Ray Dolby

When Ray Dolby (yes, that Dolby) first began installing his buttonless, switchless and knobless noise-reduction boxes in recording studios in New York and London, engineers and producers were convinced the man was dabbling in the occult: You put hissy tape recordings into it and got quiet programming out of it. "People kept talking about magic; they were all convinced I had elves working for me at the time," Dolby recalled with a chuckle.

Dolby Laboratories Inc. added the sound of money to its repertoire Thursday. Shares of the San Francisco company, known for its pioneering audio technology, jumped 35% in their public debut, the best first-day showing for an initial public offering so far this year. The offering, which raised $495 million, was priced at $18 a share, above the expected range of $13.50 to $15.50 a share. Trading under the ticker symbol DLB, Dolby's stock rose as high as $25.45 before closing at $24.30, up $6.

The January day is improbably balmy. From the fourth floor of a house on Presidio Heights, the view of the Golden Gate Bridge is unsurpassed. There is a grand piano in the oak-paneled fourth-floor room, one that will play by itself if you push the right button. There is an oil painting of the sea and a model sailboat, a binnacle compass and a telescope you can focus on the ships passing in and out of the bay. The man in the room is sitting at his desk, his back to the splendors below.

Ray Dolby, who developed music and motion-picture sound systems that won him Academy Awards, is planning an initial public stock offering that may value his company at as much as $1.5 billion, people familiar with the matter said. Dolby Laboratories Inc., based in San Francisco, has hired brokerage firm Morgan Stanley and plans to raise about $400 million selling new shares and part of Ray Dolby's stake, said a person who declined to be identified. The transaction is planned for next year.

Ray Dolby, who developed music and motion-picture sound systems that won him Academy Awards, is planning an initial public stock offering that may value his company at as much as $1.5 billion, people familiar with the matter said. Dolby Laboratories Inc., based in San Francisco, has hired brokerage firm Morgan Stanley and plans to raise about $400 million selling new shares and part of Ray Dolby's stake, said a person who declined to be identified. The transaction is planned for next year.

Dolby Laboratories Inc. added the sound of money to its repertoire Thursday. Shares of the San Francisco company, known for its pioneering audio technology, jumped 35% in their public debut, the best first-day showing for an initial public offering so far this year. The offering, which raised $495 million, was priced at $18 a share, above the expected range of $13.50 to $15.50 a share. Trading under the ticker symbol DLB, Dolby's stock rose as high as $25.45 before closing at $24.30, up $6.

Eastman Kodak and Ray Dolby and Ioan Allen of Dolby Laboratories were among the honorees at Sunday night's bestowing of Oscars for scientific and technical achievement at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Eastman's honorary Oscar, noting the company's "fundamental place" in movie making for more than 100 years, is the company's sixth. (The first came in 1931, and all have been for developing and improving motion-picture film.) The Dolby Oscar is for continuous contributions to motion-picture sound.

Gear up Hollywood award trackers, January is going to be an even busier month next year. The Directors Guild of America announced Wednesday that the 66th DGA Awards will be held on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at the Hollywood & Highland Center in Los Angeles. The show will move up one week from its date this year and will closely follow the Screen Actors Guild Awards (Jan. 18) and the Producers Guild Awards (Jan. 19). The awards calendar for 2014 is being compressed by the Winter Olympics, which will run from Feb. 7 to Feb. 24 in Sochi, Russia.

Dolby Laboratories Inc.'s initial public offering Wednesday priced shares at the high end of an upwardly revised range, an underwriter said, raising $495 million for the audio technology company. Dolby Laboratories' IPO priced 27.5 million shares at $18 each, the underwriter said, giving the company a market capitalization of around $1.7 billion. The San Francisco-based company, which has spearheaded developments in audio technology for nearly four decades, had originally filed to offer 27.

The cinematographers of "Anna Karenina," "Les Miserables," "Life of Pi," "Lincoln" and "Skyfall" were nominated Wednesday morning for outstanding achievement in the feature film category for the 27th  American Society of Cinematographers Awards. All five cinematographers are previous ASC Awards nominees. Roger Deakins earned his 11th ASC nomination for the James Bond blockbuster, "Skyfall. " He previously won for the 1994 drama "The Shawshank Redemption" and 2001 thriller "The Man Who Wasn't There.

The January day is improbably balmy. From the fourth floor of a house on Presidio Heights, the view of the Golden Gate Bridge is unsurpassed. There is a grand piano in the oak-paneled fourth-floor room, one that will play by itself if you push the right button. There is an oil painting of the sea and a model sailboat, a binnacle compass and a telescope you can focus on the ships passing in and out of the bay. The man in the room is sitting at his desk, his back to the splendors below.

When Ray Dolby (yes, that Dolby) first began installing his buttonless, switchless and knobless noise-reduction boxes in recording studios in New York and London, engineers and producers were convinced the man was dabbling in the occult: You put hissy tape recordings into it and got quiet programming out of it. "People kept talking about magic; they were all convinced I had elves working for me at the time," Dolby recalled with a chuckle.

A well-known former post office distribution center near Marina del Rey has sold for nearly $44 million to investors who intend to turn it into offices for tenants in creative fields. The 20-acre property across Jefferson Boulevard from Playa Vista was developed in 1971 to be an electronics manufacturing plant and most recently served as a major U.S. Postal Service center for the Westside of Los Angeles. Worthe Real Estate Group and Shorenstein Properties bought the site at 13031 W. Jefferson Blvd.

Roger Deakins won the 27th American Society of Cinematographers Award for outstanding achievement in feature film for "Skyfall" on Sunday evening. Deakins previously won the ASC Award 18 years ago for "The Shawshank Redemption" and six years ago for "No Country for Old Men. " The cinematographer, who earned his 10th Academy Award nomination for "Skyfall," has never won an Oscar. Perhaps the ASC win will boost his chances to finally win the elusive Academy Award. OSCARS 2013: Full coverage Earlier Sunday, "Skyfall" won the BAFTA for best British film.