BBC HD

Background
BBC HD was a high-definition television channel provided by the BBC. The service was initially run as a trial from May 15, 2006 until becoming a full service on December 1, 2007. It broadcast only during the afternoon and evening and only broadcast programming shot in high definition, either in a simulcast with another channel or by inserting a repeat of an HD programme. BBC HD closed on March 26, 2013 and was replaced by a HD simulcast of BBC Two, partly as a result of budget cuts affecting the BBC, but also because most content on the BBC was now being produced in HD, eliminating the need for a specific HD-only channel.

1st Logo (December 1, 2007-July 25, 2008)
Logo: On a black background, a black diamond with an glow emitting from behind it is seen, with the BBC HD logo beneath. The diamond turns to a glossy, before spinning around and sinking into the background, revealing a diamond-shaped hole. As this happens, the camera begins to zoom into the hole, causing the BBC HD logo to fade out. Inside the hole, there is a strikingly tunnel, and as the camera zooms deeper, the diamond shifts colors from  to. Suddenly, it explodes into dust, scattering across the screen and creating a smokey effect. Crystals begin to emerge from the explosion, turning into shiny cubes containing clips of programs as the camera starts to spin around. The camera zoom through the crystals, revealing one of them is a diamond, and as it comes to the center of the screen, the BBC HD logo fades in at the bottom again. The diamond glitters and shines, before the  color fades away and the  glow reappears again, creating a perfect loop.

Variants:
 * Sometimes, a shorter version is used. This version begins right when the explosion happens, and the rest of the animation plays out as usual.
 * Sometimes, the blue diamond still remains, instead of fading away.

Technique: Stunning CGI animation that still holds up today.

Music/Sounds: The ident starts with a distinct rumbling sound, before an ambience of strings and a choir begins to build up. As the explosion happens, a loud explosion sound is heard, followed by a distinct wavy pulsating noise, and sharp twinkling noises when the crystals appear on screen. The sounds end with the ambience fading out as a synthetic four note jingle is played, with a 'thud' sound on the final note. After the music plays, a low rumbling can still be heard, alongside the distinct wavy pulsating noise from earlier. At this point, an announcer would typically begin to speak.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * Sometimes, the music is rearranged.
 * There is a alternate version where the music is rock-themed, using electric guitars, bass guitars and drums with violins.

Availability: Extinct on TV. It is difficult to find clips of this ident in use on the internet due to it's short lifespan and the weak adoption of HD channel at that time.

2nd Logo (2007-2013)
Logo: On a black background, we see the BBC HD logo with a sharp glowing effect behind it, and a  smoke trail emitting from the HD diamond. Suddenly, the color of the glow changes from to, and a large sphere with a subtle  glow emitting from it (like how the atmosphere of a planet looks) fades in, intersecting the HD diamond. The glow color changes once again, this time fading back to as the smoke trail begins to return, and then the logo fades to black.

Technique: Similar CGI to the first ident.

Music/Sounds: Starting out with a low rumbling sound, a reverse cymbal is heard in the buildup to the glow changing color to orange. As the glow changes color, the same wavy pulsating effect from the first ident can be heard, before a distinct ambience begins to build up. When the glow changes color again, a synth string is heard, before fading out to silence.

Availability: Extinct on TV, as it was used only as a sting during 2008 in tandem with the first ident. It can also be found on BBC-branded HD-DVDs, and Blu-rays from 2007-2013.

3rd Logo (July 26, 2008-April 5, 2009)
Logo: We start out in the sky, following a singular water droplet as it falls. The camera quickly pans as it drops into the ocean below, creating a large ripple effect, before several more ripples begin to appear across the surface. The camera then cuts to reveal various large abstract shapes rising from the ocean, water falling from them as they shift and move to connect to one another. The area underneath the shapes begins to glow, and the camera cuts to an aerial view to reveal the shapes were creating the familiar HD diamond from the BBC HD logo. Below the large diamond, we see the 1997 BBC logo in black, with the Gill Sans letters in a shiny material protuding slightly from the shape.

Variant: A shorter version exists.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: Starting with a simple twinkly four note piano melody, as the water droplet falls into the ocean the melody begins to build up with synthesised instruments such as flutes and violins, culminating in a bombastic fanfare as the shapes rise from the ocean, causing loud crashes as waves begin to erupt across the surface. When the camera cuts to the aerial view, two low thuds are heard as the music returns to the simple piano melody, which loops until the end of the ident.

Availability: Extinct.

4th Logo (April 6, 2009-March 26, 2013)
Logo: Taking place in the same park setting in each variant, we see an everyday action turned into a dramatic event as a glossy diamond shape appears, offering a different perspective on the events happening. The BBC HD logo then forms on screen, with the HD diamond spinning around rapidly before the BBC logo fades in.

Variants:
 * Cat: TBA.
 * Dog Walker: TBA.
 * Music: TBA.
 * Carousel: TBA.
 * Ice Cream: TBA.
 * The Catch: TBA.

Technique: A dynamic mixture of live action and CGI events, created by Red Bee Media.

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Availability: Extinct.