
Audio pioneer Ray Dolby passes away - coloneltcb
http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/12/audio-pioneer-ray-dolby-passes-away/
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joezydeco
Let's also not forget his work on the AMPEX Quadruplex, the first magnetic
videotape recorder. He was 19 when he joined the team.

[http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html#history](http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html#history)

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ezequiel-garzon
_Ray Dolby has passed on._

Off-topic question for the native English speakers: what is the difference you
see between _passing away_ and _passing on_? It's the first time I come across
the latter.

Sigh... I'll never grok phrasal verbs...

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cynwoody
There is little difference between the two, as it relates to kicking the
bucket†. However, using "pass on" may imply passing on _to_ some sort of
afterlife, as opposed to simply departing the world.

The phrase "pass on" has more meanings. For instance, you can "pass on" an
investment opportunity, meaning to decline to make the investment. Also, you
can use it transitively, as in transferring something to somebody.

†[http://www.answers.com/topic/kick-the-
bucket](http://www.answers.com/topic/kick-the-bucket)

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gmac
Yes, 'pass on' is especially tricky, as it depends on context and emphasis. If
I say 'I'll PASS on that opportunity' it means I'll decline it; but if I say
'I'll pass ON that opportunity', it means I'll offer it to someone else.

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triplesec
2 minutes' (hiss-free) silence. A fine engineer and an example to follow!

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big_lou
At least we still have this Dolby:
[http://www.thomasdolby.com/](http://www.thomasdolby.com/)

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SwellJoe
Who took his stage name from the subject of this thread.

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educating
I have to admit my heart almost stopped when I thought that Thomas Dolby, one
of my favorite musicians, had passed away. I caught his tour recently. Really
good!

Ray Dolby is _the_ Dolby though. Very few in the history of Earth have done so
much for a surname. You can't read Dolby and not think quality audio.

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tareqak
BBC article: [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-
canada-24075429](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24075429)

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bostonpete
Two months to the day after Amar Bose...

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rikacomet
RIP.

Now that I think of it, I can't think of a audio tech brand, except dolby..
its such a common thing. I'm off to google who are dolby's biggest
competitors.

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yardie
Bose, obviously. But also Mcintosh, Nakamichi, Harman/Kardon, Sennheiser, and
Bang Olufsen (Peter Bang was the audiophile in that duo).

But Dolby is different in that he didn't actually make any consumer products.
Everything was licensed to studios, OEMSs, theaters, etc. His brand was the
Microsoft of the consumer audio world.

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vibrolax
Sidney Harman, who died in 2011, gave his name and talents to a golden age
consumer/professional audio company. Today Harman International is a holding
company for many well-known audio industry brands. I think he is much better
known for his financial, philanthropic, and political activities than his
technical legacy.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Sidney_Harman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Sidney_Harman)

