The EIA 1956 Resolution Chart[1][2] (until 1975 called RETMA Resolution Chart 1956) is a test card originally designed in 1956 to be used with black and white analogue TV systems,[3][4] based on the previous (and very similar) RMA 1946 Resolution Chart.[5][6] It consisted of a printed chart filmed by a TV camera or monoscope to be displayed on a TV screen, and was also available as individual rolls of test film to test broadcasting equipment.[7] Inspecting the chart allowed to check for defects like ringing, geometric distortions, raster scan linearity, cathode-ray tube uniformity and lack of image resolution.[8][9] If needed, a technician could use it to perform the necessary hardware adjustments.
Today, this chart continues to be used to measure image resolution of modern cameras and lenses and also in scientific research.[3][10][11][12][13][14][15]
Features and operationedit
The chart is composed of several features, each designed for a specific test:[16]
Large white circle: Allows for image geometry adjustments (image should be centered with the circles being perfectly round).
Vertical stripe boxes: A grating with a resolution of 200 Television Lines (TVL), a measurement of image resolution on analogue TV systems, allowing adjustment of horizontal linearity and geometry.
Horizontal stripe boxes: A grating, allowing adjustment of vertical linearity.
Grayscale steps: Evaluating gamma and transfer characteristics, they allow for contrast and brightness adjustments (at least 6 to 8 steps should be visible)
Concentric circles: Allow to test cathode-ray beam sharpness and focus
Resolution wedges: The gradually expanding lines near the center, labeled with periodic indications of the corresponding spatial frequency, allow checking of image resolution.
Numbers: Going from 200 to 800, they correspond to TV Lines (TVL).
Used with early monochrome TV systems, this chart was useful in measuring image resolution, determined by inspection of the image as displayed on a CRT.
On such systems an important measure is the limiting horizontal resolution, affected by hardware and transmission quality (vertical resolution is fixed and determined by the video standard used, usually 525 lines or 625 lines).
This chart, in conjunction with the RMA 1946 Resolution Chart[32] and later widescreen patterns, is commonly used to test consumer and professional standalone, smartphone and tablet cameras for photo and videography[11] and other imaging equipment like microscopes[8] or CCTV cameras.[10][33]
Variationsedit
Some variations of the EIA resolution test chart exist. Two Japanese variants of the EIA 1956 resolution chart are called "ITE Resolution Chart /EIAJ Test Chart A"[34] and "JEITA Test Chart II".[35] A widescreen update of the EIA 1956 resolution chart was developed around the 1980s for the HD-MAC broadcasting standard,[36] which was later modified by the Institute of Image Information and Television Engineers of Japan as its ITE Resolution Chart for High-definition Televisions.[37][38]
The centre portion of the RMA 1946 Resolution Chart was featured on the cover of Die Kreuzen's 7" single of Pink Flag/Land of Treason, released in 1990.[48]
See alsoedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to EIA Resolution Chart 1956.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Telefunken Test Card T05.
^Kang, Moon Gi (April 3, 2003). Selected Papers on CCD and CMOS Imagers. SPIE Press. ISBN 9780819451149 – via Google Books.
^Sampat, Nitin; Yeh, Thomas (April 3, 1999). Sensors, Cameras, and Applications for Digital Photography: 27-28 January 1999, San Jose, California. SPIE. ISBN 9780819431219 – via Google Books.
^ abEvans, John (2006). Standards for Visual Acuity(PDF). KT Consulting.
^QA-70-1 Video Resolution Pattern (EIA-1956) Product Specifications(PDF). Applied Image Inc.
^"GJ's Home Page- Resolution test chart RMA 1946". home.kpn.nl.
^Bali, S. P. Bali, Rajeev. Audio Video Systems. Khanna Publishing House. ISBN 9788187522058 – via Google Books.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"Resolution Measured TV Lines". Causeway Security Solutions.
^"EIA-1956 Resolution Video Test Chart QA-70 – 登華資訊".
^ abMalone, T. (August 1997). VNIIEF NMPC and A Maintenance Management Conference -- video surveillance. VNIIEF NMC&A maintenance management conference. Richland, WA. OSTI 634045.
^ ab"Video Resolution Test Patterns". www.bealecorner.com.
^Liu, Yingli; Dai, Yijie; Shen, Fanqi; Yang, Lin; Ding, Zhanghao; Zheng, Zhenrong; Wu, Rengmao; Xu, Liu (28 March 2022). "High-performance imaging with an advanced non-imaging lens based on full-path optical diffraction calculation in two-dimensional space". Optics Express. 30 (7): 11014–11025. Bibcode:2022OExpr..3011014L. doi:10.1364/OE.449685. PMID 35473054. S2CID 247388943.
^Yang, D.X.D.; Gamal, A.E.; Fowler, B.; Tian, H. (December 1999). "A 640/spl times/512 CMOS image sensor with ultrawide dynamic range floating-point pixel-level ADC". IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits. 34 (12): 1821–1834. CiteSeerX10.1.1.75.7179. doi:10.1109/4.808907. S2CID 35539716.
^Simova, Eli; Rochefort, Paul A. (2015). "Ionizing Radiation Effects in Non-Radiation-Tolerant Commercial Video Cameras". 2015 IEEE Radiation Effects Data Workshop (REDW). pp. 1–6. doi:10.1109/REDW.2015.7336719. ISBN 978-1-4673-7641-9. S2CID 18380237.
^Ghosh, Kunal Kumar (2010). Miniature and Mass-Producible Fluorescence Microscopes for Biomedical Imaging (Thesis). ProQuest 2442179265.
^ abDhake, A. M. (May 1, 1999). TV and Video Engineering. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. ISBN 9780074601051 – via Google Books.
^"Non-UK Television Test Cards, Tuning Signals, Clocks and Idents - Norway". January 12, 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-01-12.
^"Tidslinje for fjernsynet". www.eace.no. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
^"EIA Resolution Chart 1956 CKCK- V". January 6, 2016 – via Flickr.
^Lamminen, H; Ruohonen, K; Uusitalo, H (May 2001). "Visual tests for measuring the picture quality of teleconsultations for medical purposes". Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine. 65 (2): 95–110. doi:10.1016/S0169-2607(00)00120-6. PMID 11275330.
^JEITA Test Chart(PDF). JEITA:Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association. 2018. p. 4.
^"Television Test Cards, Tuning Signals, Clocks and Idents". www.pembers.freeserve.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
^ITE Test Card(PDF). ITE:Institute of Image Information and Television Engineers. 2022. p. 19.