Starting timecode is 1:00:00:00?

I've used DaVinci before and don't believe I ever had a new project open up and prevent me from putting videos at the far left of the time-line zone. It is forcing me to start my video at 1:00:00:00 for some strange reason.

I asked Gemini about this and it said this is a common frustration users have with your software's defaults. Your default starting timecode is supposedly 1 hour, as a holdover from television broadcasting standards.

I'd like to confidently inform you that this "holdover" is not a feature but a defect. It is confusing and makes users wonder if the program is broken. On top of that, if they do in fact venture to continue to use the program, idiotically ignoring the red flags in their intuition, they have to wonder whether their video is going to render 1 hour of blank video in front of their content. Computers are very literal. When an app tells me my video starts at 1:00:00:00 I am right to assume that it will idiotically make a file with a 1 hour gap of nothing at the beginning.

Please explain this trash behavior.

No.

The fix is easy though: Davinci -> Preferences -> User -> Editing -> Start Timecode

And there are several threads where the reason for this default is explained.
Hint: there is no negative TC.

"I'd like to confidently inform you that this "holdover" is not a feature but a defect. It is confusing and makes users wonder if the program is broken. On top of that, if they do in fact venture to continue to use the program, idiotically ignoring the red flags in their intuition, they have to wonder whether their video is going to render 1 hour of blank video in front of their content. Computers are very literal. When an app tells me my video starts at 1:00:00:00 I am right to assume that it will idiotically make a file with a 1 hour gap of nothing at the beginning."

It's neither a defect or feature but a working practice. As long as you don't try to use a negative value, you can set the start timecode to whatever you like. Assuming that it will add a 1 hour gap to the front of your video is lack of knowledge on your part. Think about it. Timecode is a 24 hour clock so If your video is one hour long it would have a gap of 22 hours at the end if timecode worked that way. Timecode is merely a positional reference.
You could also complain about the default timeline frame rate being 24fps which caters for motion picture productions.

I'd like to confidently inform you that this "holdover" is not a feature but a defect. It is confusing and makes users wonder if the program is broken. On top of that, if they do in fact venture to continue to use the program, idiotically ignoring the red flags in their intuition...

There are many more red flags: is it gonna render a tiny video the size of thumbnail? Will it change the video length if zooming timeline in and out? Will it add that stupid line they call playhead into my video? Or maybe, just maybe, intuition isn’t always the best guide if background knowledge is lacking…

While I like your sarcasm, Hendrik, I've got a suggestion for BM:
Maybe you should change the presets in the free version for timeline TC to zero, fps to 30 fps, and orientation to vertical?
I'd appreciate if the Studio version stays as it is in these points.

While defaults and presets should be meaningful and cater to (most) common use cases, this is not the basis of the question here. Question here is based on random and wrong assumption, solution to which is to take that minute to look into what timecode actually is. Problem and imaginary red flags solved.

I'd like to confidently inform you that this "holdover" is not a feature but a defect. It is confusing and makes users wonder if the program is broken. On top of that, if they do in fact venture to continue to use the program, idiotically ignoring the red flags in their intuition, they have to wonder whether their video is going to render 1 hour of blank video in front of their content. Computers are very literal. When an app tells me my video starts at 1:00:00:00 I am right to assume that it will idiotically make a file with a 1 hour gap of nothing at the beginning.

This is all covered at length in Chapter 36, "Editing Basics, starting on page 695 of the Resolve 19.1 user manual. I strongly advise you to read it.

If you want to know and understand the long history why most broadcast shows start at Hour 1 (or sometimes Hour 10 in the UK), read these books on Workflow:

Modern Post: Workflow & Techniques for Digital Filmmakers"
by Scott Arundale
https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Post-Work ... 0415747023

"The Guide to Managing Postproduction for Film, TV, and Digital Distribution"
by Susan Spohr & Barbara Clark
https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Managing-P ... 1138482811

It boils down to "tradition," that Hour 1 became the de facto start point for "FFOA" (First Frame of Action, or first frame of program for TV people). Prior to Hour 1, that part of the file is reserved for a 10-second countdown (and 2-pop for sound sync), a show slate (for information about the show, run time, airdate, production company, version, and so on), and then before that, test signals to verify that the file is correct in terms of audio & video levels. A lot of this goes back to the videotape days, but I think it's still reassuring to have the info there just to make sure the system is working correctly and there's no malfunctions.