding strategy that provides millisecond precision within .mp4/.m4v video segments, going beyond the coarse timing fields traditionally found in standard ISOBMFF (ISO Base Media File Format) containers.
This guide explains what this approach means, why itās important, and how developers can retrieve and use this timestamp for building time-aligned applications.
Understanding ISOBMFF and the āfreeā Atom
The ISOBMFF standard (ISO/IEC 14496-12) is the container format underlying .mp4, .m4v, .mov, and many streaming segment formats like .fMP4. Its structure is based on boxes (atoms) āself-contained data units identified by a 4-character code (e.g., moov, mdat, free).
Standard timestamps in ISOBMFF (e.g., creation_time in the mvhd box) typically have seconds-level resolution . This is fine for some media workflows, but insufficient for multi-camera synchronization or high-speed event correlation .
Rhombus solves this by embedding a millisecond-precision timestamp inside a free atom. This is a non-standard, yet fully ISOBMFF-compliant, method.
The Rhombus Custom Timestamp
When Rhombus segments video (and if pulling actual segments, not a live transport stream), a custom metadata signature is written into the free box:
Box Type: free
In ISOBMFF, free is normally a placeholder box containing unused space. Rhombus repurposes this to carry timestamp metadata.
Signature: rhom
The first 4 bytes are the ASCII string rhomāidentifying it as Rhombus-specific data .
Millisecond Timestamp
The next 8 bytes are a 64-bit integer representing the start time of the video content, measured in milliseconds since the Unix epoch (UTC).
Binary layout example:
[ free box length ][ 'free' ][ 'rhom' ][ 8-byte timestamp (ms since epoch) ]
Why This Is Important for Developers
This design choice unlocks precise synchronization capabilities across multiple use cases:
Multi-Camera Alignment Align video feeds from different cameras to within 1 ms for coordinated monitoring
Sensor Fusion Merge video with IoT sensor data (access control events, environmental readings)
Forensic Accuracy Reconstruct events down to sub-second intervals in investigations
Reduced Drift Avoid errors that accumulate when relying solely on client system clocks or NTP sync
For ecosystem and integration partners, this makes Rhombus video streams highly interoperable with third-party analytics, AI/ML pipelines, and real-time monitoring systems.
Retrieving the Timestamp
Parsing ISOBMFF Files
You can use open-source libraries to read the free box from an .mp4/.m4v segment and check for the rhom signature.
Implementation Examples
import struct
import datetime
def extract_rhombus_timestamp ( file_path ):
"""
Extract millisecond-precision timestamp from Rhombus video segment.
Args:
file_path: Path to the .mp4 or .m4v file
Returns:
tuple: (timestamp_ms, datetime object) or (None, None) if not found
"""
with open (file_path, "rb" ) as f:
data = f.read()
# Find the 'free' box
idx = data.find( b 'free' )
if idx == - 1 :
return None , None
# Search for 'rhom' signature after 'free'
rhom_idx = data.find( b 'rhom' , idx)
if rhom_idx == - 1 :
return None , None
# Read the next 8 bytes after 'rhom' (big-endian 64-bit integer)
timestamp_bytes = data[rhom_idx + 4 : rhom_idx + 12 ]
timestamp_ms = int .from_bytes(timestamp_bytes, byteorder = "big" )
# Convert to human-readable UTC time
timestamp_dt = datetime.datetime.utcfromtimestamp(timestamp_ms / 1000.0 )
return timestamp_ms, timestamp_dt
# Example usage:
timestamp_ms, timestamp_dt = extract_rhombus_timestamp( "video_segment.mp4" )
if timestamp_ms:
print ( f "Timestamp (ms since epoch): { timestamp_ms } " )
print ( f "UTC Time: { timestamp_dt } " )
print ( f "ISO Format: { timestamp_dt.isoformat() } " )
else :
print ( "Rhombus timestamp not found in file" )
# Sample output:
# Timestamp (ms since epoch): 1722945678123
# UTC Time: 2024-08-06 15:21:18.123000
# ISO Format: 2024-08-06T15:21:18.123000
Advanced Python Usage import os
import glob
from datetime import datetime
class RhombusTimestampExtractor :
"""Extract and manage timestamps from multiple video segments."""
def __init__ ( self ):
self .timestamps = []
def process_directory ( self , directory_path , pattern = "*.mp4" ):
"""Process all video files in a directory."""
