Editing Test card

{{Short description|Test signal in television broadcasting}}
{{redirect|Test pattern||Test Pattern (disambiguation)}}
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| caption1 = [[SMPTE color bars]]: common [[NTSC]] test pattern
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| caption2 = [[Philips PM5544|PM5544]]: common [[PAL]] test pattern
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A '''test card''', also known as a '''test pattern''' or '''start-up/closedown test''', is a [[television]] test signal, typically broadcast at times when the transmitter is active but no program is being broadcast (often at [[sign-on and sign-off]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.testcardcircle.org.uk/tchistory.html|title=TCC - A Very Concise History of Test Cards|website=www.testcardcircle.org.uk}}</ref>

Used since the earliest TV broadcasts, test cards were originally physical cards at which a [[television camera]] was pointed, allowing for simple adjustments of picture quality.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/test-card|title=TEST CARD &#124; English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary}}</ref> Such cards are still often used for calibration, alignment, and matching of cameras and [[camcorder]]s. From the 1950s, test card images were built into [[monoscope]] tubes which freed up the use of TV cameras which would otherwise have to be rotated to continuously broadcast physical test cards during downtime hours.

Electronically generated test patterns, used for calibrating or troubleshooting the downstream signal path, were introduced in the late-1960s, and became commonly used from the 1970s and 80s. These are generated by test [[signal generator]]s, which do not depend on the correct configuration (and presence) of a camera, and can also test for additional parameters such as correct color decoding,  [[Audio-to-video synchronization|sync]], [[frames per second]], and frequency response.<ref name="claiborne" /> These patterns are specially tailored to be used in conjunction with devices such as a [[vectorscope]], allowing precise adjustments of image equipment.

The audio broadcast while test cards are shown is typically a [[sine wave]] tone, [[Radio broadcasting|radio]] (if associated or affiliated with the television channel) or [[Production music|music]] (usually [[instrumental music|instrumental]], though some also broadcast with [[jazz]] or [[popular music]]).

Digitally generated cards came later, associated with [[digital television]], and add a few features specific of digital signals, like checking for [[error correction]], [[chroma subsampling]], [[Active Format Description|aspect ratio signaling]], [[5.1 surround sound|surround sound]], etc. More recently, the use of test cards has also expanded beyond television to other digital displays such as large [[LED display|LED walls]] and [[video projector]]s.<ref name="claiborne" />

==Technical details==
Test cards typically contain a set of patterns to enable television cameras and receivers to be adjusted to show the picture correctly (see [[SMPTE color bars]]). Most modern test cards include a set of calibrated color bars which will produce a characteristic pattern of "dot landings" on a [[vectorscope]], allowing chroma and tint to be precisely adjusted between generations of videotape or network feeds. SMPTE bars—and several other test cards—include analog black (a flat waveform at 7.5 [[IRE (unit)|IRE]], or the '''NTSC setup level'''), full white (100 IRE), and a "sub-black", or "blacker-than-black" (at 0 IRE), which represents the lowest low-frequency transmission voltage permissible in NTSC broadcasts (though the negative excursions of the [[colorburst]] signal may go below 0 IRE). Between the color bars and proper adjustment of brightness and contrast controls to the limits of perception of the first sub-black bar, an analog receiver (or other equipment such as VTRs) can be adjusted to provide impressive fidelity. 

Test cards have also been used to determine actual [[Service contour|coverage contour]]s for new television broadcasting antennas and/or networks. In preparation for the new commercial [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] service in the 1950s, the [[Independent Television Authority]] (ITA) tasked Belling & Lee, an [[Enfield, London|Enfield]]-based British electronics company best known for inventing the [[Belling-Lee connector]] just over three decades earlier, with designing a series of Pilot Test Transmission test cards and slides<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6pq7XycgGw | title=1950s-60s ITA Test Card with Music | website=[[YouTube]] | date=7 May 2023 }}</ref> intended for potential viewers and [[DXing|DX-enthusiasts]] to test the ITA's new [[Band III]] [[Very high frequency|VHF]] transmitter network that was designed with the assistance of the [[General Post Office]] (GPO), then the UK's government-run [[Postal, telegraph and telephone service|PTT agency]]. These test cards, some featuring the [[Call signs in the United Kingdom#Call sign assignments for amateur radio|G9AED]] call sign assigned by the GPO for said transmissions, featured a squiggly line in a circle in the middle of the test card with an on-screen line gauge indicated in [[Mile|miles]] which was used as a guide to reveal the distance between the receiver, the (temporary) transmitter and a replicating landscape feature causing [[Ghosting (television)|ghosting]]. Said test cards were mainly transmitted from temporary mobile transmitters attached to [[Caravan (trailer)|caravan trailer]]s based at the predicted locations of the ITA's eventual main transmitters, such as [[Croydon transmitting station|Croydon]], [[Lichfield transmitting station|Lichfield]], [[Emley Moor transmitting station|Emley Moor]] and [[Winter Hill transmitting station|Winter Hill]].<ref name="auto2">{{cite web | url=https://transdiffusion.org/2021/05/10/to-the-north/ | title=To the North }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sub-tv.co.uk/atvtestcards.asp|title=sub-TV: ATV Test Cards|website=sub-tv.co.uk}}</ref> Almost a decade later, the BBC started using a modified SMPTE monochrome test card radiating from the [[Crystal Palace transmitting station|Crystal Palace transmitter]] to test its new [[Ultra high frequency|UHF]] network which it eventually launched as [[BBC Two]] in 1964.

