Dolby facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dolby Laboratories, Inc.

Headquarters in San Francisco, California
Type	Public
Traded as	NYSE: DLB (Class A) S&P 400 component
Industry	Audio encoding/compression Audio noise reduction
Founded	May 18, 1965; 60 years ago (1965-05-18) in London, England
Founder	Ray Dolby
Headquarters	Civic Center, San Francisco, California , U.S.
Number of locations	30+ (2014)
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Peter Gotcher (executive chairman) Kevin Yeaman (president and CEO)
Products	see Technologies Organizations Dolby Digital Brands Dolby Surround/Pro Logic/Pro Logic II Dolby SR Dolby Stereo Dolby Surround 7.1 Dolby noise-reduction system
Services	Dolby Cinema
Revenue	US$1.25 billion (2022)
Operating income	US$207 million (2022)
Net income	US$184 million (2022)
Total assets	US$2.69 billion (2022)
Total equity	US$2.25 billion (2022)
Number of employees	2,336 (2022)
Subsidiaries	Audistry Doremi Labs Via Licensing

Dolby Laboratories, often just called Dolby, is a company that creates amazing sound and picture technologies. They are known for making sounds clearer and more immersive, and for improving how images look on screens. Dolby develops special ways to reduce unwanted noise in audio, compress sound files, create 3D sound, and make pictures brighter and more colorful. Many companies that make electronics, like TVs, phones, and movie equipment, use Dolby's inventions.

History of Dolby

Dolby Labs was started by a brilliant engineer named Ray Dolby in London, England, in 1965. That same year, he invented something called the Dolby noise-reduction system. This invention helped to get rid of the annoying hissing sound often heard on cassette tape recordings. It made music and voices sound much clearer.

His first patent for this technology was filed in 1969. The very first company to use Dolby's noise reduction was Decca Records in the UK. Soon, other big companies like BBC and CBS Studios also started using Dolby's professional noise reduction system, called A301.

In 1976, Ray Dolby moved the company's main office to the United States, specifically to San Francisco, California. The first product Dolby Labs made was the Dolby 301 unit. This unit used the Type A Dolby Noise Reduction and was made for professional recording studios.

Ray Dolby was later convinced to create a version of his noise reduction for everyday people. So, in 1968, he introduced Type B, which was simpler for home use.

Dolby in Movies

Dolby also wanted to make movie sound much better. They found that old movie sound often had a lot of background noise. To fix this, they started using their noise reduction technology in films.

The first movie to use Dolby sound was A Clockwork Orange in 1971. The director, Stanley Kubrick, wanted to use Dolby's system to help with the film's complex sound mixing.

In 1975, Dolby released Dolby Stereo. This system not only reduced noise but also added more sound channels. This meant sound could come from the left, center, right, and even from speakers around the audience. The first movie with a Dolby-encoded stereo soundtrack was Lisztomania in 1975. Just ten years later, 6,000 movie theaters around the world were using Dolby Stereo sound! Dolby then made a version of this system for homes, called Dolby Surround and later Dolby Pro Logic.

Later, Dolby created a digital sound system for cinemas called Dolby Digital. This was first used in the 1992 film Batman Returns. It became very popular for home theaters when it was included in DVDs. Today, Dolby Digital is used in HDTV, DVD players, and many satellite and cable TV systems.

Recent Developments

On February 17, 2005, Dolby became a public company. This meant people could buy shares of the company on the New York Stock Exchange.

In 2010, Dolby introduced Dolby Surround 7.1. This system added even more surround sound speakers in theaters, making the sound experience even richer. The first film to use this was Pixar's Toy Story 3. Now, about 80% of new films use Dolby Surround 7.1.

In 2012, Dolby launched Dolby Atmos. This new technology adds sound that comes from above you, making movies feel incredibly immersive. The first movie to use Dolby Atmos was Brave. Later, Dolby also brought Atmos to home theaters.

In 2019, Dolby started adding Dolby Atmos to many new songs in the music industry. In 2020, they launched Dolby.io, a platform that lets developers use Dolby's technologies in their own apps, games, and websites. This includes features like better sound quality, 3D audio, and high-quality video calls.

Dolby Technologies

Dolby has created many different technologies to improve sound and video. Here are some of the main ones:

Analog Audio Noise Reduction

These systems help reduce unwanted background noise in older analog recordings, like those on cassette tapes.

• Dolby A: Used by professionals for reel-to-reel tapes and cassettes.
• Dolby NR/B/C/S: Versions for everyday users and home tape recorders.
• Dolby SR (Spectral Recording): A professional system used since 1986. It makes analog recordings sound much clearer and is still used in many 35mm film prints. It also acts as a backup sound track in cinemas.
• Dolby HX Pro: This system helps tape recorders record high-frequency sounds better without distortion. It doesn't need a special decoder to play back.
• Dolby Advanced Audio: Improves sound for computers, allowing louder volume from built-in speakers without distortion.