files = glob.glob(os.path.join(directory_path, pattern))
for file_path in sorted (files):
timestamp_ms, timestamp_dt = extract_rhombus_timestamp(file_path)
if timestamp_ms:
self .timestamps.append({
'file' : os.path.basename(file_path),
'timestamp_ms' : timestamp_ms,
'datetime' : timestamp_dt
})
def get_timeline ( self ):
"""Get chronologically sorted list of segments."""
return sorted ( self .timestamps, key = lambda x : x[ 'timestamp_ms' ])
def find_segment_at_time ( self , target_datetime ):
"""Find the video segment containing a specific time."""
target_ms = int (target_datetime.timestamp() * 1000 )
for segment in self .get_timeline():
if segment[ 'timestamp_ms' ] <= target_ms:
closest = segment
else :
break
return closest
# Usage example
extractor = RhombusTimestampExtractor()
extractor.process_directory( "/path/to/video/segments" )
# Find segment at specific time
target = datetime( 2024 , 8 , 6 , 15 , 21 , 0 )
segment = extractor.find_segment_at_time(target)
print ( f "Segment at { target } : { segment[ 'file' ] } " )
JavaScript Implementation
/**
* Extract Rhombus timestamp from video segment ArrayBuffer
* @param {ArrayBuffer} arrayBuffer - The video file as ArrayBuffer
* @returns {Object|null} Object with timestampMs and utcTime, or null if not found
*/
function extractRhombusTimestamp ( arrayBuffer ) {
const data = new Uint8Array ( arrayBuffer );
// Find 'free' box
const freePattern = new Uint8Array ([ 0x66 , 0x72 , 0x65 , 0x65 ]); // 'free'
let freeIndex = - 1 ;
for ( let i = 0 ; i <= data . length - 4 ; i ++ ) {
if ( data . subarray ( i , i + 4 ). every (( val , idx ) => val === freePattern [ idx ])) {
freeIndex = i ;
break ;
}
}
if ( freeIndex === - 1 ) return null ;
// Find 'rhom' signature
const rhomPattern = new Uint8Array ([ 0x72 , 0x68 , 0x6f , 0x6d ]); // 'rhom'
let rhomIndex = - 1 ;
for ( let i = freeIndex ; i <= data . length - 4 ; i ++ ) {
if ( data . subarray ( i , i + 4 ). every (( val , idx ) => val === rhomPattern [ idx ])) {
rhomIndex = i ;
break ;
}
}
if ( rhomIndex === - 1 ) return null ;
// Extract 8-byte timestamp (big-endian)
const timestampBytes = data . subarray ( rhomIndex + 4 , rhomIndex + 12 );
let timestamp = 0 ;
for ( let i = 0 ; i < 8 ; i ++ ) {
timestamp = timestamp * 256 + timestampBytes [ i ];
}
return {
timestampMs: timestamp ,
utcTime: new Date ( timestamp ),
isoString: new Date ( timestamp ). toISOString ()
};
}
// Example usage with File API
async function processVideoFile ( file ) {
const arrayBuffer = await file . arrayBuffer ();
const result = extractRhombusTimestamp ( arrayBuffer );
if ( result ) {
console . log ( 'Timestamp (ms):' , result . timestampMs );
console . log ( 'UTC Time:' , result . utcTime );
console . log ( 'ISO String:' , result . isoString );
} else {
console . log ( 'Rhombus timestamp not found' );
}
}
// Usage with input element
document . querySelector ( '#fileInput' ). addEventListener ( 'change' , async ( e ) => {
const file = e . target . files [ 0 ];
if ( file ) {
await processVideoFile ( file );
}
});
Advanced JavaScript Usage Multi-Camera Synchronization
class RhombusVideoSync {
constructor () {
this . cameras = new Map ();
}
/**
* Add a camera's video segment with its timestamp
*/
async addCameraSegment ( cameraId , videoFile ) {
const arrayBuffer = await videoFile . arrayBuffer ();
const timestamp = extractRhombusTimestamp ( arrayBuffer );
if ( timestamp ) {
if ( ! this . cameras . has ( cameraId )) {
this . cameras . set ( cameraId , []);
}
this . cameras . get ( cameraId ). push ({
timestamp: timestamp . timestampMs ,
datetime: timestamp . utcTime ,
file: videoFile
});
}
}
/**
* Find segments from all cameras at a specific time
*/
findSegmentsAtTime ( targetTime ) {
const targetMs = targetTime . getTime ();
const results = {};
for ( const [ cameraId , segments ] of this . cameras . entries ()) {
// Find closest segment before or at target time
const sorted = segments . sort (( a , b ) => a . timestamp - b . timestamp );
const segment = sorted . find ( s => s . timestamp <= targetMs );
if ( segment ) {
results [ cameraId ] = {
timestamp: segment . timestamp ,