Test cards are also used in the broader context of video displays for concerts and live events. There are a variety of different test patterns, each testing a specific technical parameter: gradient monotone bars for testing brightness and color; a crosshatch pattern for [[Display aspect ratio|aspect ratio]], alignment, focus, and convergence; and a single-pixel border for [[Overscan|over-scanning]] and [[Display resolution|dimensions]].<ref name="claiborne">{{cite web |last=Claiborne |first=Vickie |title=Video Testing Images |url=https://plsn.com/articles/video-digerati/video-testing-images/ |website=PLSN |date=9 November 2019 |access-date=16 March 2020}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Indian Head Test Pattern with Labels.png|thumb|upright=1.3|The famous RCA [[Indian-head test pattern]] used mainly in North America from 1940 to the 1970s with its elements labelled, describing the use of each element in aligning a black & white analog TV&nbsp;receiver.]]
[[File:RTF Test card 819-lines 1953.jpg|thumb|First [[Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française|RTF]] test card (1953) for the French [[819 line|819-line]] TV system. Also used in [[French Algeria]], with modifications also used by [[TMC (TV channel)|TMC]] in [[Monaco]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://forum.retrotechnique.org/t/mires-tv-francaises-anciennes/81275?page=2 | title=Mires TV françaises anciennes | date=5 December 2019 }}</ref> [[Telesaar]] in the [[Saar Protectorate]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://saar-nostalgie.de/Telesaar.htm | title=Telesaar }}</ref> and [[Televisión Nacional de Chile|TVN]] in [[Chile]]<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Technology/Technology-All-Eras/Archive-Practical-Television-IDX/70s/Television-Servicing-UK-1974-02-OCR-Page-0033.pdf | title=Pirate TV | website=www.worldradiohistory.com}}</ref>]]
[[File:SW Testbild auf Philips TD1410U.jpg|thumb|upright|A 1952 Philips TD1410U television set showing the optical monochrome [[Telefunken T05]] test card.]]

Test cards are as old as TV broadcasts, with documented use by the BBC in the United Kingdom in its early [[Mechanical television|30-line mechanical]] [[John Logie Baird|Baird]] transmissions from 1934 and later on as simplified "tuning signals" shown before [[Sign-on and sign-off|startup]]<ref>{{cite web|title=BBC Tuning Signals |url=http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/testcard/bbc_tune.html |date=29 March 2000 |publisher=Meldrum |access-date=13 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223154155/http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/testcard/bbc_tune.html |archive-date=23 February 2009 }}</ref> as well as in [[German military administration in occupied France during World War II|Occupied France]] during World War II.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.vivelapub.fr/retrospective-la-mire-tv/|title=Rétrospective: la mire à la télévision (1953 – 2002)|date=January 5, 2012|website=VivelaPub}}</ref> They evolved to include gratings for resolution testing, grids to assist with picture geometry adjustments, and grayscale for brightness and contrast adjustments. For example, all these elements can be seen in a [[Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française]] [[819 line|819-line]] test card introduced in 1953.<ref name="auto"/>

In North America, most test cards such as the famous [[Indian-head test pattern]] of the 1950s and 1960s have long since been relegated to history. The [[SMPTE color bars]] occasionally turn up, but with most North American broadcasters now following a 24-hour schedule, these too have become a rare sight.

With the introduction of color TV, electronically generated test cards were introduced. They are named after their generating equipment (ex: [[Grundig]] VG1000,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/EP0122124A3/zh|title=Test signal generator}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://all-guidesbox.com/manual/370365/grundig-72010-016-80-network-card-52.html?page=30|title=Grundig 72010-016.80 TV Service manual PDF View/Download, Page # 30|website=all-guidesbox.com}}</ref> [[Philips PM5544]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://frank.pocnet.net/other/sos/Philips_PM5544_PM3400_Publication.pdf#page=3 |title=Combined colour/monochrome pattern generator PM 5544}}</ref> [[Telefunken FuBK]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J61AAQAAIAAJ&q=%22FuBK%22+-wikipedia|title=EBU Review|first=European Broadcasting|last=Union|date=February 6, 1988|publisher=Administrative Office of the European Broadcasting Union|via=Google Books}}</ref> etc.), TV station (ex: [[List of BBC test cards|BBC test card]]) or organization (ex: [[SMPTE color bars]], [[EBU colour bars]]).

In [[developed country|developed countries]] such as [[Australia]], [[Canada]], the [[United Kingdom]], and the [[United States]], the financial imperatives of commercial television broadcasting mean that air-time is now typically filled with programmes and commercials (such as [[infomercial]]s) 24 hours a day, and non-commercial broadcasters have to match this.

