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Early BBC Colour Tests
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This collection of images comes from early
experiments by the BBC in Colour Television from 1959 and
was featured in the BBC promotional film "This is
the BBC" My understanding is that these were made using the NTSC standard. |
| These colour bars were actually on a card placed in front of the camera. The card was removed to reveal the card above. |  |
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| . The experimental gallery in use, spot the fake images! Although this film is fairly realistic, much of what you see was put on for the benefit of the publicity camera. |
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A Close-Up of those complicated controls! |
| A behind the scenes view of the artist having her costume adjusted, with the cameramen visible. |  |
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A closer view of one of the early colour cameras.
Dicky Howett writes: The cameras are Marconi BD848 models, with three 3" image orthicon tubes supplying the picture. The camera was based on the RCA TK41 design. The camera itself was pretty unwieldy and ran hot. Colours shifted constantly. Marconi had not many customers for the camera with the exception of the BBC (1956), and medical supplier Smith Kline and French who loaned an ob van with two cameras for relaying operations. The van also went to an Eistedford and was run by ITV company TWW as a demonstrator. Subsequent upgrades of the camera were used by Intertel for simultaneous shooting of ITV shows for resale (in colour) to the USA. One such camera has now been revived and is in the collection of the Bradford-based museum of Photography, Film and Television. |
| To end, we give you an early colour tuning signal featuring Sylvia Peters. |  |
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Last Updated 29 Mar 2000
