Test Card Types

[dave walsh]

Saturday's Guardian Guide had a tongue-in-cheek but informative article [What A Card] re Mr Keith Hamer and his "vast collection of Test Card paraphernalia, which surpasses even the BBC's own".

"I started the Test Card Club because so many people called me wanting to find out more", he said.
Who, asks the bemused journalist? "TV engineers, mainly!" Keith admits. He doesn't seem to be a forum member, but no doubt he is well known in vintage TV circles.

It is suggested that the Test Card Club and the posher Test Card Circle don't get on, despite a similar interest - surely not? Of course, this sort of thing is not confined to electronics.
Worth a read, with or without a sense of humour, Dave.

[Dave Moll]

One or two inaccuracies:

you can imagine how he must have felt on July 1 1967, when the BBC became the first channel in the world to broadcast colour television

Surely the Americans (and others?) had been in the colour business for some years by then.

The cross on the centre of the noughts and crosses board marked the exact centre of the frame

Presumably it was meant to be, but annoyingly was off-centre.

Nevertheless an interesting article. Also, I admit it, I too am very fond of test cards (though, given my avatar, that may be stating the obvious!)

[raditechman]

Originally Posted by David Moll

The cross on the centre of the noughts and crosses board marked the exact centre of the frame

I agree with David,it was not in the exact centre. Iwas always told that the white noughts and crosses on the black board in the centre of the screen were to give a quick check to, or enable adjustment of the static convergence.

I think in the USA the NTSC colour system started public broadcasting in the late 1950's. BBC2 was certainly not the first colour TV service, maybe it was the first public broadcast service using PAL.

Originally Posted by Jeffrey Borinsky

I saw Test Card F rather unexpectedly at the Royal Festival Hall on Saturday. Projected on to a large screen at the "Turntable Cafe" (far too noisy) somewhere around level 6 foyers as part of the re-opening celebrations.

I also saw this on Saturday at the Royal Festival Hall, they had been showing films of the Festival of Britain earlier in that space before the extremly loud band started playing. I don't know why they showed the colour test card! It was a nice to see though.

John

[ppppenguin]

Originally Posted by raditechman

I think in the USA the NTSC colour system started public broadcasting in the late 1950's. BBC2 was certainly not the first colour TV service, maybe it was the first public broadcast service using PAL.

In the USA the shortlived CBS (sequential) colour started in 1949. NTSC colour started in 1954. Japan started NTSC colour a little later (date?). The UK was the next country with colour in 1967, just a few months ahead of Germany. These were the first PAL countries.

The noughts and crosses on TCF was indeed intended as a quick check for static convergence. Exact centring would not have been important.

[PWH]

There are quite a few test card types here

http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/testcard/index.html