A late test card design, introduced in 2005 and fully adapted for HD, SD, 16:9 and 4:3 broadcasts, is defined on ITU-R Rec. BT.1729.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.itu.int/dms_pubrec/itu-r/rec/bt/R-REC-BT.1729-0-200504-I!!PDF-E.pdf |title=ITU-R Rec. BT.1729}}</ref> It offers markings specificity design to test format conversions, chroma sampling, etc.

Formerly a common sight, test cards are now only rarely seen outside of television studios, post-production, and distribution facilities. In particular, they are no longer intended to assist viewers in calibration of television sets. Several factors have led to their demise for this purpose:
* Modern [[microcontroller]]-controlled analogue televisions rarely if ever need adjustment, so test cards are much less important than previously. Likewise, modern cameras and camcorders seldom need adjustment for technical accuracy, though they are often adjusted to compensate for scene light levels, and for various artistic effects.
* Use of digital interconnect standards, such as [[CCIR 601]] and [[SMPTE 292M]], which operate without the non-linearities and other issues inherent to analog broadcasting, do not introduce color shifts or brightness changes; thus the requirement to detect and compensate for them using this reference signal has been virtually eliminated. (Compare with the obsolescence of [[stroboscope]]s as used to adjust the speed of record players.) On the other hand, digital test signal generators do include test signals which are intended to stress the digital interface, and many sophisticated generators allow the insertion of [[jitter]], bit errors, and other pathological conditions that can cause a digital interface to fail.
* Likewise, use of digital broadcasting standards, such as [[Digital Video Broadcasting|DVB]] and [[ATSC standards|ATSC]], eliminates the issues introduced by modulation and demodulation of analog signals.
* Test cards including large circles were used to confirm the linearity of the set's deflection systems. As solid-state components replaced [[vacuum tube]]s in receiver deflection circuits, linearity adjustments were less frequently required (few newer sets have user-adjustable "VERT SIZE" and "VERT LIN" controls, for example). In LCD and other deflectionless displays, the linearity is a function of the display panel's manufacturing quality; for the display to work, the tolerances will already be far tighter than human perception.

For custom-designed video installations, such as [[LED displays]] in buildings or at live events, some test images are custom-made to fit the specific size and shape of the setup in question. These custom test images can also be an opportunity for the technicians to hide inside jokes for the crew to see while installing equipment for a show.<ref name="claiborne" />
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==Monoscope==
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{{main article|Monoscope}}

Rather than physical test cards, which had to be televised using a camera, television stations often used a special purpose camera tube which had the test pattern painted on the inside screen of the tube. Each tube was only capable of generating the one test image, hence it was called a [[monoscope]].

Monoscopes were similar in construction to an ordinary [[cathode-ray tube]] (CRT), only instead of displaying an image on its screen it scanned a built-in image. The monoscope contained a formed metal target in place of the phosphor coating at its "screen" end and as the electron beam scanned the target, rather than displaying an image, a varying electrical signal was produced generating a video signal from the etched pattern. Monoscope tubes had the advantage over test cards that a full TV camera was not needed, and the image was always properly framed and in focus. They fell out of use after the 1960s as they were not able to produce color images.
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==Other uses==
[[File:TwibrightLinksTestCard.png|thumb|The test card bundled with the [[Links (web browser)|Links web browser]] since 2001]]
A lesser-known kind of test pattern is used for the calibration of [[photocopier]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1339&page=4 |title=Samsung SF531P PCSTATS Review – Printer Test Patterns |publisher=Pcstats.com |date=2007-10-15 |access-date=2010-01-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thing.net/~grist/cyano/jangva/roomecho.htm |title=Projection: Room A / Room B |publisher=Thing.net |access-date=2010-01-01}}</ref> Photocopier test patterns are physical sheets that are photocopied, with the difference in the resulting photocopy revealing any tell-tale deviations or defects in the machine's ability to copy.

There are also test patterns kits and software developed specifically for many consumer electronics. The B&K Television Analyst was developed in the 1960s for testing monochrome TV sets in the NTSC standard and was later modified for European and Australian PAL standards. Among other uses, it consisted of a flying spot scanner on which a test pattern printed on a cellulose acetate slide was shown.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cool386.com/b&k_1076/b&k1076.html | title=B&K 1076 Television Analyst }}</ref>

When [[Cathode-ray tube|CRT monitor]]s were still commonly used on [[personal computer]]s, specific test patterns were created for proper calibration of such monitors in the cases whereby multimedia images could not be shown properly on said monitors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://underground-history.co.uk/tests/index.html |title=Monitor Settings Test |publisher=Underground History |date=2003-05-16 |access-date=2022-08-09}}</ref> Some [[Video CD|VCD]] and [[DVD]] lens cleaner discs, such as the [http://www.kyowasonic.com Kyowa Sonic] lens cleaning kits from 1997–2001, also included test patterns as well.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrLBrz_7dVA&list=PLzhFkX1U-Ec3rS6goiN17_zbffA4t4Ejp |title=Lens Cleaner VCD |publisher=YouTube |date=2021-02-27 |access-date=2022-08-09}}</ref>

