Best Patterns to test VCRs/Capture Cards/TBCs with?

[dellsam34]

The software that comes with your SDI card should be able to record the video signal.

[pandy]

Real world is not standardized though, and one may be more interested in the effective milage per gallon of one's car than in the (usually optimistic) figures obtained from standardized test procedures and conditions. So one may deliberately want to use non-standard home-brewed test patterns with say excessive bandwidth/sharpness to demonstrate ringing and Gibb's effect and to compare how different devices behave under same conditions. Even simple and basic tests can reveal a lot.
On a sidenote, I was surprised to find that a well-know capture dongle seems to present a poor termination to the C wire of S-video. All but the expected 75 Ohms. I may do some more specific tests later to investigate its impact (exact color reproduction, signal reflection etc.) although I have some doubt how relevant it is in view of 'VHS color quality' .....

I don't see any problem for re-using worldwide accepted standard to amateur - hobbyist procedure - it is way more convenient to use well established methodology as you avoid entering to gray zone where some results may be unpredictable or too difficult to explain.

Test streams, patterns, signals will not corrupt anything so it is fine to try even sometimes bizarre things.

[Sharc]

As for the bandwidth stuff, the BE16 will be essentially converting to S-Video right at the end of the chain, so won't all of the bandwidth be limited to what S-Video is capable of at that step? Once it goes onto a first gen tape, it'll then be limited to what VHS can do etc? My question is - how can "too much bandwidth" for the source negatively impact the test if it's being standardized to S-Video at the end?

The signal will be lowpass filtered by the anti-aliasing filter before it is sampled and A/D converted. The signal is "shaped" (distorted) by the characteristic (frequency response, impulse response ...) of that filter. A 'narrowband' signal (means upper frequency limited, controlled rise/fall times rather than abrupt step changes) wouldn't require this filter or would be less affected by it.

Also, for example PAL-B chroma bandwidth for broadcast is limited to 600kHz. Test signals have to comply accordingly. Excessive chroma or luma bandwith produces more chroma-luma interference (causing dotcrawl and rainbows) in composite video.

So it all depends what specific parameters one wants to analyze and test. A universal test signal doesn't exist. That's why there are so many (thousands) different test patterns and signals, some combining several tests in one image, many addressing the same issue. Adhering to standards or being manufacturer/tool specific.
Dynamic tests may also be of interest (checking brightness pumping, AGC action, transient behavior ....).