List of BBC test cards

The following is a list of test cards used by the BBC at various points in broadcasting.

Tuning Signals

The first test card "Tuning Signals" was broadcast by the BBC in 1934. It was a simple line and circle broadcast using Baird's 30 line system, and was used to synchronise the mechanical scanning system.

Test Card A

Test Card A made its debut in the late 1940s. However, it and Test Card B were soon replaced by the more useful Test Card C.

Test Card B

Test Card B is an early BBC television test card. It was very similar to Test Card A but was never broadcast. The original card has since gone missing.cite web |url=http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/testcard/bbc_test.html |title=BBC Test Cards]

Test Card C

Test Card C is a BBC television test card first broadcast in 1948. It was the first test card to resemble the famous Test Card F.

Test Card D

Test Card D was a BBC television test card first broadcast in 1964. This was the first test card to be based on a specification. Later, a "Reduced Power" Test Card D was introduced.

Test Card E

Test Card E was a television test card designed in 1964 and made to accommodate the 625-line system on BBC2, as opposed to the 405-line system of Test Card D. However, it only lasted one day on television, and was soon replaced by a modified version of Test Card C. This lasted until 1967 when the colour Test Card F was introduced.

Test Card F

Test Card F was the BBC's longest-running and most famous test card, featuring Carole Hersee and Bubbles the Clown.

Test Card G

Test Card G was a television test card broadcast occasionally by the BBC. It was the first electronically generated test card to be broadcast, and was a variant of the Philips PM5544 test pattern.

Another Test Card G, unrelated, was developed by Pye as a variant on Test Card C. It was used in other countries that use 625-line PAL, but probably not in Britain.

Test Card H

Test Card H abandoned in development - it was never broadcast.

Test Card J

Test Card J is an enhanced revision of Test Card F.

Test Card W

Test Card W is a widescreen update of Test Card F. The Test Card was designed for the 16:9 (widescreen) ratio.

Unidentified Test Card

An electronically generated image was first broadcast on 21 June, 1997 on BBC2 between 3am and 4am. The test card was then seen again 17th April 2007 between 4am - 5am during the BBC Learning Zone both transmissions were accompanied by a 4-tone test tone, ranging from extremely low frequency to a very high shrill. It is unknown if this Test Card has a name. [http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/testcard/bbc_test.html]

References

External links

* [http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/testcard/ BBC Test Cards] from meldrum.co.uk
* [http://www.testcardcircle.org.uk/tchistory.html A Very Concise History of Test Cards] by Frank Mitchell