More recent examples include the [[THX]] Optimizer which can be accessed in the setup menu in almost every THX-certified DVD,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.whathifi.com/us/news/how-to-set-your-tv-thx-optimizer-disc |title=How to set-up your TV with the THX Optimizer disc &#124; What Hi-Fi? |publisher=Whathifi.com |date= 19 September 2009|access-date=2022-08-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avforums.com/threads/thx-optimizer.1726639/ |title=THX Optimizer. |publisher=AVForums |date= 7 January 2013|access-date=2022-08-09}}</ref> as well as well as the "HDR sRGB Graphics Test (400 nits)" and "Test Patterns" series available on [[Netflix]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/weird-things-netflix-shows_l_5d092d18e4b0e560b70a3eae |title=The 10 Weirdest Things Hiding On Netflix &#124; HuffPost Life |publisher=Huffpost.com |date= 19 June 2019|access-date=2022-08-09}}</ref> meant to test out streaming bandwidth on Internet-enabled devices,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/netflix-test-patterns.3818828/ |title=Netflix Test Patterns |website=forum.xda-developers.com|date=20 July 2018 }} {{User-generated source|date=August 2022}}</ref> especially on widescreen [[Smart TV|smart]] [[High-dynamic-range television|HDR]] TVs, [[4K resolution|4K]] and [[8K resolution|8K]] displays and also used to sync audio and video feeds, which can be affected, among other factors, by Bluetooth and Internet latency.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.avsforum.com/threads/netflix-is-offering-test-patterns-to-configure-your-hdr-display.2714953/ |title=NETFLIX is offering Test Patterns to configure your HDR display! |website=avsforum.com|date=6 August 2023 }} {{User-generated source|date=August 2022}}</ref>

Test patterns are also used to calibrate [[Closed-circuit television camera|CCTV camera]]s and monitors,<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2019-01-29 |title=A history of CCTV test charts! |url=https://cctvbuyersguide.com/2019/01/a-history-of-cctv-test-charts/ |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=CCTV Buyers Guide and News |language=en-US}}</ref> as well as [[medical imaging]] displays and equipment for [[Telehealth|telemedicine]] and [[Medical diagnosis|diagnostic]] purposes,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.medicalphotography.com.au/Article_01/08.html | title=Reflected Ultraviolet Photography - Films & processing }}</ref> such as the [[Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers|SMPTE]] RP-133 medical diagnostic imaging test pattern specification for medical and surgical displays, created around 1983<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dclunie.com/images/smpte.512.512.8.gif |title=IMAGE: SMTPE test pattern |publisher=[[Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers]] (SMPTE)  |via=David Clunie's Medical Image Format Site}}</ref>–86;<ref>{{cite web | url=https://members.smpte.org/store/product/smpte-rp-1331991-specifications-medical-diagnostic-imaging-test-pattern-television | title=SMPTE RP-133:1991 Specifications for Medical Diagnostic Imaging Test Pattern for Television Monitors &#124; SMPTE }}</ref><ref name="autogenerated1001">{{cite journal | url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7229162 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615131233/https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7229162/ | archive-date=June 15, 2018 | doi=10.5594/J02540 | title=Acceptance and Use of the SMPTE Medical Diagnostic Imaging Test Pattern for Television Monitors and Hard-Copy Recording Cameras | year=1990 | last1=Gray | first1=J. E. | last2=Lisk | first2=K. G. | last3=Anderson | first3=W. | last4=Harshbarger | first4=J. H. | last5=Schwenker | first5=R. | last6=Uzenoff | first6=R. A. | journal=SMPTE Journal | volume=99 | issue=12 | pages=1001–1007 | url-access=subscription }}</ref> as well as a later derivative called the TG18-QC test pattern created by the [[American Association of Physicists in Medicine|AAPM]] in 2001.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234134075 |doi=10.1007/s10278-013-9571-1 |via=[[ResearchGate]]|title=Breast Screen New South Wales Generally Demonstrates Good Radiologic Viewing Conditions |year=2013 |last1=Soh |first1=Baolin Pauline |last2=Lee |first2=Warwick |last3=Diffey |first3=Jennifer L. |last4=McEntee |first4=Mark F. |last5=Kench |first5=Peter L. |last6=Reed |first6=Warren M. |last7=Brennan |first7=Patrick C. |journal=Journal of Digital Imaging |volume=26 |issue=4 |pages=759–767 |pmid=23319112 |pmc=3705022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1120/jacmp.v17i4.6220 | title=Imaging acquisition display performance: An evaluation and discussion of performance metrics and procedures | year=2016 | last1=Silosky | first1=Michael S. | last2=Marsh | first2=Rebecca M. | last3=Scherzinger | first3=Ann L. | journal=Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics | volume=17 | issue=4 | pages=334–341 | pmid=27455501 | pmc=5690030 }}</ref> Test patterns to calibrate [[X-ray]] [[X-ray machine|machines]], in particular those manufactured by Leeds Test Objects in England, also exist as well.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.leedstestobjects.com/index.php/phantom/resolution-test-patterns/ | title=Resolution Test Patterns }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1590/S0100-39842009000600012 | title=Efeito da filtração adicional nas doses de radiação e na qualidade das imagens nos exames videofluoroscópicos | year=2009 | last1=Costa | first1=Milton Melciades Barbosa | last2=Nova | first2=João Luiz Leocadio da | last3=Canevaro | first3=Lucía Viviana | journal=Radiologia Brasileira | volume=42 | issue=6 | pages=379–387 | doi-access=free }}</ref>

