Dolby Laboratories (DLB) 10-Q 2 May 18 2018 Q2 Quarterly report Financial data

Document And Entity Information

Document And Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Jan. 26, 2018
Entity Registrant Name	Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	1,308,547
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--09-28
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 30, 2018
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Amendment Flag	false
Class A Common Stock [Member]
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		62,434,488
Class B Common Stock [Member]
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		41,677,918

Interim Condensed Consolidated

Interim Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 30, 2018	Sep. 29, 2017
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 705,519	$ 627,017
Restricted cash	8,082	7,351
Short-term investments	240,497	247,757
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $4,585 and $2,967	141,257	73,750
Inventories	24,066	25,051
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	35,244	30,508
Total current assets	1,154,665	1,011,434
Long-term investments	262,062	314,364
Property, plant, and equipment, net	500,981	485,275
Intangible assets, net	191,340	189,648
Goodwill	316,558	311,087
Deferred taxes	141,580	190,915
Other non-current assets	39,453	30,831
Total assets	2,606,639	2,533,554
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	18,200	14,373
Accrued liabilities	167,793	207,034
Income taxes payable	4,614	1,216
Deferred revenue	22,542	23,150
Total current liabilities	213,149	245,773
Long-term deferred revenue	37,430	36,425
Other non-current liabilities	202,082	107,514
Total liabilities	452,661	389,712
Stockholders' equity:
Additional paid-in capital	113,827	61,331
Retained earnings	2,039,116	2,083,063
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss)	(5,616)	(7,753)
Total stockholders’ equity – Dolby Laboratories, Inc.	2,147,429	2,136,742
Controlling interest	6,549	7,100
Total stockholders’ equity	2,153,978	2,143,842
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	2,606,639	2,533,554
Class A, $0.001 par value, one vote per share, 500,000,000 shares authorized: 61,364,751 shares issued and outstanding at March 30, 2018 and 59,281,837 at September 29, 2017
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock	59	58
Class B, $0.001 par value, ten votes per share, 500,000,000 shares authorized: 42,733,038 shares issued and outstanding at March 30, 2018 and 42,873,597 at September 29, 2017
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock	$ 43	$ 43

Interim Condensed Consolidated3

Interim Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) $ in Thousands	Mar. 30, 2018USD ($)vote / shares$ / sharesshares	Sep. 29, 2017USD ($)vote / shares$ / sharesshares
Allowance for doubtful accounts | $	$ (4,585)	$ (2,967)
Class A Common Stock [Member]
Common stock, par value (usd per share) | $ / shares	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Common stock voting right per share (votes per share) | vote / shares	1	1
Common stock, shares authorized (shares)	500,000,000	500,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (shares)	61,364,751	59,281,837
Common stock, shares outstanding (shares)	61,364,751	59,281,837
Class B Common Stock [Member]
Common stock, par value (usd per share) | $ / shares	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Common stock voting right per share (votes per share) | vote / shares	10	10
Common stock, shares authorized (shares)	500,000,000	500,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (shares)	42,733,038	42,873,597
Common stock, shares outstanding (shares)	42,733,038	42,873,597

Interim Condensed Consolidated4

Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Operations - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Revenue:
Licensing	$ 273,143	$ 241,617	$ 531,159	$ 474,316
Products	22,665	20,713	47,598	48,924
Services	5,547	5,144	10,395	10,501
Total revenue	301,355	267,474	589,152	533,741
Cost of revenue:
Cost of licensing	10,610	8,796	19,869	16,917
Cost of products	15,603	13,988	32,638	31,708
Cost of services	4,746	4,193	9,328	8,319
Total cost of revenue	30,959	26,977	61,835	56,944
Gross margin	270,396	240,497	527,317	476,797
Operating expenses:
Research and development	59,493	58,341	115,937	115,859
Sales and marketing	74,019	75,620	144,168	146,795
General and administrative	50,747	43,253	99,032	84,793
Restructuring charges/(credits)	(167)	0	(364)	0
Total operating expenses	184,092	177,214	358,773	347,447
Operating income	86,304	63,283	168,544	129,350
Other income/expense:
Interest income	3,892	2,186	7,673	4,000
Interest expense	(29)	(37)	(64)	(63)
Other income/(expense), net	(684)	762	(1,836)	563
Total other income	3,179	2,911	5,773	4,500
Income before income taxes	89,483	66,194	174,317	133,850
Provision for income taxes	(18,718)	(15,467)	(185,030)	(29,549)
Net income/(loss) including controlling interest	70,765	50,727	(10,713)	104,301
Less: net (income) attributable to controlling interest	(134)	(137)	(278)	(337)
Net income/(loss) attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc.	$ 70,631	$ 50,590	$ (10,991)	$ 103,964
Net income/(loss) per share:
Basic (in usd per share)	$ 0.68	$ 0.50	$ (0.11)	$ 1.02
Diluted (in usd per share)	$ 0.66	$ 0.49	$ (0.11)	$ 1
Weighted-average shares outstanding:
Basic (in shares)	103,771	101,787	103,162	101,635
Diluted (in shares)	107,001	103,883	103,162	103,867
Related party rent expense:
Included in operating expenses	$ 784	$ 793	$ 1,568	$ 1,575
Included in net income attributable to controlling interest	$ 179	$ 175	$ 356	$ 350
Common stock, dividends declared (in dollars per share)	$ 0.16	$ 0.14	$ 0.32	$ 0.28
Common Stock, Dividends, Per Share, Cash Paid	$ 0.16	$ 0.14	$ 0.32	$ 0.28

Interim Condensed Consolidated5

Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income Statement - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income including controlling interest	$ 70,765	$ 50,727	$ (10,713)	$ 104,301
Other comprehensive income:
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax	4,264	4,445	5,482	(3,279)
Unrealized gains/(losses) on available-for-sale securities, net of tax	(1,559)	581	(3,152)	(1,438)
Comprehensive income	73,470	55,753	(8,383)	99,584
Less: comprehensive (income) attributable to controlling interest	(333)	(192)	(471)	(131)
Comprehensive income attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc.	$ 73,137	$ 55,561	$ (8,854)	$ 99,453

