Dolby

Dolby, or Dolby Laboratories, is a company headquartered in San Francisco and, along with its main competitor DTS, is today considered the global leader in the field of audio signals. Surely many of you know the well-known logo in combination with the different sound concepts such as Dolby Surround, which have been used in film and television technology for decades in some cases.

Foundation and first success

The company was founded in 1965 by the American sound engineer Ray Dolby. At the time, Dolby was a young scientist who specialized in the development of sound recording and reproduction. The company’s beginnings were modest, as Dolby initially worked alone in a small office in London.

One of Dolby’s most important inventions was the Dolby Noise Reduction system, which was launched in 1968. This technology reduced the background noise when recording sound and ensured that the sound quality was significantly improved.

Dolby developments (excerpt)

Dolby Atmos	Normally 5.1.2, 5.1.4, 7.1.2, 7.1.4	Overhead dimension due to additional overhead channels, up to 24.1.10 channels possible
Dolby Digital	5.1 channel, lossy	Digital successor to Dolby Surround
Dolby Digital Plus	7.1 channel, lossy	Optional, in E-AC-3 format, downward compatible with AC-3
Dolby Surround	5.1 channel	Analog, backward compatible with Dolby Stereo
Dolby TrueHD	7.1 channel, lossless	Downward compatible due to integrated 5.1 track in AC-3 format