==In numismatics==
Television has had such an impact in today's life that it has been the main motif for numerous collectors' coins and medals. One of the most recent examples is [[Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (Austria)#2005 coinage|The 50 Years of Television commemorative coin]] minted on 9 March 2005, in [[Austria]]. The obverse of the coin shows the centre portion of the [[Telefunken T05]] test card, while the reverse shows several milestones in the history of television.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-09-24 |title=Austrian Mint - Bimetal Coins |url=http://austrian-mint.at/bimetallmuenzen?l=en&muenzeSubTypeId=113&muenzeId=218 |access-date=2022-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924094412/http://austrian-mint.at/bimetallmuenzen?l=en&muenzeSubTypeId=113&muenzeId=218 |archive-date=2010-09-24 }}</ref>

==In popular culture==
The [[Philips PM5544|Philips Pattern]] and [[SMPTE color bars]] are widely recognised as one of the iconic popular culture symbols of the 1980s and 1990s in the markets where they were used. Numerous novelty and collectible items has been patterned after the famous test card, including wall clocks, bedsheets, wristwatches, and clothing. The character [[Sheldon Cooper]] on [[The Big Bang Theory]] wore tees with both patterns and a blogger identified the SMPTE shirt's use in more than a dozen episodes over the life of the series.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sheldon Coopers 'Color Bars' Shirt |url=https://www.sheldoncoopersshirts.com/2017/02/sheldon-coopers-color-bars-shirt.html |website=Sheldon Cooper's Shirts |access-date=2 December 2024}}</ref>

The [[Test Card F|BBC Test Card F]] features throughout 2006-07 TV sci-fi detective series ''[[Life on Mars (British TV series)|Life on Mars]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/lifeonmars/backstage/questions_plot.shtml|title=Life on Mars questions|work=BBC Drama|access-date=24 July 2020}}</ref><ref name="clues">{{cite news|title=Did you spot the clues?|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/content/show-features/life-on-mars/did-you-spot-the-clues/|first=Nick|last=Griffiths|publisher=[[The Radio Times]]|date=1 April 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121124741/http://www.radiotimes.com/content/show-features/life-on-mars/did-you-spot-the-clues/|archive-date=21 November 2008}}</ref>

==Test card music==
In Britain, music rather than radio sound was usually played with the test card. The music played by the BBC, and afterwards [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]], was [[library music]], which was licensed on more favourable terms for frequent use than commercially available alternatives.<ref> ''[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01061hr Into the Music Library]'', BBC Radio documentary, presenter Jonny Trunk, producer Simon Hollis, Brook Lapping Productions, April 2011</ref> Later, [[Channel 4]] used UK library LPs from publishers like [[EMI Production Music|KPM]], Joseph Weinberger and Ready Music.<ref name=doll>{{cite web|url=https://www.chandos.net/chanimages/Booklets/FBCD2000.pdf|title=Currie, Tony. 'The Girl, The Doll, The Music' (1998), essay included as the notes for ''Test Card Classics'', Chandos CD FBCD 2000}}</ref>

Until September 1955, the BBC used live playing 78 RPM commercial records as an audio background to the test cards. After that date, they switched to using recorded music on tape.<ref name=rob>[https://rssconsultancy.co.uk/articleTCM.pdf Roberts, Neville. ''A History of Test Card Music'']</ref> The following year, the BBC began to build up its own library of specially produced music for the half hour tapes – initially three tunes in similar style, followed by an identification sign (the three notes B-B-C played on [[celesta]]). [[ITV (TV channel)|ITV]] (which began its first trade transmissions in 1957) continued to use commercially available recordings until the late 1960s, when it also began to make specially produced tapes.<ref name=rob/>

For rights reasons, much of the music was recorded by light music orchestras in France and Germany, though sometimes by British musicians, or top international session players using pseudonyms, such as The Oscar Brandenburg Orchestra (an amalgamation of [[Neil Richardson (composer)|Neil Richardson]], Alan Moorhouse and [[Johnny Pearson]]) or the Stuttgart Studio Orchestra.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bJRJBHUbJE|title=Royal Daffodil - Gordon Langford - Stuttgart Studio Orchestra/Ralph Elman - CBL 024|date=25 November 2018 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref> Other composers and bandleaders commissioned for this type of work included [[Gordon Langford]], [[Ernest Tomlinson]]. [[Roger Roger]], [[Heinz Kiessling]], Werner Tautz, [[Frank Chacksfield]] and [[Syd Dale]].<ref>Lomax, Oliver: ''The Mood Modern: The story of two of the world's greatest recorded music libraries: KPM (1956-1977) and Bruton Music (1978-1980)'', Vocalion (2018)</ref>