Audio Encoding and Compression

These technologies help to store and transmit audio efficiently, often creating surround sound.

• Dolby Digital (also known as AC-3): This is a very common format that allows for surround sound, typically with 5.1 channels (five main speakers and one for bass). It was first used in cinemas and then became standard for Laserdiscs and DVDs. It's also used in digital TV and video game consoles.
  • Dolby Digital EX: Adds a center-rear channel to Dolby Digital for 6.1 or 7.1 channel sound.
  • Dolby Digital Plus (also known as E-AC-3): An improved version of Dolby Digital that can handle higher quality sound and more channels. It's used in HD DVD and Blu-ray discs.
  • Dolby Digital Live: A technology that converts any audio from a computer or game console into 5.1-channel Dolby Digital in real-time.
• 

  Dolby E selected hardware
  Dolby E: A professional system used in TV studios to distribute surround sound. It's converted to Dolby Digital before it reaches your home TV.
• Dolby Stereo: The original analog technology for 35mm films, with four sound channels (Left, Center, Right, and Surround).
• Dolby TrueHD: A lossless audio format, meaning it sounds exactly like the original studio recording. It supports many channels and is used on Blu-ray discs.
• Dolby Pulse: A format for digital broadcasting, similar to HE-AAC v2, but with special Dolby information to ensure good broadcast quality.
• Dolby AC-4: A newer audio compression format that can handle both traditional audio channels and "audio objects" (sounds that can be placed anywhere in a 3D space).
• Dolby Atmos: This is a very advanced immersive audio technology. It adds sounds that come from above you, making the audio feel like it's all around you, not just from the sides. It's used in cinemas and at home.

Audio Processing

These technologies enhance or change how sound is played back.

• 

  Dolby system A-type decoder
  Dolby Headphone: Makes regular stereo headphones sound like they are playing 5.1 surround sound.
• Dolby Virtual Speaker: Makes two regular stereo speakers sound like they are playing 5.1 surround sound.
• Dolby Surround, Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, and Dolby Pro Logic IIz: These systems take sound from fewer channels (like stereo) and expand it to play over more speakers, creating a surround sound experience.
• Audistry: Technologies that enhance sound quality.
• Dolby Volume: Helps to keep the sound volume at a steady level, so it doesn't suddenly get too loud or too quiet.
• Dolby Mobile: Surround sound technology made specifically for mobile phones.
• Dolby Audio Plug-in for Android: A tool for app developers to use Dolby Digital Plus on Android phones and tablets.
• Dolby Voice: Products for high-quality web conferencing.

Video Processing

These technologies improve the quality of images on screens.

• Dolby Contrast: Improves the contrast on LCD screens with LED backlights, making dark areas darker and bright areas brighter.
• Perceptual Quantizer (PQ) / SMPTE ST 2084: A standard that allows screens to show very bright and colorful images, known as high dynamic range (HDR) video. It supports brightness levels up to 10,000 nits.
• Dolby Vision: A special format for creating and showing HDR video. It supports very high brightness, wide colors, and can adjust the picture for each scene or even each frame. It's used on TVs, mobile devices, and in cinemas. Dolby Vision IQ is an update that adjusts the picture based on the brightness of your room.
• ICtCp: A way to represent colors that is better for HDR and wide color screens.

Digital Cinema

These are technologies specifically designed for movie theaters.

Dolby Laboratories Screening Rooms in Burbank, California

• Dolby Digital Cinema: The digital sound system for movies.
• Dolby Surround 7.1: Adds two extra surround channels to cinema sound.
• Dolby 3D: A technology for showing 3D movies.
• Dolby Atmos: The immersive sound system for cinemas, adding overhead sound.
• Dolby Cinema: A premium movie theater experience developed by Dolby, competing with IMAX.

Live Sound

• Dolby Lake Processor: Used for managing sound in live events. (Note: These products are now owned by Lab Gruppen).

Dolby Surround Systems Explained

Dolby has created many different surround sound systems over the years. Here's a simple look at how some of them work:

Dolby Matrix Surround Systems

These systems take sound that is "hidden" or "matrixed" within fewer channels (like stereo) and then expand it to create a surround sound experience.

Dolby Discrete Surround Systems

These systems use separate, distinct channels for each speaker, providing a more precise surround sound experience.

See also

• CX (another analog noise reduction system)
• dbx (another analog noise reduction system)
• DTS (a competitor in digital sound)
• Meridian Lossless Packing (lossless audio coding)
• SRS Labs (another surround sound company)
• Beats Audio (another digital sound company)
• Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (another digital sound company)
• Dolby Theatre
• THX

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