English for AVT specialists. Английский для специалистов в сфере аудиовизуальных технологий. Сборник текстов и упражнений по английскому языку

Dolby also searched to develop film sound. The company’s history writes:

Upon investigation, Dolby found that many of the limitations in optical sound stemmed directly from its significantly high background noise. To filter this noise, the high-frequency response of theater playback systems was deliberately curtailed… To make matters worse, to increase dialogue intelligibility over such systems, sound mixers were recording soundtracks with so much high-frequency pre-emphasis that high distortion resulted.

A Clockwork Orange (1971) was the first film with Dolby sound that utilized Dolby noise reduction on all pre-mixes and masters, but with traditional optical soundtrack on release prints. Callan (1974) became the first film with a Dolby encoded optical soundtrack. In 1975 Dolby introduced Dolby Stereo including a noise reduction system as well as more audio channels (it could have additional center and surround channels matrixed from the left and right). The first film with A Dolby – encoded stereo optical soundtrack was Lisztomania (1975), but it was only made in an LCR (Left-Center-Right) encoding technique. The first movie containing the true LCRS (Left-Center-Right – Surround) encoded soundtrack was called A Star is Born in 1976. Having reworked the system a bit for home viewing, Dolby released Dolby Surround, which only extracted a surround channel, and the more advanced Dolby Pro Logic, which actually was the domestic counterpart of the theatrical Dolby Stereo.

Dolby engineers also developed a digital surround compression scheme for the movie. Dolby Stereo Digital (now simply known as Dolby Digital) was first encoded on the 1992 film Batman Returns. Another Dolby format, AC-3 (the film Clear and Present Danger was offered at the home theater market on a laserdisc in 1995) did not make much profit in the consumer market and eventually became part of the DVD specification. Dolby Digital was included in the High Definition Television (Advanced Television Systems Television, HDTV and ATSC respectively) standard of the USA, DVD-players, and a lot of satellite-TV and cable – TV receivers. TV series The Simpsons used the Dolby digital surround sound compression scheme.

In 2005, the corporation offered its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, claiming to become public under the symbol DLB. The same year it celebrated the 40-anniversary.

In 2007, the company presented Dolby Volume at the International Consumer Electronics Show. It provides users with an opportunity to keep up a steady volume while switching from one channel to another.

On June 18, 2010, Dolby announced the arrival of Dolby Surround 7.1, which became widespread in the world market. The first movie released with this format was Pixar’s Toy Story 3. Later 50 more releases came out using the format. In April 2012, there were 3,600 Dolby Surround 7.1 movie theaters. In the same month a new cinematic technology, Dolby Atmos, was introduced by the company.

Essential glossary

• reduction – уменьшение, сокращение

• found – основать

• compander – компандер, расширитель

• capability – способность

• process – обрабатывать (данные, информацию)

• veil – скрывать, маскировать

• consumer – потребитель

• investigation – исследование

• frequency response – частотная характеристика

• intelligibility – разборчивость, отчётливость, внятность

• pre-emphasis – предыскажение, предварительная коррекция

• distortion – искажение, деформация

• utilize – использовать

• pre-mix – предварительное микширование

• master – первый оригинал

• home viewing – домашний просмотр

• domestic – домашний

• counterpart – аналог, копия, двойник

• profit – выгода, прибыль

• satellite – спутник

• receiver – приёмник, принимающее устройство

• share – акция

• keep up – поддерживать

SUBJECT AND LANGUAGE STUDY

Reading

3. Scan the text to finish the sentences.

1) The first issue produced by the company was…

2) A notable American engineer and businessperson Henry Kloss talked Ray Dolby into producing…

3) The first film with Dolby sound that used Dolby noise reduction on all pre-mixes and masters, although with traditional optical soundtrack on release prints was…

4 The film A Star is Born contained the true…

5) In 2010, Dolby announced the arrival of…

4. Read the text in more detail to answer the questions.

1) What does Dolby Labs specialize in?

2) Who established the company?

3) What was the main feature that set Dolby’s compander, Type A Dolby Noise Reduction, apart from the others?

4) What conclusion was made by Dolby’s analysts of the limitations in optical sound?

5) What was the first movie that used Dolby noise reduction, though not in the final version?

6) What film was the first real LCRS soundtrack encoded on?

7) Where was the digital surround sound compression scheme employed?

8) Which system enables consumers to maintain an invariable volume while switching through program elements or channels?

9) When was Dolby Surround 7.1 introduced?

5. Find the English equivalents of the following words and expressions in the text.