SMPTE Color Television Test (1965)

This SMPPTE color television test film is intended to fill two separate functions. First, in the color balance of the color scenes, this film is representative of that subjective balance which will give acceptable reproduction on color television. In this regard, film laboratories can use this film as a guide to a desirable color balance of prints intended for color television transmission. Second, this film can be used for a subjective evaluation of the adjustment and overall performance of a color television film system. The color reproduction of this and the following scenes should appear normal and of acceptable balance when viewed on a correctly adjusted color monitor. The following four scenes are examples of day and night lighting. The scenes should run acceptably with very little manual gain or pedestal adjustment. A satisfactory reproduction should be obtained on color monitors and receivers without excessive drift of black level. Black and white receivers without DC restoration can give an acceptable reproduction of the night scene due to the subjective effect of the lighting contrast. The transmission system should not evidence any bounce or drift of black level in the cuts between the day and the night scenes. Wardrobe and set colors used in this kitchen scene have provided good color contrast, but relatively low brightness contrast. Reproduction on black and white monitors may appear somewhat flat. In this scene, the large area of the background should appear uniform in color. Field impurity, either in the color camera or in the color monitor, may show up as a lack of uniformity of color in the background. The aim for this scene should be for an acceptable subjective color balance of the model's face and surrounding areas of the set and not necessarily for perfect tracking of the three-step grayscale.