Interim Condensed Consolidated6

Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Stockholders' Equity - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-In Capital [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]	Total Dolby Laboratories,Inc.[Member]	Controlling Interest [Member]	Class A Common Stock [Member]Common Stock [Member]	Class A Common Stock [Member]Additional Paid-In Capital [Member]
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Shares, Outstanding		101,000
Beginning balance at Sep. 30, 2016	$ 1,978,735		$ 42,032	$ 1,938,320	$ (10,197)	$ 1,970,256	$ 8,479
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	104,301			103,964		103,964	337
Translation adjustments, net of tax of $829 and $(64), respectively	(3,279)				(3,073)	(3,073)	(206)
Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities, net of tax of $(327) and $(98), respectively	(1,438)				(1,438)	(1,438)
Distributions to controlling interest	(2,094)						(2,094)
Stock-based compensation expense	33,198		33,198			33,198
Shares repurchased (in shares)								(1,000)
Repurchase of common stock	(50,000)		(49,999)			(50,000)
Cash dividends declared and paid on common stock	(28,494)			(28,494)		(28,494)
Tax benefit/(deficiency) from the stock incentive plans	3,818		3,818			3,818
Common stock issued under employee stock plans	24,210		24,208			24,210		$ 2
Tax withholdings on vesting of restricted stock	(15,799)					(15,799)		$ (1)	$ (15,798)
Ending balance at Mar. 31, 2017	2,043,158		37,459	2,013,790	(14,708)	2,036,642	6,516
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Shares, Outstanding		101,000
Shares, Outstanding		101,000
Beginning balance at Sep. 29, 2017	2,143,842		61,331	2,083,063	(7,753)	2,136,742	7,100
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	(10,713)			(10,991)		(10,991)	278
Translation adjustments, net of tax of $829 and $(64), respectively	5,482				5,289	5,289	193
Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities, net of tax of $(327) and $(98), respectively	(3,152)				(3,152)	(3,152)
Distributions to controlling interest	(1,022)
Stock-based compensation expense	$ 36,375		36,375			36,375
Shares repurchased (in shares)	(571,589)							(1,000)
Repurchase of common stock	$ (34,993)		(34,992)			(34,993)
Cash dividends declared and paid on common stock	(32,956)			(32,956)		(32,956)
Tax benefit/(deficiency) from the stock incentive plans
Common stock issued under employee stock plans	71,061		71,059			71,061		$ 2
Tax withholdings on vesting of restricted stock	(19,946)					(19,946)			$ (19,946)
Ending balance at Mar. 30, 2018	$ 2,153,978		$ 113,827	$ 2,039,116	$ (5,616)	$ 2,147,429	$ 6,549
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Shares, Outstanding		102,000

Interim Condensed Consolidated7

Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Cash Flows - USD ($)	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired	$ 6,563,000	$ 0
Operating activities:
Net income including controlling interest	(10,713,000)	104,301,000
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	40,684,000	44,061,000
Stock-based compensation	36,375,000	33,198,000
Amortization of premium on investments	1,472,000	1,376,000
Provision for doubtful accounts	1,607,000	1,010,000
Deferred income taxes	48,332,000	(8,856,000)
Other non-cash items affecting net income	977,000	160,000
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	(69,018,000)	(13,538,000)
Inventories	(352,000)	(3,253,000)
Prepaid expenses and other assets	(12,732,000)	(11,280,000)
Accounts payable and other liabilities	(38,124,000)	495,000
Income taxes, net	99,861,000	11,089,000
Deferred revenue	324,000	85,000
Other non-current liabilities	(652,000)	480,000
Net cash provided by operating activities	98,041,000	159,328,000
Investing activities:
Purchase of investments	(129,456,000)	(98,789,000)
Proceeds from sales of investment securities	64,698,000	23,071,000
Proceeds from maturities of investment securities	118,874,000	66,171,000
Purchases of property, plant and equipment	(39,734,000)	(51,230,000)
Purchases of intangible assets	(11,893,000)	(5,250,000)
Change in restricted cash	(731,000)	(2,107,000)
Net cash provided by/(used in) investing activities	(4,805,000)	(68,134,000)
Financing activities:
Proceeds from issuance of common stock	71,061,000	24,210,000
Repurchase of common stock	(34,993,000)	(50,000,000)
Payment of cash dividend	(32,956,000)	(28,494,000)
Distribution to controlling interest	(1,022,000)	(2,094,000)
Shares repurchased for tax withholdings on vesting of restricted stock	(19,946,000)	(15,799,000)
Net cash used in financing activities	(17,856,000)	(72,177,000)
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	3,122,000	(2,621,000)
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	78,502,000	16,396,000
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	627,017,000	516,112,000
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	705,519,000	532,508,000
Supplemental disclosure:
Cash paid for income taxes, net of refunds received	37,412,000	28,093,000
Noncash or Part Noncash Acquisition, Consideration Payable	750,000	0
Net change in PP&E purchased and unpaid at period-end	$ 1,538,000	$ 2,248,000

Basis Of Presentation

Basis Of Presentation	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis Of Presentation	Unaudited Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements We have prepared the accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and with SEC rules and regulations, which allow for certain information and footnote disclosures that are normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP to be condensed or omitted. In our opinion, these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2017 and include all adjustments necessary for fair presentation. The accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2017 , which are included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. The results for the fiscal quarter ended March 30, 2018 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any subsequent quarterly or annual financial period, including the fiscal year ending September 28, 2018 . Principles of Consolidation The unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. and our wholly owned subsidiaries. In addition, we have consolidated the financial results of jointly owned affiliated companies in which our principal stockholder has a controlling interest. We report these controlling interests as a separate line in our consolidated statements of operations as net income attributable to controlling interest and in our consolidated balance sheets as a controlling interest. We eliminate all intercompany accounts and transactions upon consolidation. Operating Segments Since we operate as a single reporting segment, all required financial segment information is included in our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. This determination reflects the fact that our CODM, our Chief Executive Officer, evaluates our financial information and resources, and assesses the performance of these resources on a consolidated basis. Use of Estimates The preparation of our financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported and disclosed in our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include estimated selling prices for elements sold in ME revenue arrangements; valuation allowances for accounts receivable; carrying values of inventories and certain property, plant, and equipment, goodwill and intangible assets; fair values of investments; accrued liabilities including liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits, deferred income tax assets and liabilities, and stock-based compensation. Actual results could differ from our estimates. Fiscal Year Our fiscal year is a 52 or 53 week period ending on the last Friday in September. The fiscal periods presented herein include the 13 week periods ended March 30, 2018 and March 31, 2017 . Our fiscal year ending September 28, 2018 (fiscal 2018 ) and our fiscal year ended September 29, 2017 (fiscal 2017 ) both consist of 52 weeks. Reclassifications We have reclassified certain prior period amounts within our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes to conform to our current period presentation. These reclassifications did not affect total revenue, operating income, or net income.

