MOCK/SPOOF - Antarctica Testcard G (Philips PM5544) - 1980s

Here is a clip of Antarctica's version of the Philips PM5544 testcard/test pattern, also known by the BBC and IBA as Testcard G.

This testcard would have been used by Antarctica between 1985 and the introduction of 24-hour TV in 1988. Thus, this clip would be from that timeframe.

This clip is almost 10 minutes long, and features three pieces of 1980s library/testcard music:

1.-Ronnie Laws - Heavy On Easy
2.-Unknown - American Girls
3.-Max Reisch - Non-Stop. An electronic re-arrangement from the late 1970s/early 1980s of the famous ITN theme tune of the Fifties and Sixties.

OK, to some it may be the most boring clip I've uploaded to date, and a fair few people will want to skip it, but I decided to make this because I thought a few testcard videos would be good for a mock TV station related YouTube channel (such as mine!). Besides, there are a fair few testcard videos on YouTube already!

I also have some testcard footage in my VHS collection, but it is all very recent which I recorded on purpose! I have no vintage testcard footage in my VHS collection! :-(

These tunes (and others) are available at the Meldrum Private Parts website, which is at http://pp.meldrum.co.uk . You have to register to enter in it.

The Private Parts' parent website, the Meldrum Home Page, is at http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Mock
• Spoof
• Hoax
• Antarctica
• Television
• TV
• Testcard
• Test
• Card
• Pattern
• G
• Philips
• PM5544
• Carta
• de
• Ajuste
• Mire

[networksoutheast]

was antartica tv actually real or was it one u made up?

[AntarcticaTelevision]

Made up!!!!!

[palaciego]

¿Sigue activa la web de meldrum? Yo hace mucho tiempo que no entro, me encantaba verla, pero siempre la veía bastante desactualizada.

[AntarcticaTelevision]

Sigue activa, pero sigue desactualizada.

[AntarcticaTelevision]

He añadido la dirección de la web de Meldrum a la descripción.

[plan7a]

Especially worth it for the music.  Rich. Where did you find these sounds? I can imagine 4Tel or Pages from Ceefax going on during this or the music being used during a "Technical Fault" station caption. The test card is too clean though - there needed to be some strobing vua the closer packed lines IMO.

[AntarcticaTelevision]

The testcard was ever "cleaner" before I uploaded it!

[JFredUK]

American Girls is by Paul Hart. That and Heavy on Easy were used by Channel 4 in the early to mid 80's on their test card.

[alisoneales]

The music which starts at 7.08 is the default music on the inside of my head.

[stogerovn]

The music is great!!!!!

[benkid77]

Nice! You should also do some rockall testcards.

[racrmimbpsvc]

You might mean Oracle, not Ceefax.

[dacrlit]

It never is, is it?

Sorry, no need for sarcasm.

[TommyWylie]

This particular version of Non Stop was used on BBC Ceefax in the late 1980s as a linking track to cover the gap while they changed the one-hour reels of tape. Does anyone know if this particular version is on a CD?

[WarHater69]

oooh thats a go0t wun. big travel TV yes.

[g7mzh]

It's called "Non-stop" by John Malcolm.

It was used as the ITN theme for many years (though not in that arrangement!). The "usual" version is available on verious compilation CDs.