Dolby - Definition

Dolby Laboratories, Incorporated (Dolby Labs) is a company specializing in audio compression and reproduction.

History

Dolby Labs was founded by Ray Dolby in England in 1965. He moved the company to the United States in 1976. The first product he made was Dolby Type A Noise Reduction, a simple compander. One of the features that set Dolby's compander apart was that it treated only the quiet sounds that would be masked by tape noise. Dolby marketed the product to record companies.

Dolby was persuaded by Henry Kloss of KLH to manufacture a consumer version of his noise reduction. Dolby worked more on companding systems and introduced B-type in 1968.

Dolby did not manufacture consumer products outright; it licensed the technologies to consumer electronics manufacturers.

Dolby also sought to improve film sound, which at the time was optical and monaural. In 1975 Dolby released Dolby Stereo, which included a noise reduction system in addition to more audio channels (Dolby Stereo could actually contain additional center and surround channels). Dolby reworked the system slightly and introduced Dolby Surround and Dolby Pro Logic.

Dolby developed a digital surround sound compression scheme for the cinema. Dolby Digital was first used on the 1992 film Batman Returns. The format was later adopted as part of the DVD specification.

Technologies

• Dolby Digital (aka AC-3), used in DVDs and cinemas
• Dolby noise reduction systems for cassettes
• Dolby Pro Logic
• Dolby E

See also

• DTS (competitor)
• Dolby vs DTS

External links

• Dolby Labs site (http://www.dolby.com)

Example Usage of Dolby