Spectrum Video

Background

Spectrum was a UK sub-label of PolyGram Video that focused on music-related videos. It was the sister company to the primarily-American PolyGram Music Video. It was also the name of a former PolyGram Records label that distributed primarily compilations.

1st Logo (1982-1988)

Logo: It's basically the same as the 1st PolyGram Video logo, but after "presents" slides in, a series of rainbow-colored bars with "spectrum" in a jumbled white Helvetica font forms one-by-one from the right.

Variants:

A French version of this exists where the text "presents" is replaced with "présente une exclusivité", and they slide word by word.
A German version also exists where it's the same as the German variant of the 1st PolyGram Video logo, but with the Spectrum logo zooming in from the center of the screen instead of the Arena logo wiping in.

Technique: Same as the 1st PolyGram Video logo, with the Spectrum animation.

Music/Sounds: A descending synthesized sound, followed by a synth ditty. The French variant is the same, but slightly modified.

Availability: Extremely rare. Check eBay for tapes that feature this logo, as it primarily appeared on UK tapes of music. One example is The Jam: Video Snap!.

2nd Logo (1988-1990)

Logo: In a black background, we see a red line "stretching", then two white arrows, representing rewind, appear in the line and behind it we can see an white oval appearing via a countdown effect, containing the letter "s" (red). The arrows then show the same letter on the line on a black color before they go out of view, then we see another set of white arrows pointing to the right, representing fast-forward, with the countdown effect then inverting the colors of the background and oval at the same time the letter "p" (orange) appears on the oval and then on the line. This process is repeated with the following letters in the same order as the colors of the rainbow alongside other VCR symbols: "e" (yellowish-orange, single arrow (play backwards)), "c" (yellow, two horizontal lines (pause)), "t" (gradient of light green and dark green, two vertical lines), "r" (dark green, triangle), "u" (gradient of green and greenish-blue, square (stop)), and "m" (gradient of greenish-blue, blue and indigo, circle (record)), at the same time adding the rainbow colors with a gradient effect to the line letter by letter. The oval then wipes out of view via the same countdown effect, and the logo fades out seconds afterwards.

Technique: The countdown-like animation and the VCR symbols. Very nice 2D computer animation!

Music/Sounds: A muzak-like synth tune.

Availability: Even rarer than the previous logo. Appeared on later music tapes from the company.