datetime: segment . datetime ,
offset: targetMs - segment . timestamp
};
}
}
return results ;
}
/**
* Get time range covered by all cameras
*/
getCommonTimeRange () {
let earliestEnd = Infinity ;
let latestStart = 0 ;
for ( const segments of this . cameras . values ()) {
if ( segments . length === 0 ) continue ;
const start = Math . min ( ... segments . map ( s => s . timestamp ));
const end = Math . max ( ... segments . map ( s => s . timestamp ));
latestStart = Math . max ( latestStart , start );
earliestEnd = Math . min ( earliestEnd , end );
}
return {
start: new Date ( latestStart ),
end: new Date ( earliestEnd ),
duration: earliestEnd - latestStart
};
}
}
// Usage
const sync = new RhombusVideoSync ();
await sync . addCameraSegment ( 'camera1' , file1 );
await sync . addCameraSegment ( 'camera2' , file2 );
await sync . addCameraSegment ( 'camera3' , file3 );
// Find what was happening across all cameras at a specific time
const target = new Date ( '2024-08-06T15:21:18.123Z' );
const segments = sync . findSegmentsAtTime ( target );
console . log ( 'Synchronized segments:' , segments );
#include <fstream>
#include <vector>
#include <cstdint>
#include <chrono>
#include <optional>
#include <algorithm>
struct RhombusTimestamp {
uint64_t timestampMs;
std :: chrono :: system_clock ::time_point utcTime;
// Convert to ISO 8601 string
std :: string toISO8601 () const {
auto timeT = std :: chrono :: system_clock :: to_time_t (utcTime);
auto ms = std :: chrono :: duration_cast < std :: chrono :: milliseconds >(
utcTime . time_since_epoch ()
). count () % 1000 ;
char buffer [ 32 ];
std :: strftime (buffer, sizeof (buffer), "%Y-%m- %d T%H:%M: %S " ,
std :: gmtime ( & timeT));
return std :: string (buffer) + "." +
std :: to_string (ms) + "Z" ;
}
};
/**
* Extract Rhombus timestamp from video file
*/
std :: optional < RhombusTimestamp > extractRhombusTimestamp (
const std :: string & filePath
) {
std ::ifstream file (filePath, std :: ios ::binary);
if ( ! file) {
return std ::nullopt;
}
// Read entire file into memory
std ::vector < uint8_t > data (
( std :: istreambuf_iterator < char >(file)),
std :: istreambuf_iterator < char >()
);
// Find 'free' box
const std ::vector < uint8_t > freePattern = { 0x 66 , 0x 72 , 0x 65 , 0x 65 };
auto freeIt = std :: search (
data . begin (), data . end (),
freePattern . begin (), freePattern . end ()
);
if (freeIt == data . end ()) {
return std ::nullopt;
}
// Find 'rhom' signature
const std ::vector < uint8_t > rhomPattern = { 0x 72 , 0x 68 , 0x 6f , 0x 6d };
auto rhomIt = std :: search (
freeIt, data . end (),
rhomPattern . begin (), rhomPattern . end ()
);
if (rhomIt == data . end ()) {
return std ::nullopt;
}
// Extract 8-byte timestamp (big-endian)
uint64_t timestamp = 0 ;
for ( int i = 0 ; i < 8 ; i ++ ) {
timestamp = (timestamp << 8 ) | * (rhomIt + 4 + i);
}
// Convert to time_point
auto utcTime = std :: chrono :: system_clock :: from_time_t (
timestamp / 1000
);
utcTime += std :: chrono :: milliseconds (timestamp % 1000 );
return RhombusTimestamp{timestamp, utcTime};
}
// Example usage
int main () {
auto result = extractRhombusTimestamp ( "video_segment.mp4" );
if (result) {
std ::cout << "Timestamp (ms): " << result -> timestampMs << std ::endl;
std ::cout << "ISO 8601: " << result -> toISO8601 () << std ::endl;
} else {
std ::cout << "Rhombus timestamp not found" << std ::endl;
}
return 0 ;
}
Advanced C++ Usage #include <filesystem>
#include <map>
class RhombusTimeline {
private:
struct Segment {
std :: filesystem ::path filePath;
RhombusTimestamp timestamp;
};
std ::vector < Segment > segments;
public:
/**
* Load all video segments from a directory
*/
void loadDirectory ( const std :: filesystem :: path & directory ) {
for ( const auto & entry :
std :: filesystem :: directory_iterator (directory)) {
if ( entry . path (). extension () == ".mp4" ||
entry . path (). extension () == ".m4v" ) {
auto timestamp = extractRhombusTimestamp (
entry . path (). string ()
);
if (timestamp) {
segments . push_back ({ entry . path (), * timestamp});
}
}
}
// Sort by timestamp
std :: sort ( segments . begin (), segments . end (),
