Favorite Reruns

[crookedtune]

I caught a bit of this show last night. Didn’t know it was still around. There was a time when I’d watch it for hours on end.
(Of course, it was a very different world back then)…

[Innocent_Bystander]

Yer right there, Crookedtune!

There’s a UK series called “Life on Mars” where the hero finds himself back in the 1970s. From time to time when the test card is on the TV, the little Girl climbs out of it and starts talking to him, which is a very disturbing image.
This is the one: (actually it’s a later one, but it’s the same wee girl)

We had to explain to the children what a “testcard” was.

[fancypiper]

I used to watch that, waiting for the Pinkie Lee show to come on.

[Flyingcursor]

Who invented those test cards anyway? What was the purpose of the design?

Edit; I found it on Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_card

Very interesting history. Apparently the BBC had quite a time with the whole thing.

[crookedtune]

Yeah, interesting! Apparently, the one I included was called an “Indian Head Test Card”. Interesting that it is basically a target with a native American’s head added. I doubt if the creator meant anything by that, and of course we were all so culturally conditioned that nothing seemed amiss.

I mentioned what a different world that was. I hope it’s so.

[Flyingcursor]

@crookedtune

Yeah, interesting! Apparently, the one I included was called an “Indian Head Test Card”. Interesting that it is basically a target with a native American’s head added. I doubt if the creator meant anything by that, and of course we were all so culturally conditioned that nothing seemed amiss.

I mentioned what a different world that was. I hope it’s so.

Unfortunately I doubt it. Just a different set of hatreds.

[fel_bautista]

I read that the test card was used as part of a station sign off procedure. Does any station now sign off in any of the major markets??

[fearfaoin]

@Flyingcursor

Who invented those test cards anyway? What was the purpose of the design?

The use still eludes me. I guess if you wanted to adjust your set, you had to stay up until sign-off…

@fel bautista

I read that the test card was used as part of a station sign off procedure. Does any station now sign off in any of the major markets??

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign-off

@wikipedia

These days, sign-offs are increasingly rare in developed countries, as many now feature 24-hour networks that air content at all hours of the day and night. However, they still occur at some television stations (mostly low power and UHF stations) in the United States during the weekend or routine transmitter maintenance which requires a sign-off (for HDTV as of late, for instance), and more often in Canada.