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Dolby Laboratories, Inc. specializes in audio noise reduction and audio encoding/ compression. The company was founded in Britain and is based in USA. It is often shortened to Dolby Labs.

Founding

Dolby Laboratories was founded by Ray Dolby in 1965. Founded in Britain, the company was moved to the United States (San Francisco, California) in 1976.

Dolby Surround is the earliest consumer version of theatrical Dolby Stereo that was introduced in 1982. The format entered the market when home video recording formats like Betamax and VHS were introducing Stereo and HiFi capability. It is the earliest version of Dolby’s multichannel analog film sound decoding format introduced by Dolby Stereo.

Dolby Stereo was the original analog noise reduction technology that was developed by Dolby Laboratories and used in movie theaters. Also known as Dolby A (or Dolby Analog), it was used for 70 mm film (magnetic) and 35mm film (optical) prints in 1976. Logan’s Run was the first to use Dolby mix and Dolby Stereo was used for the first time on 101 Dalmatians, a Disney Classics film.

Dolby SR (Spectral Recording) noise reduction system was developed by Dolby Laboratories. It is a four-channel noise reduction format that improves the dynamic range of analog recordings and transmissions by 25 dB. The system has been in common use in professional audio since 1986 and in cinema since the early 1990s. Dolby SR is a revised version of the earlier formats and merges the aspects of Dolby A, B and C for an improved dynamic range of analogue recordings and transmissions.