A comprehensive study of viewer ratings for certain kinds of television picture interference experienced in cable television was recommended by the Cable TV Technical Advisory Committee (CTAC) Panel 2 and funded by the National Science Foundation. The study encompasses 30-channel intermodulation noise, discrete frequency interference, synchronous cross-modulation, and, for control purposes, random noise. Stimulus pictures were recorded on 2-inch quad video tape, and observed on a studio monitor under controlled conditions by over 700 viewers representative of the population as a whole. Part I describes the methods of simulating interference and recording stimulus pictures, and discusses the significance of the findings.