Frame Rate and Pause Buffering

Frame Rate
Ocarina of Time was released in the two most common video standards: NTSC and PAL. These are distinguished by their maximum refresh rates, measured in Hertz (Hz). NTSC is designed for 60Hz of refresh, while PAL is designed for 50Hz. These differences manifest themselves in the frame rate at which the game runs. In general, PAL will run at 2/3 the frame rate of it's equivalent NTSC counterpart. All frame rates listed from here on will be NTSC, as that is the most common format used for speedruns.

OoT's frame rate is somewhat unique in it's mechanics. Assuming there is no lag present (such as during the collapse sequence or when certain enemies are dying), the game reads 60 inputs per second. However, during normal gameplay, there are only 20 visual frames per second. That means that each visual frame encompasses 3 input frames. This distinction is unimportant as humans are incapable of mashing fast enough to take advantage of it, however there is an application of this for Tool Assisted Speedruns or those with turbo controllers to delay timers. Whilst in the pause menu, there are 30 frames per second displayed to the screen, and during the title screen there are 60 visual frames. These often aren't useful, but knowing that the pause menu runs faster than the actual game is useful information.

Pause Buffering
Due to the differences in frame rate between normal gameplay and the pause menu, there is a lag associated with pausing and unpausing, wherein you'll see the frames of the pause menu rise into their vertical position or falling back flat, respectively. During this lag, specifically the unpause lag, the game will "buffer" inputs, that is if you hold a button during this lag the game will register that input on the very next frame. This is useful for many tricks which require frame perfect input.

Additionally, we can advance the gameplay frame by frame by pausing, unpausing, and repausing the game with good timing. It is worth noting that this technique MUST be timed. Holding START during unpause lag will not advance a frame, but rather simply repause the game on the same frame.