Is It just me who finds Testcards eerie?

I've been looking for that old Granada TV Rentals ad for a while now, where the girl and the clown age using a morphing technique.

I'm sure that would have unsettled some people!

They are a bit eerie, especially when they ae appearign out of the fuzzy static from some far off location. Never had a problem with the testcard girl, but the test-film style woman and similar are very eerie indeed.

Think that's what has made them 'cult' viewing... the mystery and slight eerieness
behind them. In terms of testing stuff a 'card' doesn't really serve any purpose these days.. with digital there's less to set up and the image needs to move.

There is always this sort of thing though:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zwCwyjucoFk

The thing i awalys used to see in TCF, was just one man, sat at a desk watching it during the night and ocassionaly playing tone over it. But i was so interested in it i wanted to keep looking at it and thought ' i want to do that job'

I was only three at the time so i didn't realise it was all played via tape. But hey! Childhood memories... ... ...

Just the thought of it now still makes me feel a bit strange - 10 years later

I sometimes see a phillips test card on 'The Family Channel' Challenge. It only shows it for about half a second without a tone but they show it quite often. Yes I find test cards eerie in a way I find milk floats eerie - they are mysterious and unless you get up early in the morning you never see them (unless your looking at a photo).

I was using a JPEG of TCW on a plasma I was setting up at work. One of the secretaries walked past and commented about the "scary clown"

I've found it people. This is what freaks me out, in the days of old analogue Sky you would always channel hop past (something very very close to this).


http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=wVHcOg2NwHk&mode=related&search=

Also, who finds GLITS Freaky? Especially when it's played at the early hours of the morning

And What is Glits?

Graham's Line (or is it Leg?) Identification Tone (or is it test?) Sequence.

It is a stereo tone test signal with different breaks in the left and right legts that allows you to identify the left and right legs correctly, as well as 180 degree phase errors (which cause real problems for mono listeners!).

I believe the sound supervisor who originally devised it was called Graham...

Graham's Line Identification Test Sequence

Good, a chance to get an answer to this query finally . What if any, is the significance of the letter below the picture of the clown and the girl.

The test cards are designated by letters, eg Test Card F, G, J, W, X etc.