During the 1980s, the test card was seen less and less - it was pushed out first by [[Teletext]] pages and then by extended programme hours. The same tapes were used to accompany both the test card and [[Ceefax]] on BBC channels, but some fans argue that new tapes introduced after Ceefax became the norm in 1983 were less musically interesting.<ref name=rob/>

==List of TV test cards==
[[File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F007447-0011, Nürnberg, Firma Grundig.jpg|thumb|A newly built television set undergoing image calibration using a test card at a [[Grundig]] factory in Nuremberg, West Germany (December 1959)]]
[[File:Illuminated test pattern at the Early Television Museum June 2022.jpg|thumb|A 1940s-style "bullseye" test pattern exhibited at the [[Early Television Museum]] in Hilliard, Ohio (June 2022)]]
* [[List of BBC test cards|BBC Tuning Signals and Test Cards]] [[List of BBC test cards#Test Card A|A]], [[List of BBC test cards#Test Card B|B]], [[List of BBC test cards#Test Card C|C]], [[List of BBC test cards#Test Card D|D]], [[List of BBC test cards#Test Card E (later Test Card C)|E]], [[Test Card F|F]], [[Test Card G|G]], [[Test Card H|H]], [[Test Card J|J]], [[Test Card W|W]], [[Test Card X|X]] (1934–2006, [[Mechanical television|Mechanical 30- and 240-lines]], [[Monochrome]], PAL, SDTV, HDTV, [[405-line television system|405]]- and [[625 lines|625-lines]])
* [[RCA Victor]] monochrome test pattern (with RCA logos and [[Nipper|Nipper the dog]] illustrations at corners; c. 1933/34<ref>{{cite web | url=https://framemaster.tripod.com/oldindex.html | title=The Early History of Television Through Visual Images! }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://eyesofageneration.com/rcas-first-iconoscope-cameras-the-prototype/ | title=RCA'S FIRST ICONOSCOPE CAMERAS & THE PROTOTYPE | date=11 June 2021 }}</ref>–1937,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.earlytelevision.org/rca_field_trls.html | title=RCA's Television Field Trials }}</ref> [[343-line television system|343-lines]])
* [[RCA]]/[[NBC]] monochrome test patterns #1 and #2 (1938<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tvhistory.tv/1938-July-ELECTRONICS-Test-Pattern.JPG | title=RCA / NBC test pattern #1 - Newly established 441-line system (up from the 343-lines of 1936) }}</ref>–39,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://davidsarnoff.tcnj.edu/2017/06/02/item-of-the-week-indian-head-test-card/ | title=Item of the Week: Indian-Head Test Card |website=The College of New Jersey}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tvhistory.tv/1938-RCA-Test-Pattern.jpg | title=1938 December - RCA / NBC Test Pattern #2 }}</ref> [[441-line television system|441-lines]])
* RCA [[Indian-head test pattern]] (1939, [[525 lines|525-lines]])
* [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]/[[CBS]]/[[Crosley Broadcasting Corporation|Crosley-Avco]]/[[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]]/NBC monochrome "bullseye" test patterns (c. 1939–47,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/testcard/around_world.html|title=Television Graphics Around the World|website=www.meldrum.co.uk}}</ref> 525-lines)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=252977 |title=Test pattern? - Videokarma.org TV - Video - Vintage Television & Radio Forums |publisher=Videokarma.org |date= |access-date=2022-07-24}}</ref>
* [[Electronic Industries Alliance|RMA]] 1946 resolution chart (1946, 525- and 625-lines)
* [[Marconi Company|Marconi]] Resolution Chart No. 1<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://marconiintelevision.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/84534910/Test%20Charts%20-%201962.pdf | title=Test Charts | website=marconiintelevision.pbworks.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.polyu.edu.hk/proj/gef/index.php/glossary/marconi-resolution-chart/ | title=Marconi Resolution Chart – Geospatial Education Platform | date=17 January 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.oocities.org/wenlockb/icdx/pye_factory_tv.html | title=Pye factory test broadcasts }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.izabella.tk/html/video_.html | title=Video Basics | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003100624/https://www.izabella.tk/html/video_.html | archive-date=2023-10-03}}</ref>/[[Teledyne e2v|English Electric Valve Company]] Test Chart<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1970 |title=EEV Test Chart for CCTV Cameras |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-AUSTRALIA/IDX/Archive-Electronics-Australia-IDX/IDX/70s/Electronics-Australia-1970-12-OCR-Page-0057.pdf |journal=Electronics Australia |issue=12 |page=57}}</ref> (c. 1947/c. 1970, 525- and 625-lines)
