75 years of Innovators: Ray Dolby

    Jan. 8, 2004
    Ray Dolby, a household name, is best known for advanced recording technology. In 1965, he founded Dolby Laboratories, a company dedicated to developing new audio noise-reduction techniques.

    In the 75 years since Machine Design began publication, here are some of the people who have changed the way we live.

    Ray Dolby
    Music and movie sound technology
    1933-

    The company's first invention was a system for reducing noise in sound recordings. "Dolby stereo" improved the sound quality of movies, and high-fidelity, surround-sound movie audio owes its beginnings to Dolby.

    Dolby began his career with Ampex Corp. and was instrumental in developing the first VCR. He holds a B.S. from Stanford University and has a Ph.D. in physics from Cambridge University in England. Dolby holds more than 50 U.S. patents, and has received Oscar, Emmy, and Grammy awards. Over 7,000 movies have been released with Dolby soundtracks, and more than 50 weekly television shows are encoded with Dolby surround sound.

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