Today's Michael Berry Show is sponsored by the TV Test Pattern.

You know, kids today have no idea what we endured at their age.

My kids were dumbfounded when I told them that

television programming wasn't always 24-7. No television programming would end

for the day, usually around 1.30 in the morning. That's when the TV test

pattern came on until the next day of business. But the test pattern wasn't just

a placeholder until the new day started. No, it served a purpose for both the television station and the viewer.

Test cards usually contain a set of patterns to enable television cameras and receivers to be

adjusted to show the picture correctly.

For example, they have gradings for resolution testing,

grids to assist with picture geometry adjustments, and gray scale

for brightness and contrast adjustments.

Rather than physical test cards, which had to be televised using a camera,

television stations often used a special purpose camera tube.

This tube had the test pattern painted on the inside

screen. Each tube was only capable of generating one test image, hence it was called

Monoscope. Most recent test cards include a set of calibrated color bars

that will produce a characteristic pattern of dot landings on a vector scope

allowing chroma intent to be precisely adjusted between generations of videotape or network feeds.

You know, when we were growing up, you knew you were up late as a kid when you were watching TV

and a picture of an American flag would come on and the National

Anthem would be played. But not all stations played the anthem, no sir, some of them played

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