[]( const Segment & a , const Segment & b ) {
return a . timestamp . timestampMs < b . timestamp . timestampMs ;
}
);
}
/**
* Find segment containing a specific time
*/
std :: optional < Segment > findSegmentAtTime (
const std :: chrono :: system_clock :: time_point & targetTime
) const {
auto targetMs = std :: chrono ::duration_cast <
std :: chrono ::milliseconds
> ( targetTime . time_since_epoch ()). count ();
Segment * closest = nullptr ;
for ( const auto & segment : segments) {
if ( segment . timestamp . timestampMs <= targetMs) {
closest = const_cast < Segment *> ( & segment);
} else {
break ;
}
}
return closest ? std :: optional < Segment >( * closest) : std ::nullopt;
}
/**
* Get chronological list of all segments
*/
const std :: vector < Segment > & getTimeline () const {
return segments;
}
};
Real-World Use Cases
Multi-Camera Event Reconstruction
Synchronize footage from multiple cameras to reconstruct security incidents:
Event Timeline Reconstruction
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
class EventReconstructor :
def __init__ ( self ):
self .camera_segments = {} # cameraId -> list of segments
def add_camera_footage ( self , camera_id , segment_files ):
"""Add video segments from a specific camera."""
segments = []
for file_path in segment_files:
timestamp_ms, timestamp_dt = extract_rhombus_timestamp(file_path)
if timestamp_ms:
segments.append({
'file' : file_path,
'start_time' : timestamp_dt,
'timestamp_ms' : timestamp_ms
})
self .camera_segments[camera_id] = sorted (
segments,
key = lambda x : x[ 'timestamp_ms' ]
)
def reconstruct_event ( self , event_time , window_seconds = 30 ):
"""
Find all camera segments within time window of an event.
Args:
event_time: datetime of the event
window_seconds: seconds before/after event to include
"""
window = timedelta( seconds = window_seconds)
start_time = event_time - window
end_time = event_time + window
relevant_footage = {}
for camera_id, segments in self .camera_segments.items():
camera_clips = []
for segment in segments:
# Check if segment overlaps with event window
if start_time <= segment[ 'start_time' ] <= end_time:
offset = (segment[ 'start_time' ] - event_time).total_seconds()
camera_clips.append({
'file' : segment[ 'file' ],
'start_time' : segment[ 'start_time' ],
'offset_from_event' : offset
})
if camera_clips:
relevant_footage[camera_id] = camera_clips
return relevant_footage
# Usage
reconstructor = EventReconstructor()
reconstructor.add_camera_footage( 'entrance' , entrance_files)
reconstructor.add_camera_footage( 'lobby' , lobby_files)
reconstructor.add_camera_footage( 'parking' , parking_files)
# Reconstruct event at specific time
event_time = datetime( 2024 , 8 , 6 , 15 , 21 , 18 )
footage = reconstructor.reconstruct_event(event_time, window_seconds = 30 )
print ( f "Footage for event at { event_time } :" )
for camera_id, clips in footage.items():
print ( f " \n { camera_id } :" )
for clip in clips:
print ( f " - { clip[ 'file' ] } " )
print ( f " Offset: { clip[ 'offset_from_event' ] :.2f} s" )
Sensor Data Correlation
Align video with access control or environmental sensor events:
class SensorVideoCorrelator {
constructor () {
this . videoTimestamps = [];
this . sensorEvents = [];
}
/**
* Add video segment with its timestamp
*/
addVideoSegment ( cameraId , timestamp , videoUrl ) {
this . videoTimestamps . push ({
cameraId ,
timestamp: timestamp . timestampMs ,
datetime: timestamp . utcTime ,
url: videoUrl
});
}
/**
* Add sensor event with timestamp
*/
addSensorEvent ( sensorId , eventType , timestampMs , data ) {
this . sensorEvents . push ({
sensorId ,
eventType ,
timestamp: timestampMs ,
datetime: new Date ( timestampMs ),
data
});
}
/**
* Find video coverage for a sensor event
*/
findVideoForEvent ( eventTimestampMs , cameras = null ) {
const relevantVideos = this . videoTimestamps . filter ( video => {
// Video segment starts before or at event time
const inTimeRange = video . timestamp <= eventTimestampMs ;
// Filter by camera if specified
const inCameraList = ! cameras || cameras . includes ( video . cameraId );
return inTimeRange && inCameraList ;
