Ray Dolby, audio pioneer, dies aged 80

[Bosonic]

Source: AFP

Ray Dolby, who pioneered noise-reducing and surround-sound audio technologies which are fundamental to the music and film industries, has died aged 80, the company which bears his name announced Thursday.

Dolby had suffered from Alzheimer's Disease for a number of years, and was diagnosed with acute leukemia last July, it said, adding that the Oscar-winning scientist died at home in San Francisco.

"Today we lost a friend, mentor and true visionary," said Kevin Yeaman, President and CEO of Dolby Laboratories, the company which the young Dolby created in 1965.

"Ray Dolby founded the company based on a commitment to creating value through innovation and an impassioned belief that if you invested in people and gave them the tools for success they would create great things.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/ray-dolby-audio-pioneer-dies-aged-80-230311877.html

[Recursion]

1. Dolby, like of "Dolby"?

I remember studying some of his work in grad school. Amazing man. I also assumed he'd been dead for a long time.

[jberryhill]

3. He was the lead singer for Head Cleaner

...one of the great bands of the 80's.

[Rebellious Republican]

6. You mean this Head Cleaner....

[jberryhill]

8. Touch my monkey

[Rebellious Republican]

9. Not gonna go there!

[meegbear]

4. He was blinded by science

[Kolesar]

2. My classmate thought it was invented by Thomas Dolby

It was a funny moment during one of our beer parties; we were listening to a cassette tape at that time.

[Rebellious Republican]

5. Thomas and Ray, no relation except their contribution to music and the same last name...

The Thomas Dolby stage name originated from a nickname that he picked up around "the early 70s", when he was "always messing around with keyboards and tapes".[5] His friends nicknamed him Dolby, from the name of an audio noise-reduction process from Dolby Laboratories used for audio recording and playback. British singer Tom Robinson was popular when Dolby began his career, and Robertson chose to adopt the stage name "Thomas Dolby" to avoid confusion. Early publicity implied that "Dolby" was a middle name, and that the artist's full name was Thomas Morgan Dolby Robertson; this is not true, but he does sometimes informally go by the initials TMDR.
After the release of "She Blinded Me With Science", Dolby Laboratories expressed concern regarding the musician's stage name. Dolby's record label refused to make him change his name, and Dolby Labs did not raise the issue again until later. After a lengthy legal battle, the court decided that Dolby Labs had no right to restrict the musician from using the name. It was agreed that the musician would not release any electronic equipment using the name.[6] (Coincidentally, inventor/founder Dr. Ray Dolby had a son named Thomas.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Dolby

[KurtNYC]

7. May he rest in noise reduced peace.

He was a visionary.

[Rebellious Republican]

10. Awesome, that speaks VOLUMES!

[StarlightGold]

11. I thought

His name was Ray Dubly?

[onehandle]

15. 'Hello Cleveland!'

Jeanine: You don't, you don't do heavy metal in doubly, you know, I Mean...it's
Nigel: In what??? In what???
Jeanine: In doubly...
Nigel: In dublin!?! What's that?
David: She means Dolby, alright? She means Dolby, you know? You know perfectly well what she means.

[StarlightGold]

17. Nigel looking

At his portrait..."Well, I think it would look better if it were drawn in "Dubly".
Never. Gets. Old.

[christx30]

12. My first thought when I heard this:

"The funeral was very sad. But the reception was amazing."

I'm going to hell.

[sendero]

13. The Dolby noise reduction system.

.... made cassette tapes listenable. Yes, I am THAT old. The technique used was simple and ingenious, and quite effective. RIP.

[Jamastiene]

14. RIP

Thanks for the wonderful sound technology. I have certainly loved it for years now. RIP

[onehandle]

16. Enjoying movies from iTunes in Dolby Digital 5.1.

Thanks, sir.