Summary Of Significant Accounti

Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies We continually assess any ASUs or other new accounting pronouncements issued by the FASB to determine their applicability and impact on us. Where it is determined that a new accounting pronouncement will result in a change to our financial reporting, we take the appropriate steps to ensure that such changes are properly reflected in our consolidated financial statements or notes thereto. Recently Issued Accounting Standards Adopted Standards Share-Based Compensation . During the first quarter of fiscal 2018, we adopted ASU 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting , which simplifies several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, and statutory withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. Upon adoption, excess tax benefits or deficiencies from stock-based awards are recorded as a component of the income tax provision, whereas they previously were recorded as additional paid-in capital. In the fiscal quarter and year-to-date periods ended March 30, 2018 , we recognized an excess tax benefit of $3.4 million and $9.4 million , respectively, related to stock-based awards in the provision for income taxes. We elected to continue to account for forfeitures based on an estimate of expected forfeitures, rather than to account for forfeitures as they occur. Additionally, we adopted the aspects of the guidance affecting the cash flow presentation retrospectively, which results in a reclassification of excess tax benefits from financing activities to operating activities in the consolidated statements of cash flows. Standards Not Yet Effective Revenue Recognition. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which outlines a comprehensive revenue recognition model and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance. The new standard defines a five-step approach for recognizing revenue, which may require a company to use more judgment and make more estimates than under the current guidance. Amongst the elements in the new standard are requirements for an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers, to capitalize certain direct costs associated with revenues and contract acquisition costs, and to provide expanded disclosures. We have evaluated the impact of adoption of Topic 606 on all of our revenue streams and believe that the following are the most significant changes that could occur: • Estimating and recording royalty-based revenue earned from our licensees’ shipments in the same period in which those shipments occurred, rather than recognizing our royalty-based revenue in the quarter in which it is reported to us by our licensees, which is typically in the quarter after those shipments have occurred; • For certain transactions that have minimum commitment or fixed fee terms, recognizing licensing revenues on contract execution instead of over the contract term; • Specified performance obligations for which we have not historically had VSOE and which resulted in the deferral of revenue balances may accelerate revenue recognition as VSOE for the undelivered elements is no longer required to separately recognize revenue for the delivered elements; • Recording a one-time adjustment to retained earnings to reflect the cumulative impact of the changes noted above for the periods prior to adoption. We have not yet quantified the impact of these anticipated changes. We plan to adopt the new standard using the full retrospective method, whereby the standard is applied to all periods presented, on the adoption date. Although permitted, we do not intend to early-adopt the new standard, but will adopt it on September 29, 2018, which is the beginning of our first quarter of fiscal 2019. In addition to our ongoing evaluation of the accounting changes and of our transition options, we are also addressing the impact of the new accounting standard and its expanded disclosure requirements on our policies, processes, controls, and systems. Leases. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases , which amends the existing accounting standards for leases. Under the new guidance, a lessee will be required to recognize a lease liability and right-of-use asset for most leases. The new guidance also modifies the classification criteria and accounting for sales-type and direct financing leases, and requires additional disclosures to enable users of financial statements to understand the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. The ASU must be applied using a modified retrospective approach. Upon adoption, we will recognize a lease liability and right-of-use asset for each of our long-term lease arrangements, which exceed 70 as of March 30, 2018 . We intend to early adopt this new standard concurrently with the adoption of the new revenue recognition standard beginning September 29, 2018. We continue to refine our quantification and anticipate this standard will have a material impact on our consolidated balance sheets, but will not have a material impact on our consolidated income statements. We currently expect the most significant impact will be the recognition of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for operating leases. Our accounting for capital leases is expected to remain substantially unchanged. Going Concern. In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements – Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40): Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern . ASU 2014-15 requires management to assess an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern by incorporating and expanding upon certain principles that are currently in U.S. auditing standards as specified in the guidance. The ASU is effective for us beginning September 29, 2018. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. We do not anticipate that the new standard will materially impact our consolidated financial statements. Financial Instruments. In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities . The new guidance requires certain equity investments that are not consolidated or accounted for under the equity method of accounting to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income. Additionally, an entity may choose to measure equity investments that do not have readily determinable fair values at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer. The ASU is effective for us beginning September 29, 2018. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. We do not anticipate that the new standard will materially impact our consolidated financial statements. Cash Flow Classification. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments . The new guidance addresses eight specific cash flow issues, with the objective of reducing an existing diversity in practices regarding the manner in which certain cash receipts and payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The ASU is effective for us beginning September 29, 2018. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period, and we are currently evaluating the timing and impact of the standard on our consolidated financial statements. Income Taxes: Intra-Entity Asset Transfers. In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory . The new guidance requires the recognition of the income tax consequences of an intercompany asset transfer, other than transfers of inventory, when the transfer occurs. For intercompany transfers of inventory, the income tax effects will continue to be deferred until the inventory has been sold to a third party. The ASU is effective for us beginning September 29, 2018. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. We do not anticipate that the new standard will materially impact our consolidated financial statements. Restricted Cash. In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, Restricted Cash — a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force , which clarifies how entities should present restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents in the statement of cash flows. The new guidance requires entities to show the changes in the total of cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents in the statement of cash flows. The ASU is effective for us beginning September 29, 2018. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. Aside from conforming to new cash flow presentation and restricted cash disclosure requirements, we do not anticipate that the new standard will materially impact our consolidated financial statements. Accounting for Hedging Activities. In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities, which enables entities to better portray the economics of their risk management activities in the financial statements while enhancing the transparency and understandability of hedge results. The new guidance eliminates the requirement to separately measure and report hedge ineffectiveness. The ASU is effective for us beginning September 29, 2018 and we do not currently plan to early adopt. We do not anticipate that the new standard will materially impact our consolidated financial statements. Income Taxes: Comprehensive Income. On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("Tax Act"). In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, Income Statement — Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects From Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, which allows a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Act and requires entities to provide certain disclosures regarding stranded tax effects. The ASU is effective for us beginning September 28, 2019 and we do not currently plan to early adopt. We are currently evaluating the timing and impact of the standard on our consolidated financial statements.

Composition Of Certain Financia

Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions [Abstract]
Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions	3. Composition of Certain Financial Statement Captions The following tables present detailed information from our consolidated balance sheets as of March 30, 2018 and September 29, 2017 (amounts displayed in thousands, except as otherwise noted). Accounts Receivable March 30, September 29, Trade accounts receivable $ 117,351 $ 62,305 Accounts receivable from patent administration program customers 28,491 14,412 Accounts receivable, gross 145,842 76,717 Less: allowance for doubtful accounts (4,585 ) (2,967 ) Total $ 141,257 $ 73,750 Trade accounts receivable includes unbilled accounts receivable balances related to amounts that are contractually owed. Inventories March 30, September 29, Raw materials $ 3,787 $ 6,812 Work in process 4,432 4,954 Finished goods 15,847 13,285 Total $ 24,066 $ 25,051 Inventories are stated at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Inventory with a consumption period expected to exceed twelve months is recorded within other non-current assets in our consolidated balance sheets. In addition to the amounts shown in the table above, we have included $3.0 million and $1.8 million of raw materials inventory within other non-current assets in our consolidated balance sheets as of March 30, 2018 and September 29, 2017 , respectively. We write-down inventory at the time it is deemed excess or obsolete. Prepaid Expenses And Other Current Assets March 30, September 29, Prepaid expenses $ 19,686 $ 16,681 Other current assets 14,542 11,383 Income tax receivable 1,016 2,444 Total $ 35,244 $ 30,508 Accrued Liabilities March 30, September 29, Accrued royalties $ 2,308 $ 2,274 Amounts payable to patent administration program partners 45,940 49,141 Accrued compensation and benefits 63,973 92,277 Accrued professional fees 8,347 5,530 Unpaid PP&E additions 9,809 10,096 Other accrued liabilities 37,416 47,716 Total $ 167,793 $ 207,034 Other Non-Current Liabilities March 30, September 29, Supplemental retirement plan obligations $ 3,190 $ 2,928 Non-current tax liabilities 185,932 91,013 Other liabilities 12,960 13,573 Total $ 202,082 $ 107,514

