Digital Sound

Background
Digital Sound, the successor of Optical Surround was created in January of 2002. It's a 5.1 surround sound format which is only available on DVDs. However, when HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Disc were gaining fame, Digital Sound branched out it's HD sound format, Digital RealD (Digital RD for short). The company also branched out other brands, featuring Digital Sound Plus (experimental 7.1 sound format for DVDs) and DigiGaming Sound.

1st Logo

(January 26, 2002-2003)

Logo: On a black background, we see the blue Analog Sound, HAL, Optical Surround and ABC logos. They all go to the center and meet, creating a flash, which brings up the Digital Sound logo (a blue square with the encarved lowercase words "ds" on it) and the format's name, and they zoom in and stop. The words "YOUR FAVORITE SOUND YOU HAVEN'T HEARD YET" fades in below and slowly zooms in.

Variant: There is also a still version, which shows the finished product of the logo.

FX/SFX: The Analog, HAL, Optical and ABC logos meeting at the center, the flash, the zooming in, the slogan fading in.

Music/Sounds: Same as the Sony Surround Sound logo, but with the chorus note extended. For the still version, none.

Availability: Was used as an introduction logo for Digital Sound. First used in the Great Cars Vol. 1 DVD released in January 26 of 2002. Last appeared on a Superman DVD.

Scare Factor: Low to high. The use of darkness and Sony Surround Sound music doesn't feel friendly.

2nd Logo

(2002-2004)

Nickname: "Laboratory"

Logo: We see a laboratory room, which scientific and chemical stuff on the tables. The camera faces to a Erlenmeyer flask, and a CGI man walks in and faces to the flask. He adds three substances, making an explosion which makes the guy turn into the Digital Sound logo. As the camera turns around, the copyright info fades below the logo.

Variant: On the 2002 40 Days and 40 Nights DVD, the man is replaced by a CGI version of Matt Sullivan.

FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: All done in early 2000's quality CGI. Looks more like a PS2/Xbox/GameCube game however.

Music/Sounds: Muffled music is heard (it's hard to guess the genre), along with the sounds that go with the logo.

Availability: Rare. Almost all releases having this logo were from low-to-mid budget films, especially from DVDs of Nu Image films. However, this appeared on the 2002 40 Days and 40 Nights DVD with it's variant.

Scare Factor: Low bordering on medium. The explosion may catch people off-guard.

3rd Logo

(2003-2006)

Nicknames: "Winter Walk", "Haunted Cabin On One Haunted Night II", "Snowball.ru Rip-Off"

Logo: Same as the 1998 Snowball.ru logo, but redone in contemporary CGI. The Snowball logo is replaced with the Digital Sound one. Also, the logo is less darker, looking like it's evening. The Taiwanese symbol is replaced by the Digital Sound emblem, the pictures are replaced by clips of Digital Sound-branded movies, and the Russian text at the end is replaced by "Best DVD sound. Now for everyone." The copyright info fades in at the end.

FX/SFX: Same as the 1998 Snowball logo, only redone in newer CGI.

Music/Sounds: A calm fanfare.

Availability: Uncommon. Can be seen on some 2003-2006 DVD releases. Debuted in the out-of-print 2003 DVD release of Wakko's Wish and last appeared in the 2006 release of Snow Day.

Editor's Note: Since the dramatic fanfare of the Snowball logo is replaced by a calmer one, it can startle less people.

4th Logo

(2003-2005)

Nickname: "Abstract Paintings"

Logo: On a black background, we see abstract paintings of a face and a horse being drawn while the camera pans around. When the camera goes to the normal position, the drawings move, meet together and transform to the green Digital Sound logo. Copyright info fades in below.

FX/SFX: Nice animation. Looks very good for the time.

Music/Sounds: A well-known classical theme is heard, along with the sounds of drawing. A whoosh when the logo forms.