});
// Get the most recent video before the event for each camera
const latestByCamera = {};
relevantVideos . forEach ( video => {
if ( ! latestByCamera [ video . cameraId ] ||
video . timestamp > latestByCamera [ video . cameraId ]. timestamp ) {
latestByCamera [ video . cameraId ] = video ;
}
});
return Object . values ( latestByCamera );
}
/**
* Generate correlation report
*/
generateCorrelationReport () {
return this . sensorEvents . map ( event => {
const videos = this . findVideoForEvent ( event . timestamp );
return {
event: {
type: event . eventType ,
sensor: event . sensorId ,
time: event . datetime . toISOString (),
data: event . data
},
associatedVideos: videos . map ( v => ({
camera: v . cameraId ,
url: v . url ,
offset: event . timestamp - v . timestamp
}))
};
});
}
}
// Usage example
const correlator = new SensorVideoCorrelator ();
// Add door access event
correlator . addSensorEvent (
'door-entrance-1' ,
'ACCESS_GRANTED' ,
1722945678123 ,
{ userId: 'user123' , cardId: '12345' }
);
// Add corresponding video
correlator . addVideoSegment (
'camera-entrance' ,
{ timestampMs: 1722945670000 , utcTime: new Date ( 1722945670000 ) },
'https://media.rhombus.com/segment1.mp4'
);
// Generate report
const report = correlator . generateCorrelationReport ();
console . log ( JSON . stringify ( report , null , 2 ));
Best Practices for Integration
Always confirm the rhom tag before interpreting the following bytes as a timestamp. This prevents misinterpretation of unrelated data. def is_valid_rhombus_timestamp ( data , rhom_index ):
# Verify 'rhom' signature
if data[rhom_index:rhom_index + 4 ] != b 'rhom' :
return False
# Verify sufficient data for timestamp
if len (data) < rhom_index + 12 :
return False
# Extract and validate timestamp range
timestamp_bytes = data[rhom_index + 4 :rhom_index + 12 ]
timestamp_ms = int .from_bytes(timestamp_bytes, byteorder = "big" )
# Sanity check: timestamp should be reasonable
# (between 2015 and 2050)
min_timestamp = 1420070400000 # Jan 1, 2015
max_timestamp = 2524608000000 # Jan 1, 2050
return min_timestamp <= timestamp_ms <= max_timestamp
Handle Time Zones Correctly
The timestamp is UTC-based. Convert it appropriately if your application needs local time. from datetime import datetime
import pytz
def convert_to_local_time ( timestamp_ms , timezone = 'America/New_York' ):
# Create UTC datetime
utc_dt = datetime.utcfromtimestamp(timestamp_ms / 1000.0 )
utc_dt = pytz.utc.localize(utc_dt)
# Convert to local timezone
local_tz = pytz.timezone(timezone)
local_dt = utc_dt.astimezone(local_tz)
return local_dt
# Usage
timestamp_ms = 1722945678123
local_time = convert_to_local_time(timestamp_ms, 'America/Los_Angeles' )
print ( f "Local time: { local_time } " )
Combine the segment start timestamp with frame timestamps for frame-accurate alignment. class FrameTimestampCalculator {
constructor ( segmentStartMs , frameRate ) {
this . segmentStartMs = segmentStartMs ;
this . frameRate = frameRate ;
this . frameDurationMs = 1000 / frameRate ;
}
/**
* Calculate absolute timestamp for a specific frame
*/
getFrameTimestamp ( frameNumber ) {
const offsetMs = frameNumber * this . frameDurationMs ;
return this . segmentStartMs + offsetMs ;
}
/**
* Find frame number for a specific timestamp
*/
getFrameAtTimestamp ( targetTimestampMs ) {
const offsetMs = targetTimestampMs - this . segmentStartMs ;
return Math . floor ( offsetMs / this . frameDurationMs );
}
}
// Usage
const segmentTimestamp = 1722945678123 ;
const calculator = new FrameTimestampCalculator ( segmentTimestamp , 30 );
// Get timestamp of frame 150
const frameTime = calculator . getFrameTimestamp ( 150 );
console . log ( 'Frame 150 timestamp:' , new Date ( frameTime ));
// Find frame at specific time
const targetTime = 1722945683123 ;
const frameNum = calculator . getFrameAtTimestamp ( targetTime );
console . log ( 'Frame at target time:' , frameNum );
Version for Future-Proofing
Store your parsing logic in a modular way in case Rhombus adds new metadata formats. class RhombusMetadataParser :
"""Extensible parser for Rhombus metadata formats."""