Investments & Fair Value Measur

Investments & Fair Value Measurements	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Fair Value, Assets, Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Measured on Recurring Basis [Abstract]
Investments & Fair Value Measurements	. Investments & Fair Value Measurements We use cash holdings to purchase investment grade securities diversified among security types, industries, and issuers. All of our investment securities are measured at fair value, and are recorded within cash equivalents and both short-term and long-term investments in our consolidated balance sheets. With the exception of our mutual fund investments held in our SERP and classified as trading securities, all of our investments are classified as AFS securities. Our investment securities primarily consist of government bonds, certificates of deposit, municipal debt securities, corporate bonds, U.S. agency securities, and commercial paper. In addition, our cash and cash equivalents may also consist of corporate bonds, money market funds, and municipal debt securities that meet the high liquidity requirements set forth in our accounting policy. Consistent with our investment policy, none of our municipal debt investments are supported by letters of credit or standby purchase agreements. Our cash and investment portfolio consisted of the following (in thousands): March 30, 2018 Cost Unrealized Estimated Fair Value Gains Losses Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Cash and cash equivalents: Cash $ 642,640 $ 642,640 Cash equivalents: Commercial paper 44,065 4 (1 ) 44,068 44,068 Corporate bonds 16,398 (3 ) 16,395 16,395 Money market funds 2,416 — — 2,416 2,416 Cash and cash equivalents 705,519 4 (4 ) 705,519 2,416 60,463 — Short-term investments: Certificate of deposit (1) 23,848 7 (5 ) 23,850 23,850 U.S. agency securities 7,305 (22 ) 7,283 7,283 Government bonds 535 (1 ) 534 534 Commercial paper 8,575 — (16 ) 8,559 8,559 Corporate bonds 166,141 62 (578 ) 165,625 165,625 Municipal debt securities 34,736 — (90 ) 34,646 34,646 Short-term investments 241,140 69 (712 ) 240,497 534 239,963 — Long-term investments: Certificate of deposit (1) 4,845 5 — 4,850 4,850 U.S. agency securities 20,284 (324 ) 19,960 19,960 Government bonds 15,356 (253 ) 15,103 15,103 Corporate bonds 196,848 51 (2,473 ) 194,426 194,426 Municipal debt securities 23,976 (143 ) 23,833 23,833 Other long-term investments (2) 3,619 271 3,890 271 Long-term investments 264,928 327 (3,193 ) 262,062 15,374 243,069 — Total cash, cash equivalents, and investments $ 1,211,587 $ 400 $ (3,909 ) $ 1,208,078 $ 18,324 $ 543,495 $ — Investments held in supplemental retirement plan: Assets 3,288 3,288 3,288 Included in prepaid expenses and other current assets & other non-current assets Liabilities 3,288 3,288 3,288 Included in accrued liabilities & other non-current liabilities (1) Certificates of deposit include marketable securities, while those with a maturity in excess of one year as of March 30, 2018 are classified within long-term investments. (2) Other long-term investments as of March 30, 2018 include a marketable equity security of $0.3 million , and other investments that are not carried at fair value including an equity method investment of $0.1 million and two cost method equity investments of $3.0 million and $0.5 million . September 29, 2017 Cost Unrealized Estimated Fair Value Gains Losses Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Cash and cash equivalents: Cash $ 623,244 $ 623,244 Cash equivalents: Commercial paper 1,223 — — 1,223 1,223 Money market funds 2,550 — — 2,550 2,550 Cash and cash equivalents 627,017 — — 627,017 2,550 1,223 — Short-term investments: Certificate of deposit (1) 17,236 9 (1 ) 17,244 17,244 U.S. agency securities 9,518 — (20 ) 9,498 9,498 Government bonds 2,034 — (6 ) 2,028 2,028 Commercial paper 15,160 2 (1 ) 15,161 15,161 Corporate bonds 174,750 54 (163 ) 174,641 174,641 Municipal debt securities 29,178 16 (9 ) 29,185 29,185 Short-term investments 247,876 81 (200 ) 247,757 2,028 245,729 — Long-term investments: Certificate of deposit (1) 22,940 5 (6 ) 22,939 22,939 U.S. agency securities 21,779 — (178 ) 21,601 21,601 Government bonds 17,839 — (107 ) 17,732 17,732 Corporate bonds 218,857 327 (537 ) 218,647 218,647 Municipal debt securities 28,913 29 (25 ) 28,917 28,917 Other long-term investments (2) 4,171 357 — 4,528 357 — Long-term investments 314,499 718 (853 ) 314,364 18,089 292,104 — Total cash, cash equivalents, and investments $ 1,189,392 $ 799 $ (1,053 ) $ 1,189,138 $ 22,667 $ 539,056 $ — Investments held in supplemental retirement plan: Assets 3,026 3,026 3,026 Included in prepaid expenses and other current assets & other non-current assets Liabilities 3,026 3,026 3,026 Included in accrued liabilities & other non-current liabilities (1) Certificates of deposit include marketable securities, while those with a maturity in excess of one year as of September 29, 2017 are classified within long-term investments. (2) Other long-term investments as of September 29, 2017 include a marketable equity security of $0.4 million , and other investments that are not carried at fair value including an equity method investment of $0.6 million and two cost method equity investments of $3.0 million and $0.5 million . Fair Value Hierarchy. Fair value is the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. We minimize the use of unobservable inputs and use observable market data, if available, when determining fair value. We classify our inputs to measure fair value using the following three-level hierarchy: Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets at the measurement date for identical assets and liabilities. We base the fair value of our Level 1 financial instruments, which are traded in active markets, using quoted market prices for identical instruments. Level 2: Prices may be based upon quoted prices in active markets or inputs not quoted on active markets but are corroborated by market data. We obtain the fair value of our Level 2 financial instruments from a professional pricing service, which may use quoted market prices for identical or comparable instruments, or model driven valuations using observable market data or inputs corroborated by observable market data. To validate the fair value determination provided by our primary pricing service, we perform quality controls over values received which include comparing our pricing service provider’s assessment of the fair values of our investment securities against the fair values of our investment securities obtained from another independent source, reviewing the pricing movement in the context of overall market trends, and reviewing trading information from our investment managers. In addition, we assess the inputs and methods used in determining the fair value in order to determine the classification of securities in the fair value hierarchy. Level 3: Unobservable inputs are used when little or no market data is available and reflect management’s estimates of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Securities In Gross Unrealized Loss Position. We periodically evaluate our investments for other-than- temporary declines in fair value. The unrealized losses on our AFS securities were primarily the result of unfavorable changes in interest rates subsequent to the initial purchase of these securities. The following table presents the gross unrealized losses and fair value for those AFS securities that were in an unrealized loss position for less than twelve months and for twelve months or greater as of March 30, 2018 and September 29, 2017 (in thousands): March 30, 2018 September 29, 2017 Less Than 12 Months 12 Months Or Greater Less Than 12 Months 12 Months Or Greater Investment Type Fair Value Gross Unrealized Losses Fair Value Gross Unrealized Losses Fair Value Gross Unrealized Losses Fair Value Gross Unrealized Losses Certificate of deposit $ 15,288 $ (5 ) $ — $ 19,750 $ (6 ) $ — $ — U.S. agency securities 4,704 (85 ) 22,539 (261 ) 19,713 (91 ) 11,386 (108 ) Government bonds 13,730 (229 ) 1,906 (26 ) 15,029 (64 ) 4,729 (49 ) Commercial paper 19,822 (16 ) — — 4,292 (1 ) — — Corporate bonds 212,227 (2,070 ) 106,413 (984 ) 125,890 (251 ) 109,806 (449 ) Municipal debt securities 56,927 (217 ) 1,553 (15 ) 26,749 (24 ) 3,625 (10 ) Total $ 322,698 $ (2,622 ) $ 132,411 $ (1,286 ) $ 211,423 $ (437 ) $ 129,546 $ (616 ) Although we had certain securities that were in an unrealized loss position as of March 30, 2018 , we expect to recover the full carrying value of these securities as we do not intend to, nor do we currently anticipate a need to, sell these securities prior to recovering the associated unrealized losses. As a result, we do not consider any portion of the unrealized losses at either March 30, 2018 or September 29, 2017 to represent an other-than-temporary impairment, nor do we consider any of the unrealized losses to be credit losses. Investment Maturities. The following table summarizes the amortized cost and estimated fair value of the AFS securities within our investment portfolio based on stated maturities as of March 30, 2018 and September 29, 2017 , which are recorded within cash equivalents and both short and long-term investments in our consolidated balance sheets (in thousands): March 30, 2018 September 29, 2017 Range of maturity Amortized Cost Fair Value Amortized Cost Fair Value Due within 1 year $ 304,019 $ 303,376 $ 251,649 $ 251,530 Due in 1 to 2 years 138,508 137,073 213,555 213,154 Due in 2 to 3 years 122,802 121,099 96,773 96,682 Total $ 565,329 $ 561,548 $ 561,977 $ 561,366

