Test Card W
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Test Card W is a test card, an image used to determine the quality of a broadcast television picture. It is an updated widescreen version of Test Card F, which was created by BBC engineer George Hersee. Test Card W is based on the newer Test Card J. It first appeared along with J in November 1999.
The colour-bars on the top and right of the image are the full 100 percent saturation version, unlike Test Cards F and J which use the 95 percent type. Extra mirrored arrow-heads on the central axis at the sides mark the positions of the middle 4:3 and 14:9 sections of the image.
Today the test card is rarely broadcast. This is due to the onset of 24 hour television. The last known occasion that this card was broadcast on British screens was Friday 9 January 2004, when early morning tests were carried out on BBC One and BBC Two. BBC Two still regularly closes for one hour each weekday morning between 4.00 and 6.00 and during Educational Holidays, but pages from Ceefax rather than test cards are broadcast on these occasions.
