TheTelefunken FuBK[1] (from the GermanFunkbetriebskommission for "Television Service Commission") is an electronic analogue televisiontest card developed byAEG-Telefunken andBoschFernseh inWest Germany as the successor to the monochromeT05 test card in the late-1960s[2] and used with analogue625-linesPAL broadcasts.
Not as popular as thePhilips PM5544, nevertheless it saw widespread use inWest Germany (and laterreunifiedGermany) and some other European, Asian, South American and African countries, and by a few commercial TV stations inAustralia.[3][4]
The test card was generated electronically by severalvideo-signal generators,[5][6] including two variations of thePhilipsPM5644 generator (PM5644G/50 {PAL B/G} andPM5644G/70 {YCbCr}[7]) and theRohde & SchwarzSGPF-B3[8] (theGrundigVG 1001 test signal generator has a different pattern design, but is sometimes indicated as "FuBk" because it features similar test elements[9]). It has also been used in conjunction withdigital broadcasts[10] by means of thePT5300 from ProTeleVision/DK Technologies.[11]
Some elements present on the FuBK test card are:[12][4]
Cross hatch - makes up the background of the table, with 19x15 white lines over a dark gray (25%luminance) background, allowing adjustment ofCRT convergence and focus;
Circle- provide a way to correct vertical and horizontalraster scan geometrical distortions;
Black section- check for reflections, transient response and group delay
±V/ +U ramp - two lines that allow checking PAL decoder linearity withUV signals
+V/ ±U anti PAL - twoachromatic fields to test the PAL decoder delay line
On PAL broadcasts, with a maximum displayablevideo bandwidth of around 5 MHz, individual lines should just be visible in all Multiburst gratings. In other situations, like aVHS recording with reducedbandwidth, they become more and more indistinct, merging into a grey area.
The two specialachromatic fields should be displayed as grey if PAL decoding is functioning correctly. If not, colour will be seen on these areas,[4] as shown in the off-air screen capture of ARDDas Erste test card, visible on the "Usage Gallery" at the end of this article.
A variation (used byDoordarshan[13] in India, byPTT-NL/Nozema/NOS[14] in the Netherlands,TVR in Romania,YLE[15][16] in Finland,Sky One in the United Kingdom and in West Germany[17][18]) simply omitted the centre circle. This variation is also anecdotally called "Simplified FuBK".
Another variation adds a second set of colour bars (replacing the ±V/ +U Ramp and +V/ ±U Anti PAL sections) and flips the middle downward triangle. This was used byIRIB in Iran.
Another modification, again omitting the circle but including a grid cross in the middle and slightly different resolution gratings, was known to be used on some TV transmitters in Belgium and the Netherlands.[27]
Amonochrome variant, omitting the centre circle and replacing the colour bars with a black box showing the transmitter name and channel, as well as an on-screenline gauge replacing the ±V/ +U Ramp and +V/ ±U Anti PAL sections near the bottom, was used on someDBP-operated TV transmitters in West Germany in the 1970s.[28][29][30]
While not exactly a variant, theGrundig VG 1001 pattern features many of the FuBK test elements, like the colour and grey bars, PAL check area and gratings. This allows it to be used to perform the same adjustments.[9] This pattern was used by a few channels likeBRT (Flemish Community ofBelgium),[31]SDR (southwest Germany),[32]Polsat (Poland),[33]MVQ-6 (Mackay Region,QLD,Australia),[34] at theheadends of many Finnishcable TV providers,[35] on experimental satellite test transmissions involving theOrbital Test Satellite in the early-1980s,[36] as well as on point-to-point cable and satellite feeds in the UK,[37] France, Austria, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium.[38] A heavily modified version of the VG 1001 pattern was used forSECAM transmissions byBulgarian National Television (BNT)[39] duringPeople's Republic of Bulgaria era and also later in PAL byNOVA from its launch in 1994.
In the 1990s, a FuBK variant in the16:9 aspect ratio format was developed for thePALplus and(HD-)MAC standards and was used by some channels such asARD.[40][41] Crosshatch was changed to a 25x15 grid, and geometric markings for the central4:3safe area were included, with the other details being generally the same as on the original version. This pattern could be generated by the Grundig VG 1100 video generator, introduced around 1995[42][43] as well as the PM5644/86[44] and the digital PT5300 from DK Technologies (with an optional hardware upgrade).[45]
Recreation of the FuBK test card, omitting anti-PAL lines.
Recreation of the FuBK square variant omitting the centre circle. ("Simplified FuBK")
Recreation of the modified FuBK test card used by IRIB.
Recreation of the FuBK test card variation that adds border castellations and changes the middle downward triangle to a simple vertical bar.
Recreation of the Telefunken FuBK test card square variation omitting the circle, including a grid cross in the middle, and with slightly different gratings.
Recreation of the FuBK monochrome variant, omitting the centre circle and replacing the colour bars with a black box showing the transmitter name and channel, as well as an on-screen line gauge replacing the ±V/ +U Ramp and +V/ ±U Anti PAL sections near the bottom.
Recreation of the Grundig VG 1001 pattern, featuring similar elements to FuBK. (Polsat's version sometimes omitted the circle)[46][47]
Recreation of the heavily modified Grundig VG 1001 variant used in Bulgaria.
Recreation of the 16:9 / PALplus variation of the FuBK test pattern, same as the one generated from a Grundig VG 1100.
Widescreen FuBK pattern with anti-PAL and clock cut-outs. Generated by a DK-Technologies PT5300.
The Telefunken FuBK test card is featured in the 2016 Finnish indie video gameMy Summer Car, which the player's television sets in his house and in the in-game town's jail would show during the in-game overnight broadcast break. This was done to mimic the Finnish public broadcaster YLE's test card, which was used from the 1970s until the 2000s.[96]
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![Off-air screen capture of ARD Das Erste test card broadcast by WDR from the Sender Nordhelle [de] transmitter in the 1980s.](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSender_Nordhelle_Kanal_30.jpg)
