Dolby Atmos is an object-based surround sound format developed by Dolby Laboratories and first used in cinemas in 2012, beginning with Pixar's Brave. Before feature presentations, theaters played a short demonstration intro designed to show sound moving around and above the audience, rather than coming only from the front speakers. Clips of that demonstration later spread online, where video editors began using the familiar swell as a shorthand for cinema quality. It remains popular because the sound instantly signals scale, polish and a theatrical opening.