For the first time, the opening and closing bells at the New York Stock Exchange were heard in full 5.1 channel surround sound audio on the trading floor and for viewers watching at home. That’s because on Thursday, Feb. 17, Dolby Laboratories initiated an Initial Public Offering of its company stock. Company Chairman Ray Dolby rang the opening bell and President and CEO Bill Jasper performed the closing bell honors.
Executives and guests of the company were on hand to announce that the company would begin trading under the ticker symbol “DLB” (NYSE: DLB).
To mark the special occasion, both the opening bell and the closing bell were rung in surround sound in the main trading room. The opening bell was rung in a random pattern around the main trading floor, while the closing bell was heard via a special remix created by Dolby engineers, that incorporated the traditional bell sound with added percussion and effects that appeared to jump around the room and envelop the listeners.
Also for the first time, the television feed of both bells was delivered to news stations and viewers with Dolby Pro Logic II audio. Viewers were able to experience the bells as they were heard on the trading floor with their Dolby Pro Logic II-equipped home theater systems. Viewers without home theater systems heard the bells in stereo.
For more information, visit http://dolby.com.
