Why is there a head of a native American man on the early test screens?
In Pleasantville, after a few minutes, we see some ads running on an old TV screen.
At some point, the broadcast ends with a single constant frame showing some circles, lines, which I can tell is for testing the signal, but the image contains the head of a native American man.
Why is it included in the test pattern?
Best Answer
This is an homage to the real-life "Indian-head" test pattern, introduced in 1939 and widely used during the era of black-and-white television in America.
The reason the man's head was included in the test pattern was to allow the tuning of brightness and contrast settings, either by broadcast engineers to ensure broadcasts were being sent correctly, or by TV owners and repair shop technicians to ensure broadcasts were being received correctly.
I don't know why the head was specifically that of a Native American man, but the intricate detail of his headdress, incorporating multiple shades of grey, certainly makes it a striking (and useful) test image.
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When was the Indian Head test pattern used?
The card was introduced in 1939 and over the course of the black-and-white television broadcasting era was widely adopted by television stations across North America.What was the TV test pattern used for?
The TV test pattern was broadcast in the 1920s. Aesthetics were not important. It was technically drafted to allow electrical engineers a guide from which to calibrate and produce a viable image. It ultimately became a nostalgic icon of the black and white TV era.What is the please stand by screen called?
The reason the man's head was included in the test pattern was to allow the tuning of brightness and contrast settings, either by broadcast engineers to ensure broadcasts were being sent correctly, or by TV owners and repair shop technicians to ensure broadcasts were being received correctly.A Video of Teenagers and a Native American Man Went Viral. Here’s What Happened. | NYT News
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Answer 2
While many suppose that such test patterns were slides or printed stock that a television camera was aimed at. However, variations in lighting or a misadjusted camera would have service techs and home viewers adjusting their sets to a misadjusted source. Therefore, these patterns came from a monoscope tube, where the image - either the standard generic Indian pattern or a custom job with the network or station's name -- is etched on a metal plate inside the tube. An electron beam generates the image electronically, which is always the same.
So it's whimsical that Don Knotts or anyone could stand IN FRONT of the test pattern image, so he is front of a printed version in this movie. And since his head would be blocking the image of the Indian, and the Indian is what people remember from the days before 24-hour broadcasting, it was moved to a corner.
Photo of a monoscope tube without image of the Indian, which seemed to be an American thing.
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