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, Plant and Equipment	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Property, Plant and Equipment	. Property, Plant, & Equipment Property, plant, and equipment are recorded at cost, with depreciation expense included in cost of licensing, cost of products, cost of services, R&D, S&M, and G&A expenses in our consolidated statements of operations. PP&E consist of the following (in thousands): March 30, September 29, Land $ 43,430 $ 43,364 Buildings and building improvements 283,037 281,196 Leasehold improvements 65,981 65,034 Machinery and equipment 105,593 98,437 Computer equipment and software 185,097 173,341 Furniture and fixtures 30,066 28,118 Equipment provided under operating leases 117,060 97,456 Construction-in-progress 4,197 3,673 Property, plant, and equipment, gross 834,461 790,619 Less: accumulated depreciation (333,480 ) (305,344 ) Property, plant, & equipment, net $ 500,981 $ 485,275

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill and Intangible Assets	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill and Intangible Assets	. Goodwill & Intangible Assets Goodwill The following table outlines changes to the carrying amount of goodwill (in thousands): Goodwill Balance at September 29, 2017 $ 311,087 Acquired goodwill 4,807 Translation adjustments 664 Balance at March 30, 2018 $ 316,558 Intangible Assets Our intangible assets are stated at their original cost less accumulated amortization, and principally consist of acquired technology, patents, trademarks, customer relationships and contracts. Intangible assets subject to amortization consist of the following (in thousands): March 30, 2018 September 29, 2017 Intangible Assets Cost Accumulated Amortization Net Cost Accumulated Amortization Net Acquired patents and technology $ 315,125 $ (141,355 ) $ 173,770 $ 299,707 $ (128,986 ) $ 170,721 Customer relationships 56,866 (39,713 ) 17,153 56,843 (38,368 ) 18,475 Other intangibles 22,770 (22,353 ) 417 22,742 (22,290 ) 452 Total $ 394,761 $ (203,421 ) $ 191,340 $ 379,292 $ (189,644 ) $ 189,648 We purchase various patents and developed technologies that enable us to further develop our audio, imaging and potential product offerings. With regard to our purchase of intangible assets during the periods presented, the following table summarizes the consideration paid, the weighted-average useful lives over which the acquired assets will be amortized using the greater of either the straight-line basis or a ratio-to-revenue method, and the classification of their amortized expense in our consolidated statements of operations: Fiscal Period Total Purchase Consideration (1) Weighted-Average Useful Life (in millions) (in years) Fiscal 2017 Q1 - Quarter ended December 30, 2016 None Q2 - Quarter ended March 31, 2017 5.3 18.0 $5.3 18.0 Fiscal 2018 Q1 - Quarter ended December 29, 2017 $12.0 14.1 Q2 - Quarter ended March 30, 2018 $2.8 5.3 $14.8 12.5 (1) Amortization expense on the intangible assets from patent portfolio and business acquisitions is included within cost of revenue, R&D, and G&A in our consolidated statements of operations. Amortization expense for our intangible assets is included in cost of licensing, cost of products, R&D, S&M, and G&A expenses in our consolidated statements of operations. Amortization expense was $6.6 million and $8.4 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2018 and 2017 , respectively, and $13.1 million and $16.8 million in the fiscal year-to-date period ended March 30, 2018 and March 31, 2017 , respectively. As of March 30, 2018 , estimated amortization expense in future fiscal periods was as follows (in thousands): Fiscal Year Amortization Expense Remainder of 2018 $ 13,468 2019 26,415 2020 25,952 2021 25,926 2022 23,261 Thereafter 76,318 Total $ 191,340

