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The name Dolby is bigger than big in audio - I seem to remember even movie theaters advertise Dolby processing in their movie credits. For me the beginning was the Advent 200 and 201 tape decks, with Dolby B (I think). The combination of Dolby NR and chromium tape (later metal oxide tape) made cassettes a hi-fi media. Sadly, most of the record co's distributed commercial recordings for cassette using very inferior cassettes that jammed, or squealed themselves to death when the non-impregnated silicone wore off of the tape.
One would-be competitor (DBX) arose in the 1970's with after-the-fact NR that got a terrific plug from an audio article describing a demo with "Total silence, then the most incredibly loud and impactful bass drum thwack" (quote approximate). But Dolby was already well established and that was that.