* [[:File:Tv.resolution.chart.0249.svg|ТИТ-0249]], ИТ-72<ref>{{cite web|url=https://engenegr.ru/gost-20466-75|title=ГОСТ 20466-75 - Таблица телевизионная испытательная универсальная ИТ-72. Диапозитивы. Общие технические условия|website=engenegr.ru}}</ref> and таблица 0286<ref>{{cite web|url=https://allgosts.ru/33/160/gost_28459-90|title=ГОСТ 28459-90 Таблица телевизионная испытательная универсальная 0286. Общие технические требования|website=allgosts.ru}}</ref> monochrome test cards (1949, c. 1975–78, c. 1990–92, used in [[Soviet Union]] and Russia)
* DuMont Industrial Color Television test pattern (1950, experimentally shown on KE2XDR)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.earlytelevision.org/dumont_industrial_color.html | title=DuMont Industrial Color System }}</ref>
* DFF ([[Deutscher Fernsehfunk]]) monochrome ([[:File:DFF Q1 TB.jpg|Q1/QI1]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=DDR Fernsehen Normenumstellung von OIRT auf CCIR |url=https://www.radiomuseum.org/forum/ddr_fernsehen_normenumstellung_von_oirt_auf_ccir.html |access-date=2022-12-31 |website=www.radiomuseum.org}}</ref> Test nr. 04, [[:File:DFFMonochrome.jpg|modified EBU monochrome]]) and colour ([[:File:DFFColour.jpg|modified HTV TR.0782]]) test patterns (1952–1991, SECAM, used in [[East Germany]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jeromeglick.net/img/tv/test-cards/dff-tp-elec.jpg|title=DFF Electronic Test Pattern}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jeromeglick.net/img/tv/test-cards/dff-tp-mono.jpg|title=DFF Monochrome Test Pattern}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jeromeglick.net/img/tv/test-cards/dff-tp-color.jpg|title=DFF Color Test Pattern}}</ref>
* Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française "[[Marly Horses]]" test card (1953, [[819 line|819-lines]])
* ТИТ-0154 colour test card (1954, abandoned prototype Soviet Union NIIR/SECAM IV system)
* [[Independent Television Authority|ITA]]/[[General Post Office|GPO]]/[[Belling & Lee]] [[Call signs in the United Kingdom#Call sign assignments for amateur radio|G9AED]] Pilot Test Transmission test cards (1955–56, 405-lines)<ref name="auto2"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://transdiffusion.org/2015/09/22/i-found-my-thrill-on-beulah-hill/ | title=I found my thrill on Beulah Hill }}</ref>
* [[Associated-Rediffusion]]–Marconi "diamond" monochrome test card versions 1, 2 and 3<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.transdiffusion.org/2015/11/30/forward-march|title=Forward March|first=Kif|last=Bowden-Smith |website=Transdiffusion}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ambisonic.net/arundercover.html |title=UK Broadcasting History|website=www.ambisonic.net}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Glick |first=Jerome |title=Television & Video - Test Cards & Signals |url=http://www.jeromeglick.net/tv/test-cards.html}}</ref> (1955–1958, 625-lines; Version 1 also used by [[Rediffusion Television|RTV]] in [[British Hong Kong]], [[Television Malta|TVM]] in [[Crown Colony of Malta]] and [[Nigerian Television Authority|WNTV]] in the western part of [[Colonial Nigeria]]<ref>{{Cite book |title=Test Charts |publisher=Marconi |year=1960 |page=60 |url=http://marconiintelevision.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/84534898/Test%20Charts%20-%201960.pdf}}</ref>)
* [[EIA 1956 resolution chart]] (1956, 525- and 625-lines)
* [[Checkerboard|Chequerboard]] optical<ref>{{Cite web |title=broadcast, television, test pattern, Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (Northwest German Broadcasting, NWDR), circa 1952 Stock Photo - Alamy |url=https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-broadcast-television-test-pattern-nordwestdeutscher-rundfunk-northwest-24440833.html |access-date=2022-12-31 |website=www.alamy.com |language=en}}</ref> and electronic "[[tea towel]]"<ref>{{cite web | url=https://radio-tv-nederland.nl/historie/testbeeld/testbeeld.html | title=Testbeelden van de Nederlandse Televisie }}</ref> test cards (1950s/60s, monochrome, 625-lines, used in varying forms in [[West Germany]], Italy, Netherlands, Soviet Union, Portugal and Spain)
* [[Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers|SMPTE]] optical monochrome test card (1950s?, 525-lines; 1962–1964,<ref>{{cite web|title=BBC Tuning Signals |url=http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/testcard/bbc_tune.html |date=29 March 2000 |publisher=Meldrum |access-date=14 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223154155/http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/testcard/bbc_tune.html |archive-date=23 February 2009 }}</ref> 625-lines)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stillslibrary.rte.ie/indexplus/image/2413/044.html|title=Photographic Archive|date=July 5, 2012|website=RTÉ Archives}}</ref>
