Bell & Howell test patterns

This page is dedicated to the test patterns used by Deluxe Video Services (formerly Bell & Howell Video Services and Rank Video Services America) for over 40 years.

## Test pattern types

* Black screen, 400 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* Black screen, 500 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* Black screen, 867 Hz tone (slow clicking, 60 seconds)
* Black screen, 1000 Hz tone (15 seconds)
* Black screen, 1000 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* Black screen, 1100 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* Black screen, 1133 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* Blue screen, 1033 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* Lime screen, 967 Hz tone (15 seconds)
* Lime screen, 967 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* Lime screen, 1033 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* Red screen, 367 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* White screen, 400 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* White screen, 467 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* White screen, 500 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* White screen, 867 Hz tone (slow clicking, 60 seconds)
* White screen, 867 Hz tone (medium clicking, 60 seconds)
* White screen, 867 Hz tone (fast clicking, 60 seconds)
* White screen, 933 Hz tone (15 seconds)
* White screen, 933 Hz tone (medium clicking, 15 seconds)
* White screen, 933 Hz tone (30 seconds)
* White screen, 967 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* White screen, 1000 Hz tone (15 seconds)
* White screen, 1000 Hz tone (30 seconds)
* White screen, 1000 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* White screen, 1000 Hz tone (150 seconds)
* White screen, 1000 Hz tone (300 seconds)
* White screen, 1000 Hz tone (1350 seconds)
* White screen, 1033 Hz tone (15 seconds)
* White screen, 1033 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* White screen, 1133 Hz tone (30 seconds)
* White screen, 1133 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* White screen, 1167 Hz tone (60 seconds)

## Pre-1984 test patterns

Releases duplicated by Bell & Howell before Q4 1984 (i.e. the 40th week of 1984, or October 1, 1984) featured a wide variety of test patterns, all lasting up to 60 seconds in length. Releases confirmed not to have test patterns are listed in the "Pre-1995 Bell & Howell releases without test patterns" section. If you don't know what the test pattern is, just list the title, the distributor and the year of release. For Disney releases, check to see if the sticker label says "Fotomat Drive-Thru Movies" before moving anything. If it says "Fotomat Drive-Thru Movies", it was definitely duplicated at Bell & Howell.

* *Absence of Malice* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1982) - White screen, 400 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Alvarez Kelly* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1980) - White screen, 1000 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *The Amazing Spider-Man* (MCA Videocassette, Inc., 1982) - White screen, 1167 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Barbarella, Queen of the Galaxy* (Fotomat Video, 1979)
* *Barbarella, Queen of the Galaxy* (Paramount Home Video, 1980) - White screen, 1133 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Blue Collar* (MCA Videocassette, Inc., 1982) - White screen, 1033 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Born Free* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1979)
* *Born Yesterday* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1979) - White screen, 1000 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *The Cat and the Canary* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1982) - White screen, 400 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Charlotte's Web* (Fotomat Video, 1979)
* *Charlotte's Web* (Paramount Home Video, 1979)
* *Charlotte's Web* (Paramount Home Video, 1980) - White screen, 1133 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Charlotte's Web* (Paramount Home Video, 1983) - White screen, 1000 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Chinatown* (Fotomat Video, 1979) - White screen, 1167 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Columbia Pictures Cartoons Volume 1: Mr. Magoo* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1980) - White screen, 1000 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Crystal Gayle in Concert* (Prism Entertainment, 1984)
* *The Deep* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1979)
* *Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1979)
* *Eyes of Laura Mars* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1980)
* *Fail Safe* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1982) - White screen, 967 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *The Fallen Idol* (Fotomat Video, 1979) - Lime screen, 967 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *The Freedom Force* (Prism Entertainment, 1984)
* *The Front* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1982) - White screen, 967 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Fun with Dick and Jane* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1979)
* *The Godfather* (Fotomat Video, 1979) - White screen, 1167 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Harold and Maude* (Fotomat Video, 1979) - Lime screen, 1033 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Harold and Maude* (Paramount Home Video, 1979) - Black screen, 1000 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Little Darlings* (Paramount Home Video, 1980) - White screen, 400 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *The Man Who Fell to Earth* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1980) - White screen, 1000 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Midnight Express* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1979)
* *Monty Python and the Holy Grail* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1982) - White screen, 1000 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Nashville* (Fotomat Video, 1979) - Lime screen, 967 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Neighbors* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1982) - White screen, 400 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Play It Again, Sam* (Fotomat Video, 1979) - White screen, 1167 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Players* (Fotomat Video, 1980) - Lime screen, 967 Hz tone (15 seconds)
* *Players* (Paramount Home Video, 1980)
* *Same Time, Next Year* (Fotomat Video, 1980) - Lime screen, 967 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Same Time, Next Year* (MCA Videocassette, Inc., 1980) - White screen, 1000 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Seems Like Old Times* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1981) - White screen, 467 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *The Servant* (Fotomat Video, 1979) - Lime screen, 1033 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *A Simple Story* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1982) - White screen, 1000 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Smokey and the Bandit* (Fotomat Video, 1980) - Lime screen, 967 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Smokey and the Bandit* (MCA Videocassette, Inc., 1980) - Black screen, 1000 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Starting Over* (Paramount Home Video, 1980) - White screen, 1133 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Stripes* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1982) - White screen, 1000 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Thank God It's Friday* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1982) - White screen, 400 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Victor/Victoria* (MGM/UA Home Video, 1982) - White screen, 1000 Hz tone (60 seconds)
* *Wrong is Right* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1982) - White screen, 400 Hz tone (60 seconds)

## Post-1984 releases with test patterns in different pitches and/or different colors

Even after the white screen test pattern with the 1000 Hz tone became the standard in Q4 1984, a few tapes still used different pitches.

* *The Delicate Delinquent* (Paramount Home Video, 1990) - White screen, 1033 Hz tone (15 seconds)
* *Nick and Noel* (Family Home Entertainment, 1995) - White screen, 1133 Hz tone (30 seconds)

## Pre-1995 Bell & Howell releases without test patterns

This list does not include releases that have the pull my finger sound but no test pattern.

* *20,000 Leagues Under the Sea* (Fotomat Video, 1980)
* *Barbarella, Queen of the Galaxy* (Paramount Home Video, 1979)
* *Catch-22* (Paramount Home Video, 1979)
* *Chinatown* (Paramount Home Video, 1979)
* *Death Wish* (Paramount Home Video, 1979)
* *The King and I* (FoxVideo, 1991)
* *Mr. Smith Goes to Washington* (Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1980)
* *Pete's Dragon* (Fotomat Video, 1980)
* *Saturday Night Fever* (Paramount Home Video, 1979)

## Honorable mentions

* *The Sleeping Beauty* (Thorn EMI/HBO Video, 1985) - Copies duplicated at VCA/Technicolor still retain the first minute of the original test pattern at the end before cutting back to a black screen.