TVE test card
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The TVE colour test card (Spanish: Carta de ajuste[1][2] en color de TVE) was an electronic analogue TV test card adopted by Televisión Española with the introduction of PAL colour broadcasts[3] in 1975.[4][5] It is notable for its unique design, created by the Danish engineer Finn Hendil [da] (1939–2011)[6] in 1973,[7] under the supervision of Erik Helmer Nielsen at the Philips TV & Test Equipment laboratory in Amager, south of Copenhagen,[8][9] the same team that developed the popular Philips PM5544 test pattern.[10] It replaced a previous black and white version developed by Eduardo Gavilán.[6]
The test card was considered to be part of the regular TV schedule, figuring among daily program listings published in newspapers and magazines.[1][11] It was said to be the most viewed program in some days due to people watching the test card while waiting for broadcasts to start in the afternoon.[4][12][13] It was also relevant in the context of general work strikes, where the test card was sometimes broadcast in place of regular programming, marking it a visible sign of the strike's success.[14][15]
It was used on several TVE channels, like TVE 1,[16] TVE 2,[17][18] Canal Clásico,[19] Teledeporte[20] or TVE Internacional.[21]
With the start of continuous 24-hour broadcasting on TVE's channels, the test card was phased out. It stopped being broadcast on La Primera in 1996 and on La 2 in the early morning hours of 6 January 2001,[22] although it continued to be broadcast sporadically on Teledeporte and TVE Internacional until 2005.[9]