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Abstract]
Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation	. Stockholders' Equity & Stock-Based Compensation We provide stock-based awards as a form of compensation for employees, officers and directors. We have issued stock-based awards in the form of stock options and RSUs under our equity incentive plans, as well as shares under our ESPP. Common Stock - Class A and Class B Our Board of Directors has authorized two classes of common stock, Class A and Class B. At March 30, 2018 , we had authorized 500,000,000 Class A shares and 500,000,000 Class B shares. At March 30, 2018 , we had 61,364,751 shares of Class A common stock and 42,733,038 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding. Holders of our Class A and Class B common stock have identical rights, except that holders of our Class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share and holders of our Class B common stock are entitled to ten votes per share. Shares of Class B common stock can be converted to shares of Class A common stock at any time at the option of the stockholder and automatically convert upon sale or transfer, except for certain transfers specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Stock Incentive Plans 2005 Stock Plan. In January 2005, our stockholders approved our 2005 Stock Plan, which our Board of Directors adopted in November 2004. The 2005 Stock Plan became effective on February 16, 2005, the day prior to the completion of our initial public offering. Our 2005 Stock Plan, as amended and restated, provides for the ability to grant incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, restricted stock, RSUs, stock appreciation rights, deferred stock units, performance units, performance bonus awards, and performance shares. A total of 46.0 million shares of our Class A common stock is authorized for issuance under the 2005 Stock Plan. For awards granted prior to February 2011, any shares subject to an award with a per share price less than the fair market value of our Class A common stock on the date of grant and any shares subject to an outstanding RSU award will be counted against the authorized share reserve as two shares for every one share subject to the award, and if returned to the 2005 Stock Plan, such shares will be counted as two shares for every one share returned. For those awards granted from February 2011 onward, any shares subject to an award with a per share price less than the fair market value of our Class A common stock on the date of grant and any shares subject to an outstanding RSU award will be counted against the authorized share reserve as 1.6 shares for every one share subject to the award, and if returned to the 2005 Stock Plan, such shares will be counted as 1.6 shares for every one share returned. Stock Options. Stock options are granted at fair market value on the date of grant. Options granted to employees and officers prior to June 2008 generally vested over four years , with equal annual cliff-vesting and expire on the earlier of ten years after the date of grant or three months after termination of service. Options granted to employees and officers from June 2008 onward generally vest over four years, with 25% of the shares subject to the option becoming exercisable on the one-year anniversary of the date of grant and the balance of the shares vesting in equal monthly installments over the following 36 months . These options expire on the earlier of ten years after the date of grant or three months after termination of service. All options granted vest over the requisite service period and upon the exercise of stock options, we issue new shares of Class A common stock under the 2005 Stock Plan. Our 2005 Stock Plan also allows us to grant stock awards which vest based on the satisfaction of specific performance criteria. Performance-Based Stock Options (PSOs). In fiscal 2016, we began granting PSOs to our executive officers with shares of our Class A common stock underlying such options. The contractual term for the PSOs is seven years, with vesting contingent upon market-based performance conditions, representing the achievement of specified Dolby annualized TSR targets at the end of a three-year measurement period following the date of grant. If the minimum conditions are met, the PSOs earned will cliff vest on the third anniversary of the grant date, upon certification of achievement of the performance conditions by our Compensation Committee. Anywhere from 0% to 125% of the shares subject to a PSO may vest based on achievement of the performance conditions at the end of the three-year performance period. In valuing the PSOs, which will be recognized as compensation cost, we used a Monte Carlo valuation model. Aside from the use of an expected term for the PSOs commensurate with their shorter contractual term, the nature of the valuation inputs used in the Monte Carlo valuation model were consistent with those used to value our non-performance based options granted under the 2005 Plan. Compensation cost is being amortized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. On December 15, 2017, we granted PSOs to our executive officers exercisable for an aggregate of 264,000 shares at the target award amount, which would be exercisable up to an aggregate of 330,000 shares at 125% of the target award amount. On December 15, 2016, we granted PSOs to our executive officers exercisable for an aggregate of 276,199 shares at the target award amount, which would be exercisable up to an aggregate of 345,248 shares at 125% of the target award amount. On December 15, 2015, we granted PSOs to our executive officers exercisable for an aggregate of 335,699 shares at the target award amount, which would be exercisable up to an aggregate of 419,623 shares at 125% of the target award amount. As of March 30, 2018 , PSOs which would be exercisable for an aggregate of 784,898 shares at the target award amount ( 981,121 at 125% of the target award amount) were outstanding. The following table summarizes information about all stock options issued under our 2005 Stock Plan: Shares Weighted-Average Exercise Price Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life Aggregate Intrinsic Value (1) (in thousands) (in years) (in thousands) Options outstanding at September 29, 2017 8,741 $ 38.65 Grants 1,281 62.33 Exercises (1,736 ) 37.17 Forfeitures and cancellations (366 ) 40.46 Options outstanding at March 30, 2018 7,920 42.72 7.0 $ 165,037 Options vested and expected to vest at March 30, 2018 7,443 42.01 6.9 160,387 Options exercisable at March 30, 2018 4,015 $ 37.29 5.9 105,478 (1) Aggregate intrinsic value is based on the closing price of our Class A common stock on March 30, 2018 of $63.56 and excludes the impact of options that were not in-the-money. Restricted Stock Units. Beginning in fiscal 2008, we began granting RSUs to certain directors, officers, and employees under our 2005 Stock Plan. Awards granted to employees and officers generally vest over four years, with equal annual cliff-vesting. Awards granted to directors prior to November 2010 generally vested over three years, with equal annual cliff-vesting. Awards granted after November 2010 and prior to fiscal 2014 to new directors vested over approximately two years, with 50% vesting per year, while awards granted from November 2010 onward to ongoing directors generally vest over approximately one year. Awards granted to new directors from fiscal 2014 onward vest on the earlier of the first anniversary of the award’s date of grant, or the day immediately preceding the date of the next annual meeting of stockholders that occurs after the award’s date of grant. Our 2005 Stock Plan also allows us to grant RSUs that vest based on the satisfaction of specific performance criteria, although no such awards had been granted as of March 30, 2018 . At each vesting date, the holder of the award is issued shares of our Class A common stock. Compensation expense from these awards is equal to the fair market value of our Class A common stock on the date of grant and is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. The following table summarizes information about RSUs issued under our 2005 Stock Plan: Shares Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value (in thousands) Non-vested at September 29, 2017 2,839 $ 44.38 Granted 1,144 62.42 Vested (943 ) 40.28 Forfeitures (246 ) 42.98 Non-vested at March 30 , 2018 2,794 $ 53.27 Employee Stock Purchase Plan . Our plan allows eligible employees to have up to 10 percent of their eligible compensation withheld and used to purchase Class A common stock, subject to a maximum of $25,000 worth of stock purchased in a calendar year or no more than 1,000 shares in an offering period, whichever is less. An offering period consists of successive six -month purchase periods, with a look back feature to our stock price at the commencement of a one -year offering period. The plan provides for a discount equal to 15 percent of the lower of the closing price of our Class A common stock on the New York Stock Exchange on the first and last day of the offering periods. The plan also includes an automatic reset feature that provides for an offering period to be reset and recommenced to a new lower-priced offering if the offering price of a new offering period is less than that of the immediately preceding offering period. Stock Option Valuation Assumptions We use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to determine the estimated fair value of employee stock options at the date of the grant. The Black-Scholes model includes inputs that require us to make certain estimates and assumptions regarding the expected term of the award, as well as the future risk-free interest rate, and the volatility of our stock price over the expected term of the award. Expected Term. The expected term of an award represents the estimated period of time that options granted will remain outstanding, and is measured from the grant date to the date at which the option is either exercised or canceled. Our determination of the expected term involves an evaluation of historical terms and other factors such as the exercise and termination patterns of our employees who hold options to acquire our Class A common stock, and is based on certain assumptions made regarding the future exercise and termination behavior. Risk-Free Interest Rate. The risk-free interest rate is based on the yield