VERSION = "1.0"
def __init__ ( self ):
self .parsers = {
b 'rhom' : self ._parse_v1_timestamp
}
def parse ( self , file_path ):
"""Parse metadata from video file."""
with open (file_path, "rb" ) as f:
data = f.read()
# Find 'free' box
free_idx = data.find( b 'free' )
if free_idx == - 1 :
return None
# Check all known signatures
for signature, parser_func in self .parsers.items():
sig_idx = data.find(signature, free_idx)
if sig_idx != - 1 :
return parser_func(data, sig_idx)
return None
def _parse_v1_timestamp ( self , data , rhom_idx ):
"""Parse v1 timestamp format."""
timestamp_bytes = data[rhom_idx + 4 :rhom_idx + 12 ]
timestamp_ms = int .from_bytes(timestamp_bytes, byteorder = "big" )
return {
'version' : 1 ,
'type' : 'timestamp' ,
'timestamp_ms' : timestamp_ms,
'datetime' : datetime.utcfromtimestamp(timestamp_ms / 1000.0 )
}
def add_parser ( self , signature , parser_func ):
"""Add custom parser for new metadata formats."""
self .parsers[signature] = parser_func
# Usage
parser = RhombusMetadataParser()
metadata = parser.parse( "video_segment.mp4" )
if metadata:
print ( f "Version: { metadata[ 'version' ] } " )
print ( f "Type: { metadata[ 'type' ] } " )
print ( f "Timestamp: { metadata[ 'datetime' ] } " )
Efficient File Reading For large files, read only the header portion instead of the entire file
Caching Strategy Cache extracted timestamps to avoid re-parsing the same files
Batch Processing Process multiple files in parallel when building timelines
Memory Management Use streaming parsers for very large video files
Optimized File Reading
def extract_rhombus_timestamp_optimized ( file_path , max_search_bytes = 100_000 ):
"""
Optimized version that reads only the beginning of the file.
Most metadata is in the first portion of MP4 files.
"""
with open (file_path, "rb" ) as f:
# Read only header portion
data = f.read(max_search_bytes)
# Search for 'rhom' signature
rhom_idx = data.find( b 'rhom' )
if rhom_idx == - 1 :
return None , None
# Verify we have enough data for timestamp
if len (data) < rhom_idx + 12 :
return None , None
timestamp_bytes = data[rhom_idx + 4 :rhom_idx + 12 ]
timestamp_ms = int .from_bytes(timestamp_bytes, byteorder = "big" )
timestamp_dt = datetime.utcfromtimestamp(timestamp_ms / 1000.0 )
return timestamp_ms, timestamp_dt
Conclusion
Rhombusā method of embedding a millisecond-precision UTC timestamp in the free atom of ISOBMFF segments provides developers with a powerful tool for precise event alignment in multi-stream environments.
This approach preserves compatibility with existing video tooling while unlocking sub-second accuracy for analytics, AI, and real-time monitoringācritical for advanced integrations in the Rhombus ecosystem.
Next Steps for Developers:
Experiment with the ISOBMFF GitHub library to parse Rhombus segments
Use the MP4Box.js online viewer to visually inspect box structures
Incorporate timestamp extraction into your ingest pipeline for perfectly synchronized multi-source datasets
Additional Resources
Support
Need assistance with timestamp extraction or video synchronization?
This advanced implementation guide is regularly updated to reflect the latest best practices for working with Rhombus video segments.