Availability: Uncommon. First seen on the Universal/Miramax Collector's Series DVD of Bridget Jones's Diary. Seen mostly on DVD releases of romance/drama films from the time.

Editor's Note: The abstract drawings can catch a few people.

5th Logo

(2004-2005)

Nickname: "Explosion"

Logo: An explosion occurs, which brings up the golden Digital Sound logo. Copyright info is seen below, or sometimes not at all.

FX/SFX: Just the explosion. A light also moves around the logo.

Music/Sounds: A short explosion sound.

Availability: This logo was only used on DVD releases of video-game movie adaptions. Examples are the 2004 DVD of Resident Evil (the original), and the 2005 releases of Super Mario Bros. and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. It, however, made a surprise apperance on the 2005 DVD of Looney Tunes: Back In Action.

Scare Factor: Low, because of the sudden start.

6th Logo

(2005-2007)

Nicknames: "Purple Diamonds", "Trimark DVD Rip-Off"

Logo: We see a black background, with purple diamonds moving on it. Then more purple diamonds (more brighter than the others) zooms in segments. It backs to the wall of diamonds to end up on another more, but with the diamonds gray. When they stop, they form the Digital Sound logo. The company's name moves below the logo, while the copyright info and website fades in below.

Trivia: This logo was redone in HD for the Digital RealD brand. Because of it, the original Digital Sound brand stopped using that logo on 2007.

FX/SFX: Nearly the same as the Trimark DVD logo but with some differences.

Music/Sounds: Same as the Trimark DVD logo.

Availability: Uncommon. Examples are the 2005 DVD's of Shaun Of The Dead, Seed Of Chucky and The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie, 2006 releases of Click and 2007 Open Season DVDs.

Scare Factor: Same as the Trimark DVD logo.

7th Logo

(2006-2009)

Nickname: "Ripple"

Logo: We see a blue blip appearing and forming a 3D rectangle which spins around. After 3 spins, we see the encarved "ds" on it, and the rectangle stops spinning. The words "DIGITAL SOUND", "Great sound, great feature" the URL and copyright info fade in below the logo.

FX/SFX: Simple, but great CGI.

Music/Sounds: A ping sound (similar to Endemol's), followed by a humming synth.

Availability: Uncommon. This logo was used in tandem with the previous logo and then appeared on many DVD's during 2007-2009. Examples are the 10th anniversary DVD edition of The Rugrats Movie and the 2009 DVD of Braveheart.

Scare Factor: Minimal; it's harmless.

8th Logo

(2006)

Nickname: "Creepy Island"

Logo: On a dark sky, we see an island. Then we see Cindy Campbell and Brenda Meeks trying to attack the island. Then the Digital Sound logo from before attacks the island, throwing these two away. The sky then turns brighter. Copyright info is shown below and the same website seen on the previous logo fades in.

FX/SFX: All live-action, but the Digital Sound logo was done in CGI.

Music/Sounds: A computerized sound that sounds likes Atari 2600 sounds, then an island sound, then a chime.

Availability: Very rare. Can only be seen on the 2006 DVD of Scary Movie 4 (including the unrated version).

Scare Factor: Low to high. It's trying to be funny, but the Digital Sound logo coming out of nowhere may surprise many viewers.

9th Logo

(2007)

Nicknames: "The Rocky Logo", "Training"

Logo: In a boxing ring, we see a silhouette of a person (looking like Rocky Balboa) punching a training bag. The bag is shaped like the Digital Sound logo. The camera then turns and faces to the Digital Sound bag, and then the format's name types in. Copyright info fades in below. The whole logo is in black and white.

FX/SFX: All live-action, with addition of computer generated texts.

Music/Sounds: The Rocky theme with sounds of punching and typing when the "Digital Sound" text types in.

Availability: Extremely rare. Only seen on the 2007 DVD of Rocky Balboa.

Scare Factor: None to minimal. Good logo for training.

