Fantasound

Hewlett Packard was founded in 1939 by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard, who had both graduated from Stanford University in 1934, as a manufacturer of test and measurement instruments. Their first product was a precision audio oscillator, the Model 200A. Their innovation was the use of a light bulb as a temperature stabilized resistor in a critical portion of the circuit. This allowed them to sell the Model 200A for $54.40 when competitors were selling less stable oscillators for over $200. One of their earliest customers was Disney, who bought eight Model 200B oscillators (at $71.50 each) for use in testing sound systems for the movie Fantasia.

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