TLDR: Not JPGs, BMPs more likely.
I recall when the first LCD TVs came out and I wanted to get a cheap 1080 one. The problem was that almost every TV said 1080 even if it was just 720 upscaled.
I put a uniform image in BMP on a memory stick - every column being R, then G, then B repeated. As the image was exactly 1080, viewing it in full-screen on a 1080 screen gave a sort of uniform grey color. On an upscaled monitor you could see very visible banding.
This would not have worked had the image been JPG.
This would also help to detect overscan. I remember when I was shopping for my first 1080p TV, many (most?) had overscan and no way to turn it off.
Why do you think it wouldn't work for a JPEG? I just made one like that, and it worked just fine.