Today in Technology History
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January 18
Ray Dolby, whose name has become synonymous with advanced recording technology, celebrates his 69th birthday today.
Dolby was born on January 18, 1933 in Portland, Oregon. When he was a 16-year-old high school student, he got a part-time job at Ampex -- a company doing cutting-edge recording research -- after a chance meeting with the firm's founder. Dolby received his first patent at age 18, and by the time he was 20 he had helped Ampex develop a basic videotape system that is the ancestor of today's VCRs.
Dolby studied engineering and physics at Stanford and Cambridge; he then spent two years in India as a UN advisor. In 1965, he founded Dolby Laboratories, a company intended to improve recording technology. The company's first major invention was a system for reducing the noise -- hisses and static -- that interfered with sound recordings. The Dolby noise reduction system quickly improved the quality of professional tape recording, and it was soon available to consumers as well.
Next, the development of "Dolby stereo" improved the sound quality of motion pictures. Much of the credit for today's high-fidelity, surround-sound movie audio belongs to Dolby and his company. In recent years, the company has become a leader in the digital recording area.
Dolby has more than 50 patents to his name, but perhaps a better way to keep his career in perspective is to remember this fact: some of Dolby's innovations will go into every movie, TV show and audio recording you are likely to encounter for the rest of your life.
Related links:
Click here to read the official Dolby Laboratories biography of their founder.
Click here to read an interview with Ray Dolby, mainly concentrating on his love of flying.
The name Dolby has entered the dictionaries. Use these links to see:
Click here to read about Dolby's work on early video recording technology.
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