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The TCD Resource |
This page contains Test Card Definition files for use with FML Test Card Maker. The images shown are thumbnails created initially using TCM v3.20 or later, then converted to JPG format using MS Photo Editor or the new "save as JPG" feature on TCM v5.00 .
Where a test card requires any image files to be included, these are bundled with the TCD file into a ZIP (note that you must extract the files from the ZIP before using them, or the image file will not be found by the program). Click on the image to download the TCD or ZIP file. (If this brings up a page of text, then come 'Back' to here, right-click the image instead, and choose 'Save Target As', or alternatively, when the page of text comes up, click 'File' and then 'Save As' or your browser's equivalent thereof.)
Due to the size of the TCD Resource, it is now split into five separate pages:
| BBC | |
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Re-creation of Test Card 'A'.
Apparently Test Card 'A' has a 4:3 aspect ratio, even
though the BBC broadcast in 5:4 until around 1948, and
even though changing the aspect ratio of the card would
make the border castellations perfectly square! Added 30/08/2004 |
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Reconstruction of Test Card B based on the only surviving photo (which only shows the upper-right half of it!) Note that the aspect ratio is 5:4. This might be wrong; even though the BBC broadcast in 5:4 until around 1948, the earlier Test Card A had a 4:3 ratio. |
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Re-creation of a version of Test
Card C with 5:4 aspect ratio. Both the BBC and ITA (later
IBA) used test cards C, D and F. | Based on info & pic here Added 10/01/2004 | Info link & image text corrected 17/01/2004 |
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Re-creation of Test Card E, which
was only shown for about 10 minutes in 1964 :-) although
other countries used it for longer, for example the
Republic of Ireland (with a Placard Condensed-ish "TELEFIS
EIREANN") and Portugal (with a simple Cooper Bold
"R T P"). |
Two more accurate histories [1] [2] Added 10/11/2002 | Info updated 08/06/2004 |
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Perhaps the most famous test card
in the world - Test Card F. This version is based on the
slide which you can see here. The
thin line around the greyscale conforms to the appearance
of TCF on that page. Added 30/08/2004 -- Submitted by Andrew Carter |
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A pattern used by the BBC during
a rebroadcast test in 1997, and also used by Turkish
station Show Radyo. | The
misalignment of the colourbars and colour blocks is
deliberate - look at this (about 2/3 of the way down the linked page) Added 23/02/2002 / Updated 09/02/2003 -- Submitted by Kirk Northrop |
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Re-creation of Test Card J. | Requires V4.00+ Added 10/11/2002 |
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The BBC Schools Pie Chart, shown
between schools programmes in the 1960s and early '70s. Added 18/07/2005 |
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BBC/ITCA Test Card No.60 (ITCA
being the Independent Television Companies Association).
I suspect this was only used for internal line-up and
never broadcast. Added 18/07/2005 |
| IBA/ITA/etc | |
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Re-creation of the ITA's Pilot
Test Transmission. Neat use of transparent bitmap to
create the wavy line effect. | Requires V5.10+ Added 19/03/2005 -- Submitted by Andrew Carter |
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Re-creation of an early ITA
Tuning Signal, used until 1959, when it was replaced by
the "Picasso" shown below. Added 01/09/2003 |
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A version of the "Picasso"
Tuning Signal used by the ITA in the 1960s. (This uses the Playbill and
Placard Condensed fonts - ideally it would use Venus in
place of Placard) Added 12/01/2003 (Whoops, the link didn't work - corrected 26/04/2003) |
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A neat re-creation of one of
Associated-Rediffusion's "diamond" cards used
in the 1950s and 1960s. (On the original, the blank grey sloping
boxes contained the words "ASSOCIATED REDIFFUSION
MONDAY-FRIDAY" - see this) | Requires V5.10+ Added 22/05/2004 -- Submitted by Andrew Carter |
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We missed out test card D in the
BBC section, so here is an ITA version instead. Added 19/03/2005 -- Submitted by Andrew Carter |
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What the Lightspots object was
created for! - The ITV Lightspots interval, as shown
between schools programmes in the early to mid 1970s. Added 18/07/2005 |
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Re-creation of the IBA's
Electronic Test Pattern 1 (Channel 4 version shown here).
| Requires V5.10+ for transparent bitmap drawing -
otherwise amend the bitmaps to have the right shade of
blue background Added 07/06/2003 | Updated 30/08/2004 - ZIP file now also includes captions for 'IBA:S4C' without lines and plain 'IBA' |
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Re-creation of the prototype
version of ETP1. Basically the same, but with only five
frequency gratings instead of six, using a different set
of frequencies (0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5 MHz). The final
version uses the same frequencies as Test Card F. For
those who don't remember it, the "IBA" caption
really was as chunky and jagged as the one included here.
| Requires V5.10+ for transparent bitmap drawing (as
per ETP1 above) Added 30/08/2004 -- Submitted by Billy Hicks |
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Probably never seen on UK TV
screens, but this has been used internally by the IBA
according to a picture I saw on some website or other (this
will be a link when I can find the site.) | Requires V4.10+ Added 10/01/2004 |
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A fancier version featuring 16-9
compatibility and also featuring the Sweep object (new
for version 5.00). | Requires V5.00+ Added 10/01/2004 |