George Hersee
Encyclopedia
George Hersee was a BBC
engineer, who is most famous for his development of Test Card F
. This design came about after Hersee was asked to intervene by the committee charged with the creation of technical standards for the new colour TV services.
Hersee was born in Sussex
, England. He was educated at Chichester
Boys School and attended the University of Southampton
, where he studied electrical engineering. In 1949, he joined the BBC
's Planning & Installation Department, which equipped the BBC studios. By the late 1950s, he was specialising in lens and test card transparency specifications and became one of the leaders in this new field.
The BBC had first begun to use television test card
s in the 1930s, and by the mid 1960s it was realised that a new colour card was required, with particular attention being paid to the accuracy of skin tones. Hersee's now-iconic Test Card F
from 1967 features a photograph of Carole
, his eldest daughter, to meet that requirement.
Hersee published a monograph in 1967 entitled "A Survey on the Development of TV Test Cards in Use at the BBC," http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/archive/pdffiles/monographs/bbc_monograph_69.pdf but left the BBC in 1979 to work for a private engineering company.
He died at age 76, and was survived by his wife and two daughters, Carole
and Gillan.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
engineer, who is most famous for his development of Test Card F
Test Card F
Test Card F is a test card that was created by the BBC and used on television in the United Kingdom and in countries elsewhere in the world for more than four decades...
. This design came about after Hersee was asked to intervene by the committee charged with the creation of technical standards for the new colour TV services.
Hersee was born in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, England. He was educated at Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
Boys School and attended the University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
, where he studied electrical engineering. In 1949, he joined the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Planning & Installation Department, which equipped the BBC studios. By the late 1950s, he was specialising in lens and test card transparency specifications and became one of the leaders in this new field.
The BBC had first begun to use television test card
Test card
A test card, also known as a test pattern in North America and Australia, is a television test signal, typically broadcast at times when the transmitter is active but no program is being broadcast...
s in the 1930s, and by the mid 1960s it was realised that a new colour card was required, with particular attention being paid to the accuracy of skin tones. Hersee's now-iconic Test Card F
Test Card F
Test Card F is a test card that was created by the BBC and used on television in the United Kingdom and in countries elsewhere in the world for more than four decades...
from 1967 features a photograph of Carole
Carole Hersee
Carole Hersee is a costume designer who is best known for appearing in the centrepiece of the iconic United Kingdom television Test Card F, which aired on BBC Television from 1967 to 1998 and was revived in 2009...
, his eldest daughter, to meet that requirement.
Hersee published a monograph in 1967 entitled "A Survey on the Development of TV Test Cards in Use at the BBC," http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/archive/pdffiles/monographs/bbc_monograph_69.pdf but left the BBC in 1979 to work for a private engineering company.
He died at age 76, and was survived by his wife and two daughters, Carole
Carole Hersee
Carole Hersee is a costume designer who is best known for appearing in the centrepiece of the iconic United Kingdom television Test Card F, which aired on BBC Television from 1967 to 1998 and was revived in 2009...
and Gillan.
See also
- Test Card JTest Card JTest Card J is a test card, an image used to determine the quality of a broadcast television picture. It is an updated version of Test Card F, which was created by BBC engineer George Hersee, and is used to test analogue television signals...
- Test Card WTest Card WTest Card W is a test card, an image used to determine the quality of a broadcast television picture. It is an updated 16:9 widescreen version of Test Card F, which was created by BBC engineer George Hersee. Test Card W is similar to Test Card J, the latter being a 4:3 version...
- Test cardTest cardA test card, also known as a test pattern in North America and Australia, is a television test signal, typically broadcast at times when the transmitter is active but no program is being broadcast...
- List of BBC test cards
- Bubbles the Clown