OU test signals
#1

Hopefully this is in the right bit. Back in the 80s, before the early morning Open university programmes on BBC2, and occasionally BBC1, there would be a black screen, with tone, and an "OU" lettering in either the top left or top right corner. In the example below, it's in both top corners!

BBC2 Open University Start-Up - 20th March 1988 - YouTube

I know there's some technical reason for there being a separate OU test signal, but can anyone elaborate on why?
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#2

There's a bit about that here:

cleanfeed.thetvroom.com 
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#3

Many thanks for that clean feed. Going on from that, in early 1997, BBC2 started introducing OU programmes with a normal BBC2 ident, followed by an OU frontcap on the programme, instead of a special BBC2 OU ident. Could it be that the BBC took out the separate transmission facility for OU programmes at this time, maybe as a cost cutting measure?
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#4

I think the OU Con was the cost cutting measure!

Retired BBC Announcer Reg Sanders tweeted the instruction manual for it a while ago, he might be able to give chapter and verse if somebody were to tweet him about it.

twitter.com 

Of interest - TCF originating from OU Con, and the point about standing down the second standby announcer when in place, which negates the comment in the Clean Feed article about what happens if the announcer sleeps in!
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#5

(29-11-2022, 09:11 PM)Clean Feed Wrote:  There's a bit about that here:

cleanfeed.thetvroom.com 

The streaking signal referred to in the article above was a test signal used to view and adjust ‘afterglow’ on a crt based telecine or slide machine. TCF was originated on such a machine (a Rank Cintel flying spot ‘jobby’ with a ‘sprod’ slide changing mechanism. It was not a test signal used to evaluate and adjust tv circuits. 

I wonder if the slide scanner was being checked and adjusted for afterglow correction infrequently at the time and was simply left to circuit whilst tweaking - instead of TCF. No matter.
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#6

(30-11-2022, 12:20 PM)Bluecortina Wrote:  
(29-11-2022, 09:11 PM)Clean Feed Wrote:  There's a bit about that here:

cleanfeed.thetvroom.com 

The streaking signal referred to in the article above was a test signal used to view and adjust ‘afterglow’ on a crt based telecine or slide machine. TCF was originated on such a machine (a Rank Cintel flying spot ‘jobby’ with a ‘sprod’ slide changing mechanism. It was not a test signal used to evaluate and adjust tv circuits. 

I wonder if the slide scanner was being checked and adjusted for afterglow correction infrequently at the time and was simply left to circuit whilst tweaking - instead of TCF. No matter.
I'm almost certain the short recording of the streak test has test card music playing in the background, so it's possible it was put to air accidentally.
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