Movie cameramen shot, developed, and (maybe) edited their own films, and then hung a white bedsheet on the wall of a rented hall, took the back off the camera, placed a bright kerosene lamp or lime-light behind it, and thereby showed the movie. Cameras were hand-cranked then, and the cameraman/projectionist had to take care to crank the machine at the same speed each time. But, being the turn of (last) century, this was all very new technology and people were amazed.

Then, music was played to accompany the silent moving pictures. At first, suitable pieces from the repertoire of piano and popular music of the day was used, and then gradually pieces were composed for specific pictures, large books of music for general movie use were published, and large theatres had lavish orchestras and big pipe organs designed especially for cinema scores. Scores were done live to picture, at every showing.

Then came 'talkies'. Sound was picked up by a single microphone and recorded optically onto film, developed, and then played back by optical reader units, mixed, and a phonograph record was cut. It was played back on a cinema film projector having a phonograph turntable mechanically driven from the projector so that the sound would stay exactly synchronized with the picture. These records were 16" in diameter and rotated at 33 1/3 RPM... enough to get ten minutes of sound in one playing, sufficient for one reel of film. There was a record for each reel, and a mark on the record to show the projectionist precisely where to put the needle to start off. The sound was amplified and played back on a large speaker behind the screen in the theatre. People were amazed again.

Then technology was developed to put the sound track optically on the movie print itself, and the cumbersome records could be dispensed with. This also allowed the film to be edited along with the sound track, ensuring that when cuts were made, the sound would follow. Amplifiers got more powerful, theatres sprouted more seats, speakers were bigger.

Along came stereo sound for movies, at first using separate magnetic tracks on the film like present day recording tape. The advance of technology allowed the placement of two soundtracks side-by-side on the film, and allowed two speakers in the theatre. Many experiments were carried out over the years, trying (and discarding) various formats and techniques for reproducing 'natural' sound in the cinema hall. Films got colour, grew to 70mm, and then four-channel records were invented.

Peter Schieber, a bassoon player for the Dallas, Texas Symphony Orchestra, (and a talented amateur mathematician and audiophile), developed a method to squeeze four channels of audio into two. He patented this process. The record companies took it up, produced many 'Quad' vinyl records, many manufacturers tried to sell the decoders and extra gear necessary, but the Public at the time was not ready to have four speakers and a shelf full of electronics in thier living rooms, so the idea failed, the records were boxed up and later sold or thrown away, and Peter Schieber returned to his bassoon.

Ray Dolby realized that the Schieber Patent could be used for getting four audio channels from 35mm movie film, which at the time was either mono optical or four-channel magnetic stripe format. Since there is only room for two practical optical tracks on 35mm film, the Dolby Stereo process was an instant hit, and Peter Schieber once again reaped the benefit of his invention, and the audience listened and was further amazed.

Dolby Laboratories also applied the Dolby Noise Reduction process to film sound, along with the four channel encoding/decoding, and the film audio standard for many years was set. Dolby provided not only the encoding equipment, but also was (and is) the major supplier of cinema playback devices. Even with the coming of Ultra Stereo, as well a manufacturer of cinema equipment and a licensor of the Schieber Patent, the name 'Dolby' became synonymous with 'multichannel cinema audio', the same as it is with 'noise reduction', even though there are many noise reduction schemes in existence, by several manufacturers. Peoples amazement grew and wonder set in.

During the rise of the Dolby Stereo popularity, and as a result of George Lucas' experiences with the format during the wide release of "Star Wars", his company LucasFilm set up the THX program, designed to ensure at least a minimal standard 'environment' in theatres and cinema audio facilities, certifying that the sound and picture reproduced in these venues conformed to agreed-upon standards for acoustics, electronics, and mechanics as applied to Movies. Dolby Laboratories cooperated in this effort, and were the first manufacturers to have their cinema gear certified under the THX umbrella.

At last, the advances of digital audio technology caught up with the cinema art, and various schemes were tried in order to allow playback of a movie soundtrack from a digital source. The very first systems used computer hard drives, but at the time they were very large, very expensive, had quite limited volume (50KB - 100MB) and were neither portable nor reliable enough for theatre use. Several systems using laser disc and synchronized VHS tape were tried and discarded. The first of the on-the-film schemes was Kodak's Cinema Digital Sound or CDS. It failed due to it's lack of backward compatibility with existing projectors. Dolby Laboratories developed a method of encoding six channels of sound directly onto the film, using the space between the sprocket holes of the 35mm print. This had the advantage of not requiring any further handling in the projection booth outside of threading the film in the projector. Sony Pictures also fielded an eight channel scheme which used the film area outside the sprocket holes on both edges of the print to encode the digital data, with the same advantage of not having 'double inventory' to distribute. Then Digital Theater Systems developed a method of encoding six audio channels onto CD-ROM discs, and fielded player units in theatres coinciding with the release of "Jurassic Park". A timecode track on the film next to the sound track provided the CDROM with a synchronisation reference, and the sound played in the theatre hall in six channels: Left, Center, Right, Left Surround, Right Surround, and Subwoofer. M.G.M. Studios signed an agreement with DTS and became the first major studio to release all it's films in that format.

With the rise of multi-channel cinema audio also came the advent of similar systems for the home theatre market. Dolby first provided suitable decoders as add-ons to popular home hi-fi gear, and set up to play the four-channel tracks copied onto VHS and Beta tapes from the movie sound track. Soon came the Pro-Logic system, and at the same time DTS and Dolby provided six channel decoders for their respective processes, as components of multi-channel home theatre audio equipment. THX also took part in certifying parts of this equipment, giving home movie viewers the same reproduction standards adhered to in commercial establishments.

The completely amazed audience is still listening...