10th Logo

(2007-2009, 2010-2011)

Nicknames: "The Collision Of Bryanston Pictures and Digital Sound"

Logo: On a black background, the "ds" letters zoom out. Then, we see a series of small green lines wave in the center, followed by a yellow multilined cross shape with the same "ds" in the middle, which leaves several white residue trails. Then all of a sudden, everything glitches and transforms to the green Digital Sound logo. The words "ALWAYS GREAT SOUND" (which zoom in slowly) and the copyright notice fades in.

Trivia: Just like the 7th logo, this logo was redone in HD for the Digital RealD brand.

Variant: On the 2007 DVD of Hot Fuzz, instead of the logo glitching and transforming, we see Nicholas Angel's hand appearing, grabbing everything and then placing the Digital Sound logo. The rest of the animation plays as normal.

FX/SFX: Looks like the 1972 BP logo but with less cheesiness and great CGI.

Music/Sounds: An airy sound, along with a slow whoosh. A deep hit when the logo transforms and then a contrabass note. The same airy sound starts playing again. On the Hot Fuzz variant, the sounds of grabbing and placing instead of the hit.

Availability: Common. During 2007-2009, it was seen on a few DVD releases from Screen Gems and Fox Searchlight Pictures films like on the 2008 Resident Evil: Extinction DVD. The variant only appears on the 2007 DVD of Hot Fuzz, which is the only DVD to feature this logo from a film of a different company on the time (Rogue Pictures/Universal Pictures). The logo was used again in 2010, starting with the 2010 Universal Classic Picks DVD series, such as The Ghost Of Frankstein and Spartacus (not the TV series). Digital Sound stopped using the logo again in 2011. Strangely, this was seen when Galaxy Premiere aired Coming Again and You Know What's Banging in 2010.

Scare Factor: Low bordering to medium. It may be nice to see if you're expecting a different BP logo and wind up with this. Same goes for the Hot Fuzz variant, you may not expect Nicholas' hand appearing out of nowhere.

11th Logo

(2008)

Nicknames: "The Spiderwick Chronicles Logo", "The Spider"

Logo: We see a spider web on a forest. A spider appears and brings up the Digital Sound logo, and the copyright info fades in.

FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: Pretty good CGI for the spider and logo, but the forest background is obviously a blurred picture.

Music/Sounds: An ominous fanfare with the sounds of the spider.

Availability: Only seen on the 2008 DVD of The Spiderwick Chronicles. The Blu-Ray version features a Digital RealD logo.

Scare Factor: Medium to high. Most people scared of spiders are easily scared of this, but some people may not have a problem with it.

12th Logo

(2009)

Nicknames: "Freaky Shapes", "AAAAHHH!!! MY EYES!!!"

Logo: On a fastly moving yellow/purple background, freaky black shapes move around, shrink, change to green and form the Digital Sound logo. The background fades to black, and the white copyright info fades in.

FX/SFX: The background, the shapes moving, shrinking, changing color and forming the logo, the copyright fading in.

Cheesy Factor: WAY cheap for it's time, and the background is very painful to watch.

Music/Sounds: A 90's-esque eurodance theme.

Availability: Scarce. Seen on the 2009 Teaching Mrs. Tingle and Rocket Power: The Movie DVDs. Also seen on DVDs for low-budget films (especially from Nu Image and UnderDirect Pictures).

Scare Factor: Medium, but this is more headache-inducing than anything else!

13th Logo

(2010-2022)

Nicknames: "Scrat", "Ice Age Logo"

Logo: On a snowy mountain with a cloudy sky, we see an acorn. Then Scrat appears and tries to collect the acorn, but then the sun appears on the sky and makes Scrat melt into a beige liquid that later forms the DS logo. Copyright info fades in below.

Variant: Because Digital Sound changed it's logo in 2011, the liquid now forms the current logo.

FX/SFX: CGI animation done by Blue Sky Studios, who also made the film.