* [[Philips]] [[:File:NTV7 Testpattern.png|PM 5522]], 5534,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14q5RilUvO0|title=Philips PM 5534 Pal colour pattern generator.|date=6 April 2020 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/tim_anderson/16836245641/|title=Sweden|date=March 16, 2015|via=Flickr}}</ref> PM 5538, [[Philips PM5540|PM 5540]],<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |title=Philips TV-Measuring Equipment, 1980 |url=https://tubedata.altanatubes.com.br/other/sos/Philips_TV-MeasuringEquipment_1980.pdf}}</ref> PM 5543, [[Philips PM5544|PM 5544]], PM 5552,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jeromeglick.net/img/tv/test-cards/philips/pm5552.jpg|title=Philips PM5552 Test Pattern}}</ref><ref name="auto1"/> PM 5634, [[PM5644|PM 5644]] (1960s, 525- and 625-lines, PAL, [[PALplus]], SECAM, NTSC), see [[Philips circle pattern]]
* [[Telefunken T05|Telefunken T 05]] (early-1960s, 625-lines)
* [[:File:EBU B&W Test Card.JPG|EBU electronic monochrome test pattern]] (1960s?, 625-lines)
* CBS/NBC color "bullseye" test patterns (c. 1964/65–early-1990s, NTSC)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=252977&page=4 |title=Test pattern? - Page 4 - Videokarma.org TV - Video - Vintage Television & Radio Forums |publisher=Videokarma.org |date=2021-11-17 |access-date=2022-07-24}}</ref>
* [[Telefunken FuBK]] (late-1960s, PAL)
* [[UEIT - Universal Electronic Test Chart]] (1970, SECAM)
* HTV TR.0782 test card (1970s, SECAM, used in Hungary, Poland, East Germany and Romania)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ing-sat.what.hu/hun-monoszkop.htm|title=Hungarian ETC's|website=ing-sat.what.hu}}</ref>
* EZO test card (1971, PAL, used in [[Czechoslovakia]] and [[Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic|Estonian SSR]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ing-sat.hu/tv-dx-amateurs/podani.htm | title=Podani György }}</ref>)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/tim_anderson/16451478929/|title=Czechoslovakia|date=August 11, 2012|via=Flickr}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8-2h4UQYXk|title=CST EZO TEST PATTERN|date=8 March 2009 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>
* [[Bulgarian National Television|BNT]] electronic test card (1972, SECAM, used in Bulgaria)
* [[TVE test card|TVE colour test card]] (1975, PAL)
* [[SMPTE color bars]] (1977, NTSC, HDTV, SDTV)
* [[EBU colour bars]]
* [[ETP-1|Electronic Test Pattern 1]] (1979, PAL)
* [[Grundig]] VG 1001 (1980, PAL)
* [[:File:Toolcraft-Goodwood.jpg|Toolcraft-Goodwood colour test card]] (c. 1980s–2000s?, PAL, used on various Australian commercial TV stations)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-j1LOdiUuY | title=MTN9 Griffith sign-off 1986 | website=[[YouTube]] | date=23 March 2009 }}</ref>
* [[Korean Central Television#Test card|KCTV]] colour test cards (1970s?, mid-1990s, 2017, SECAM then PAL, used in [[North Korea]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/138429075@N08/23825585754/|title=KCTV screencap|date=January 17, 2016|via=Flickr}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB3LY0y-Row|title=DPRK TV - Test Card|date=18 March 2010 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>
* [[Snell & Wilcox Zone Plate|Snell & Wilcox SW2]] (1990s, TPG20/21 Test Pattern Generators) and [[Snell & Wilcox Zone Plate|SW4 "Zone Plate"]] (2000s, NTSC, PAL, SDTV)<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://wwwapps.grassvalley.com/docs/Manuals/sam/conversion_restoration/Supervisor_Operation.pdf |title=SuperVisor Multi-Standard Display Processor Manual |publisher=Snell & Wilcox |year=2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Snell & Wilcox Test Chart #2 What is it? |url=https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/26361361/the-snell-wilcox-test-chart-2-what-is-it-the-snell-wilcox-2-is-}}</ref>
* [[:File:Chinese HDTV test card.png|GY/T 254-2011 test card]] (2011, HDTV, [[Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast|DTMB]], used in Mainland China)<ref>{{cite web |date= |title=GY/T 254-2011 高清晰度电视测试图-标准网 |url=https://www.cstandard.com/guangbodianyingdianshixingyebiaozhun/24932.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925081722/https://www.cstandard.com/guangbodianyingdianshixingyebiaozhun/24932.html |archive-date=2022-09-25 |access-date=2022-08-09 |publisher=Cstandard.com}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Television}}
* [[Blue only mode]]
* [[China Girl (filmmaking)]]
* [[Color chart|Colour chart]]
* [[List of BBC test cards]]
* [[Test Card F]]
* [[Webdriver Torso]], [[YouTube]] account used for automated performance testing

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Television test patterns}}
* [http://www.testcardcircle.org.uk The Test Card Circle], a UK fan site: details of the UK's Trade Test Transmissions including the history of the BBC and ITA Test Cards, a look at the music used and full details about the Trade Test Colour Films shown from the late fifties to 1973.
* [http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/testcard/ The Test Card Gallery]
* [https://nostalgia-tv.fi/tv-ajankuvat/tayteohjelmat/testikuva/ Nostalgia-TV: Television testikuva] – test cards in Finland, in Finnish language only

{{Standard test item}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Test cards| ]]
[[Category:Broadcast engineering]]