R. Dolby is an electrical engineer from Stanford. He established Dolby Laboratories in England in 1965. He had recorded for two years Indian classical and folk music as a UNO representative in Punjab and UP. He developed Dolby Noise Reduction system in those days. Dolby Lab introduced Dolby Stereo of four sources which was used in A Star is Born. This system invited attention of all when it was used in Star Wars ( 1977 ). First, there was monophonic speaker behind the screen. Thereafter, in stereo system the sources were Left, Centre, Right and Surround (LCRS ). The sound was more realistic. Dolby SR was introduced in 1986. SR stands for spectral recording. Dolby Digital or Dolby 5.1 with six tracks was introduced in 1991. Here there are tracks for left, centre, right and left surround ( LS ) and right surround ( RS ). There is also a low frequency effects ( LFE ) or sub-woofer track. It emits low frequency sounds such as bomb explosions, thunder and earth quakes. It adds to the effect. 5.1 or 7.1 means five or 7 tracks with an additional 0.1 or sub-woofer track. Batman Returns ( 1992 ) was the first movie to use Dolby Digital. DTS and Sony also introduced 5.1, but Doby dominated. In 1999, Dolby introduced Dolby Ex ( 7.1 ) and in 2012 Dolby Atomos ( 7.1.4 ). In Atomos, there are speakers over the heads of the viewers. 7.1.4 means seven tracks with 0.1 subwoofer and 0.4 overhead source. It gives three-dimensional effect. In Atomos, you feel as if the rain is falling right on your head. Many theatres in India now use Dolby sound system.
Month: January 2017
Social Media Marketing : India Trends Study, 2016
EY conducted a study on social media marketing. Despite the presence of channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, brands still prefer a website to engage with the customers. They already consider mobile as the primary screen of choice. Most brands have mobile app and mobile friendly website. Digital ad spend is growing fastest. It grew by 47.5 per cent in 2016. Most brands prefer a 360 degree approach to communication, In digital space, content creation, sustaining engagement and measuring effectiveness are the three challenges. Brands may take a beating on social media, but they do not have plans to respond to such flogging. Instagram is becoming popular. Video viewing is the most preferred engagement. Brands have adopted programmatic. Instead of downloads, the metrics that could be applied to apps are measuring transactions and positive reviews. The same could be extended to content. Aggregated apps such as Chat bots may complement or substitute company apps in future.
Block Chains
Block chain technology, used in Bitcoin and other digital currencies, can be used in finance. It can be used in global payments, insurance claims, proxy voting and contingent convertible bonds.
As a technology, block chain combines cryptographic signatures with a distributed data base which is fault-tolerant. Here multiple parties can enter information ( for instance, money transfers or security trades ). This is done securely and with certainty that other participants too have the same information.
Distributed data bases and graphic signatures are with us since the 1970s. They both served different issues. They conjoined when a registry of asset ownership was envisaged, with no role or approval of the governing body for such ownership.
This shared registry of asset ownership is applied in clearing and settlement of trades. In such a system, the cash and assets go to their net owners. The difficulty is the distributed records across a whole array of institutions, each of the institution maintaining its own accounts in its own way.If these multiple players agree who owns what and who owes to whom, it is called reconciliation. It is a tedious time consuming process.
A block chain is basically a shared ledger. Each player contributes to it. Each player maintains an identical c0py of the ledger. The reconciliation is done by entering and verifying new information cryptographically. The reconciliation is automatic across all the copies. The consequence is everyone knows always who owns what. There is no need to check one another’s record.
Blockchain technology has not adopted by the markets. The problem is information sharing. Information vests with you a competitive advantage. Solution players can maintain their private records. The information sharing could be selective. Its basis is need-to-know, say while engaging in transactions. There is a third party uniqueness service to ensure truthfulness.
Each transaction has an attached code. The code is downloaded by the parties and they run it independently. This is just to verify the transaction. This reconciliation is faster than back-office work. We need a collaborative alliance through which multiple financial institutions can act together.