Music/Sounds: The sounds of the action going on.

Availability: Common. This was seen on Ice Age DVDs starting with the 2010 DVD release of Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs. Also appears on the DVD releases of Ice Age: Continental Drift, Ice Age: Collision Course, and The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild.

Scare Factor: Minimal; fans of Ice Age may like this.

14th Logo

(2010-2011)

Nickname: "Beams"

Logo: We see a white room. But then blue beams appear on the room, which makes the lights of it turn off. The camera pans to the right, and a white rectangle is revealed. The beams then form the Digital Sound logo, and after that, the beams turn off and the copyright fades in below the logo.

FX/SFX: Everything.

Music/Sounds: A soft, but majestic horn fanfare accompained by the sounds of the beams.

Availability: Uncommon. First seen on the 2010 DVD of Because of Maxie, then appeared on the DVDs of Holla: Why Is It Creepy?, The Night Of Our Dreams, and Smiths. Last seen on the 10th Anniversary DVD of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

Scare Factor: Minimal to low.

15th Logo

(2011)

Nicknames: "Cube Zone 2011"

Logo: Same as the Analog Sound "Cube Zone" logo, but this time, the Digital Sound logo is formed. Also, "LASERDISC SURROUND" is replaced by "Celebrating 30 Years Of The Birth Of Analog Sound" with "Analog Sound" in it's own wordmark. There's also a different copyright notice.

FX/SFX: Same as the AS Cube Zone logo but with some differences.

Music/Sounds: A remade version of the Cube Zone sounds.

Availability: Ultra rare. Spotted exclusively in the Digital Sound: The History DVD before the feature. It was never used on other DVDs, and the mentioned film wasn't showed on TV channels.

Scare Factor: Same as the AS Cube Zone logo.

16th Logo

(2011-)

Nicknames: "Signal", "New Digital Sound"

Logo: On a black background, a recognition signal appears and emits some waves. One of them transforms into the new Digital Sound logo (DIGITAL SOUND with some colored small squares at the left). Copyright info then fades below.

FX/SFX: The signal, the waves, the transforming. Everything was done in live-action, but then was edited with CGI.

Music/Sounds: A television-test like noise, gated to sound like a "Morse code" effect.

Availability: Current. First appeared in the 2011 DVD of Wanted, and later appeared on other newer DVDs like Toy Story 3 and Scary Movie 5.

Scare Factor: Medium. The darkness and sound can scare some.

17th Logo

(2012-)

Nickname: "Weird Bed"

Logo: On an illuminated room, a comforter is seen falling down to reveal a weird bed with the current Digital Sound logo, while the camera cuts to various directions until the full DS logo is revealed. Copyright info fades in below.

FX/SFX: Good CGI.

Music/Sounds: A deep whoosh when the comforter falls, accompanied by city sounds.

Music/Sounds Variant: Strangely, on a 2014 DVD of Dy, a majestic horn fanfare was used. This doesn't fit to the logo's actions at all, but the company said that this was made just for laughs.

Availability: Used in tandem with the previous logo. First seen on the Mission: Impossible: The Complete Movie Series DVD.

Scare Factor: Low to medium; the comforter falling down and sounds are the main reason. Low with the fanfare.

18th Logo

(2013)

Nicknames: "Wreck-It Ralph Logo", "Fix-It Felix Jr."

Logo: We see gameplay of the Fix-It Felix game. Meanwhile, Wreck-It Ralph turns into the Digital Sound logo and then crushes the building. The game over screen appears, along with the copyright info.

FX/SFX: All 8-bit animation, made with computers.

Music/Sounds: The music and sounds from the Fix-It Felix game. A random tune for the game over screen.

Availability: Only seen on the 2013 Wreck-It Ralph DVD.

Scare Factor: Minimal to high. Depends of your feel about the DS logo crushing the building and the game over screen. Many people may not find it as funny as the movie was, but some may be able to handle it.

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