curve of United States Treasury instruments in effect on the date of grant. In determining an estimate for the risk-free interest rate, we use average interest rates based on these instruments’ constant maturities with a term that approximates and corresponds with the expected term of our awards. Expected Stock Price Volatility. The expected volatility represents the estimated volatility in the price of our Class A common stock over a time period that approximates the expected term of the awards, and is determined using a blended combination of historical and implied volatility. Historical volatility is representative of the historical trends in our stock price for periods preceding the measurement date for a period that is commensurate with the expected term. Implied volatility is based upon externally traded option contracts of our Class A common stock. Dividend Yield. The dividend yield is based on our anticipated dividend payout over the expected term of our option awards. Dividend declarations and the establishment of future record and payment dates are subject to the Board of Directors’ continuing determination that the dividend policy is in the best interests of our stockholders. The dividend policy may be changed or canceled at the discretion of the Board of Directors at any time. The weighted-average assumptions used in the determination of the fair value of our stock options were as follows: Fiscal Quarter Ended Fiscal Year-To-Date Ended March 30, March 31, March 30, March 31, Expected life (in years) 5.06 5.13 5.06 5.13 Risk-free interest rate 2.5 % 1.9 % 2.2 % 2.1 % Expected stock price volatility 21.9 % 27.0 % 22.6 % 27.5 % Dividend yield 1.0 % 1.2 % 1.1 % 1.1 % Stock-Based Compensation Expense Stock-based compensation expense for equity awards granted to employees is determined by estimating their fair value on the date of grant, and recognizing that value as an expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period in which our employees earn the awards. Compensation expense related to these equity awards is recognized net of estimated forfeitures, which reduce the expense recorded in the consolidated statements of operations. The selection of applicable estimated forfeiture rates is based on an evaluation of trends in our historical forfeiture data with consideration for other potential driving factors. If in subsequent periods actual forfeitures significantly differ from our initial estimates, we will revise such estimates accordingly. The following two tables separately present stock-based compensation expense both by award type and classification in our consolidated statements of operations (in thousands): Expense - By Award Type Fiscal Quarter Ended Fiscal Year-To-Date Ended March 30, March 31, March 30, March 31, Compensation Expense - By Type Stock options $ 5,090 $ 4,575 $ 12,054 $ 9,378 Restricted stock units 11,632 10,514 22,412 22,097 Employee stock purchase plan 969 894 1,909 1,723 Total stock-based compensation 17,691 15,983 36,375 33,198 Benefit from income taxes (3,657 ) (4,635 ) (7,553 ) (9,663 ) Total stock-based compensation, net of tax $ 14,034 $ 11,348 $ 28,822 $ 23,535 Expense - By Income Statement Line Item Classification Fiscal Quarter Ended Fiscal Year-To-Date Ended March 30, March 31, March 30, March 31, Compensation Expense - By Classification Cost of products $ 245 $ 223 $ 507 $ 481 Cost of services 142 123 260 257 Research and development 4,750 4,506 9,627 9,436 Sales and marketing 5,846 6,509 11,797 13,376 General and administrative 6,708 4,622 14,184 9,648 Total stock-based compensation expense 17,691 15,983 36,375 33,198 Benefit from income taxes (3,657 ) (4,635 ) (7,553 ) (9,663 ) Total stock-based compensation, net of tax $ 14,034 $ 11,348 $ 28,822 $ 23,535 The tax benefit that we recognize from shares issued under our ESPP is excluded from the tables above. This benefit was as follows (in thousands): Fiscal Quarter Ended Fiscal Year-To-Date Ended March 30, March 31, March 30, March 31, Tax benefit - shares issued under ESPP $ 52 $ 95 $ 357 $ 419 Unrecognized Compensation Expense. At March 30, 2018 , total unrecorded compensation expense associated with employee stock options expected to vest was approximately $34.0 million , which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.4 years. At March 30, 2018 , total unrecorded compensation expense associated with RSUs expected to vest was approximately $108.3 million , which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.7 years. Common Stock Repurchase Program In November 2009, we announced a stock repurchase program ("program"), providing for the repurchase of up to $250.0 million of our Class A common stock. The following table summarizes the initial amount of authorized repurchases as well as additional repurchases approved by our Board of Directors as of March 30, 2018 (in thousands): Authorization Period Authorization Amount Fiscal 2010: November 2009 $ 250,000 Fiscal 2010: July 2010 300,000 Fiscal 2011: July 2011 250,000 Fiscal 2012: February 2012 100,000 Fiscal 2015: October 2014 200,000 Fiscal 2017: January 2017 200,000 Total $ 1,300,000 Stock repurchases under the program may be made through open market transactions, negotiated purchases, or otherwise, at times and in amounts that we consider appropriate. The timing of repurchases and the number of shares repurchased depend upon a variety of factors, including price, regulatory requirements, the rate of dilution from our equity compensation plans, and other market conditions. The program does not have a specified expiration date, and can be limited, suspended or terminated at our discretion at any time without prior notice. Shares repurchased under the program will be returned to the status of authorized but unissued shares of Class A common stock. As of March 30, 2018 , the remaining authorization to purchase additional shares is approximately $117.0 million . The following table provides information regarding share repurchase activity under the program during fiscal 2018 : Quarterly Repurchase Activity Shares Repurchased Cost in thousands (1) Average Price Paid Per Share (2) Q1 - Quarter ended December 29, 2017 493,884 $ 29,999 $ 60.73 Q2 - Quarter ended March 30, 2018 77,705 5,001 64.33 Total 571,589 $ 35,000 (1) Cost of share repurchases includes the price paid per share and applicable commissions. (2) Average price paid per share excludes commission costs. Dividend In October 2014, our Board of Directors initiated a recurring quarterly dividend program for our stockholders. The following table summarizes dividends declared under the program in relation to fiscal 2018 : Fiscal Period Announcement Date Record Date Payment Date Cash Dividend Per Common Share Dividend Payment Fiscal 2018 Q1 - Quarter ended December 29, 2017 January 24, 2018 February 5, 2018 February 14, 2018 $ 0.16 $16.6 million Q2 - Quarter ended March 30, 2018 April 24, 2018 May 7, 2018 May 16, 2018 $ 0.16 $16.7 million (1) (1) The amount of the dividend payment is estimated based on the number of shares of our Class A and Class B common stock that we estimate will be outstanding as of the Record Date.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Equity [Abstract]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Other comprehensive income consists of two components: unrealized gains or losses on our AFS marketable investment securities and the gains and losses from the translation of assets and liabilities denominated in non-U.S. dollar functional currencies. Until realized and reported as a component of net income, these comprehensive income items accumulate and are included within accumulated other comprehensive income, a subsection within stockholders’ equity in our consolidated balance sheets. Unrealized gains and losses on our investment securities are reclassified from AOCI into earnings when realized upon sale, and are determined based on specific identification of securities sold. The following table summarizes the changes in the accumulated balances during the period, and includes information regarding the manner in which the reclassifications out of AOCI into earnings affect our consolidated statements of operations (in thousands): Fiscal Quarter Ended Fiscal Year-To-Date Ended Investment Securities Currency Translation Adjustments Total Investment Securities Currency Translation Adjustments Total Beginning Balance $ (1,970 ) $ (6,152 ) $ (8,122 ) $ (377 ) $ (7,376 ) $ (7,753 ) Other comprehensive income before reclassifications: — Unrealized gains/(losses) - investment securities (1,393 ) (1,393 ) (3,089 ) (3,089 ) Foreign currency translation gains/(losses) (1) 4,932 4,932 6,430 6,430 Income tax effect - benefit/(expense) 16 (867 ) (851 ) 103 (1,141 ) (1,038 ) Net of tax (1,377 ) 4,065 2,688 (2,986 ) 5,289 2,303 Amounts reclassified from AOCI into earnings: Realized gains/(losses) - investment securities (1) (227 ) (227 ) (207 ) (207 ) Income tax effect - benefit/(expense) (2) 45 45 41 41 Net of tax (182 ) — (182 ) (166 ) — (166 ) Net current-period other comprehensive income/(loss) (1,559 ) 4,065 2,506 (3,152 ) 5,289 2,137 Ending Balance $ (3,529 ) $ (2,087 ) $ (5,616 ) $ (3,529 ) $ (2,087 ) $ (5,616 ) Fiscal Quarter Ended Fiscal Year-To-Date Investment Securities Currency Translation Adjustments Total Investment Securities Currency Translation Adjustments Total Beginning Balance $ (1,277 ) $ (18,402 ) $ (19,679 ) $ 742 $ (10,939 ) $ (10,197 ) Other comprehensive income before reclassifications: Unrealized gains/(losses) - investment securities 686 686 (1,474 ) (1,474 ) Foreign currency translation gains/(losses) (1) 4,989 4,989 (3,739 ) (3,739 ) Income tax effect - benefit/(expense) (99 ) (599 ) (698 ) 3 666 669 Net of tax 587 4,390 4,977 (1,471 ) (3,073 ) (4,544 ) Amounts reclassified from AOCI into earnings: Realized gains/(losses) - investment securities (1) (12 ) (12 ) 34 34 Income tax effect - benefit/(expense) (2) 6 6 (1 ) (1 ) Net of tax (6 ) — (6 ) 33 — 33 Net current-period other comprehensive income/(loss) 581 4,390 4,971 (1,438 ) (3,073 ) (4,511 ) Ending Balance $ (696 ) $ (14,012 ) $ (14,708 ) $ (696 ) $ (14,012 ) $ (14,708 ) (1) Realized gains or losses, if any, from the sale of our AFS investment securities or from foreign currency translation adjustments are included within other income/expense, net in our consolidated statements of operations. (2) The income tax benefit or expense is included within provision for income taxes in our consolidated statements of operations.

