The Test Card Gallery
The BBC and ITV have over the years used a number of tuning signals,
test cards and captions either for engineering purposes, or just to fill time in the days
before breakfast and daytime TV. This page shows some of them, and some of the captions
used in days past.
Click on an image on the left to see a different section of the gallery.
An introduction of sorts, to early television,
and how test cards began.
Used from the beginning of the BBC until the
early seventies, the tuning signal was primarily for viewers to warm up
their television sets and adjust the numerous controls until they could
see an acceptable picture. The images and patterns were for use by "lay-people"
and were not designed to test equipment in any scientific way.
The Test Cards were for testing of equipment
throughout the full chain of transmission. Many of the cards were produced
for specific purposes, e.g. testing camera response, receivers.
This section contains the famous Test Cards "A" to "J"
and "W"
From 1955 the ITA, and its successor
the IBA used numerous test cards and tuning signals, some were variants
of those used by the BBC, others like the classic "Picasso" tuning
signal were entirely original.This section shows a selection of them.
The innovative satellite service was very short-lived,
merging with Sky Television in 1990. Each channel had a unique themed test
card, brought back to life here.
It is perhaps to be expected that
having given birth to Television, that British Test Card designs should
be exported all around the world. This section shows some of the variants
of the classic BBC test cards used globally, plus also some of the native
variety used in North America and Ireland.
Some Frequently Asked Questions that I have received
by email since starting these pages
A Little Bit of History BBC
Tuning Signals and Test Charts BBC Test Cards
ITA and IBA Test Cards Around
the World Test Card FAQ Test
Card Circle
The Meldrum Home Page
Last Updated 29 Mar 2000
