When I was in high school, I had a love affair with home theater -- and I lusted after a Kenwood receiver with Dolby Pro Logic, a surround sound format that made background noises in a movie come from behind you through a system where sound was included for extraction (called matrix) in the main channels of audio and processed out in the receiver. I saved up my pennies and bought the system. It was the latest and the greatest and I enjoyed it tremendously.
Fast Forward to today >> Dolby has registered an initial public offerring.
Dolby Digital (DD) is the market- and mind-share leader in multi-channel audio, in theaters domestic and commercial. For an interesting read regarding the history of DD and the other competing formats (DTS and SDDS), I would recommend reading this article as it seems to cover the lot in a better manner than I could manage.
As to the actual registration -- I haven't read it yet. But it goes without saying that this company has a level of market penetration that makes it worthy of a look at least -- the licensing model and roadmap to future formats is of most interest to me, as is its need for the share offer and the financial state of affairs. If you want to beat me to it and post a comment regarding what you find, go for it!
If you want to keep track of future SEC filings by Dolby Laboratories, Inc. via your favorite RSS newsreader, just drag this link (or copy and paste it) into that application.
from S-1 Registration Statement:
DOLBY LABORATORIES, INC.
Dolby Laboratories develops and delivers innovative products and technologies that make the entertainment experience more realistic and immersive in theatres, homes, cars and elsewhere. Since Ray Dolby founded Dolby Laboratories nearly 40 years ago, we have been at the forefront of developing sound technologies that enhance the entertainment experience for audiences and consumers. Our objective is to be an essential element in the best entertainment technology by delivering to both professionals and consumers innovative and enduring technologies that enrich the entertainment experience. Our technologies are used in sound recording, distribution and playback to faithfully recreate the original audio experience and enable digital audio and surround sound in applications such as movie soundtracks, DVDs, television, satellite and cable broadcasts, video games and personal computers. Our technologies have been adopted as standards throughout the entertainment industry. For example, virtually all major movie soundtracks throughout the world are encoded using our technologies, and virtually all DVD players incorporate our technologies.
Our products, services and technologies are used throughout the entertainment chain�from content creation, to distribution for large-scale playback, such as movie theatres, to repackaging and distribution for consumer media, such as DVDs, to consumer playback, such as DVD players and home theatre systems. We have built strong, long-lasting relationships with industry professionals at every link in the entertainment chain, including filmmakers, motion picture studios, broadcasters, film distributors, cinema operators, DVD producers, manufacturers of a broad array of consumer electronics products and software developers. Industry professionals and consumers rely on Dolby to ensure consistent quality as content moves through the chain. Moreover, we believe that the use of our technologies by professionals in the creation and distribution of content increases demand for the adoption of our technologies for use in consumer applications. We believe that we are a trusted vendor for professionals and consumers alike, and that the Dolby brand is recognized globally for quality, excellence and innovation.
