BBC One

You don't think anyone thinks about that surely?! Britain from Above is absolutely hammering the bitrate. Virtually the whole programme is an exercise in how to push digital coding to it's limits. The first episode looked pretty hideous via satellite IMO.

Anyone remember the BBC's DTT test broadcasts (available on mysterious channels 801 et al) featuring aerial shots (everything in the frame moving), wide shots of cornfields in a breeze (lots of detail, everything moving) and so-on...?

I remember all of the talk about how digital TV was going to give you better picture quality, when in fact you get blocky detail from time to time. You have to go HD to get really good pictures. The raindrops looked fine on my ordinary Sky+ box by the way.

I refer you back to my comment in the ITV thread...



Seriously, does anyone consider what the end result will look like in people's homes?

If you look at what most people were willing to put up with for analogue reception for all these years, even blocky digital pictures are an improvement!

Never quite understood why but things look far less blocky in RGB

I see what you mean. Very blocky.

The R&M idents were linked by a visual theme, of which there was no definitive version that you could draw and say 'that's the symbol'. The circles are exactly the same case - as you said, it's not really a 'logo' of sorts like the balloon was, because it's not a consistent form or shape - the circular formations are a visual theme that takes on many diverse forms - in that respect it's no different to what came before it.

If anything, the current set could learn from the consistent use of red for the dancers right up to the very end of their tenure; a clear and good example of using colour to aid identification. And while they are at it, they should look back to the previous set as a reminder of what truly good ident soundtracks are like!

With regards to Capes, I personally would have liked a punchier soundtrack - either a faster tempo piece or perhaps with a more stirring / orchestral quality; something that doesn't 'plod along' with harpsichords and xylophones. The final audio is certainly not a failure by any means, it does the job - but it neither moves me like Helicopter, nor comes across as exciting or cheerful like Bikes or Petals.

I love the way they changed that raw footage into something as polished as the final cut. I do not really like that Capes ident though, it is to simple and dull. I prefer, as others had said, the more surreal idents. My favourite is Helicopter.

Also why do they use a BBC One Windows ident music to introduce the BBC News 90 Second update?

It's not the ident, just the signature tune which is the same on Football as well.

I liked the final version of the new ident, especially where it sort of breaks into the BBC 1 signature hook at form up.

Hmm... not sure if I prefer the new soundtrack or the old plinkety-plonkety one.

They use the Windows music in daytime as well on their menu trails. I generally detest live action idents, they usually consist of some pointless piece of film with a logo slapped on the end. Boring, unimaginative and they require no real effort from the makers. However there is something about Helicopter that works for me.

On a note fairly unrelated to this thread, it did look rather lovely in HD before it had been through the transmission chain...

They had another short version of Capes before the news on BBC1 at 6.00pm. Just out of interest are there any idents on BBC1 that you hated initially but now quite like?