Earnings Per Share

Earnings Per Share	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings Per Share	. Earnings Per Share Basic EPS is computed by dividing net income attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc. by the number of weighted-average shares of Class A and Class B common stock outstanding during the period. Through application of the treasury stock method, diluted EPS is computed in the same manner, except that the number of weighted-average shares outstanding is increased by the number of potentially dilutive shares from employee incentive plans during the period. Basic and diluted EPS are computed independently for each fiscal quarter and year-to-date period presented, which involves the use of different weighted-average share count figures relating to quarterly and annual periods. As a result, and after factoring the effect of rounding to the nearest cent per share, the sum of all four quarter-to-date EPS figures may not equal year-to-date EPS. Potentially dilutive shares represent the hypothetical number of incremental shares issuable under the assumed exercise of outstanding stock options (both vested and non-vested) and vesting of outstanding RSUs. The calculation of dilutive shares outstanding excludes out-of-the-money stock options (e.g., such options' exercise prices were greater than the average market price of our common shares for the period) because their inclusion would have been antidilutive. In periods when we report a net loss, stock awards are excluded from our calculation of earnings per share as their inclusion would have an antidilutive effect. In the fiscal year-to-date period ended March 30, 2018 , we excluded stock awards of 2,429 stock options and 1,215 RSUs. The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted EPS attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (in thousands, except per share amounts): Fiscal Quarter Ended Fiscal Year-To-Date Ended March 30, March 31, March 30, March 31, Numerator: Net income/(loss) attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc. $ 70,631 $ 50,590 $ (10,991 ) $ 103,964 Denominator: Weighted-average shares outstanding—basic 103,771 101,787 103,162 101,635 Potential common shares from options to purchase common stock 2,397 1,513 — 1,448 Potential common shares from restricted stock units 833 583 — 784 Weighted-average shares outstanding—diluted 107,001 103,883 103,162 103,867 Net income/(loss) per share attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc.: Basic $ 0.68 $ 0.50 $ (0.11 ) $ 1.02 Diluted $ 0.66 $ 0.49 $ (0.11 ) $ 1.00 Antidilutive awards excluded from calculation: Stock options 1,276 1,819 2,429 1,222 Restricted stock units 3 2 1,215 8

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	. Income Taxes Our income tax expense, deferred tax assets and liabilities, and reserves for unrecognized tax benefits reflect management's best assessment of estimated current and future taxes to be paid. We are subject to income taxes in both the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgments and estimates are required in determining the consolidated income tax expense. Tax Act Enacted in 2017 On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Act. The Tax Act makes broad and complex changes to the U.S. tax code, including, but not limited to, (1) reducing the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent ; (2) requiring companies to pay a one-time transition tax on certain unrepatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries; (3) generally eliminating U.S. federal corporate income taxes on dividends from foreign subsidiaries; (4) capitalizing specific R&D expenses which are amortized over five to 15 years; and (5) other changes to how foreign and domestic earnings are taxed. Our accounting for the impact of the Tax Act reflects reasonable estimates of certain effects. We recorded a total provisional amount of $154.6 million in our first quarter of fiscal 2018 income tax provision as follows: • Remeasurement of net deferred tax assets: The Tax Act reduces the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent , which results in an estimated net decrease of $57.9 million in our net deferred tax asset balance. While we are able to make a reasonable estimate of the impact of the reduced corporate tax rate on our net deferred tax asset balances, we are continuing to gather additional information to assess the impact. • Deemed Repatriation Transition Tax: The Deemed Repatriation Transition Tax ("Transition Tax") is a tax on certain unrepatriated earnings of our foreign subsidiaries. To determine the amount of the Transition Tax, we must determine, in addition to other factors, the amount of post-1986 earnings and profits of the relevant subsidiaries, as well as the amount of foreign income taxes paid on such earnings and profits. The portion of earnings and profits comprised of cash and other specified assets is taxed at a rate of 15.5 percent and any remaining amount of earnings and profits is taxed at a rate of eight percent. We made a reasonable estimate of the Transition Tax and recorded a liability for a provisional Transition Tax obligation of $96.7 million payable over a period of up to eight years. However, we are continuing to gather additional information to more precisely compute the liability for the Transition Tax. Other significant provisions that are not yet effective, but will impact income taxes in future years include: an exemption from U.S. tax on dividends of future foreign earnings, an incremental tax on excessive amounts paid to foreign related parties, and a minimum tax on certain foreign earnings in excess of 10 percent of the foreign subsidiaries' tangible assets ("minimum foreign tax"). We are still evaluating whether to make a policy election to treat the minimum foreign tax as a period expense or to provide U.S. deferred taxes on temporary differences related to the minimum foreign tax. The final transitional impacts of the Tax Act may differ from our initial estimate, due to, among other things, changes in interpretations of the Tax Act, any legislative actions to address questions that arise because of the Tax Act, any changes in accounting standards for income taxes or related interpretations in response to the Tax Act, any updates or changes to estimates we have utilized to calculate the transition impacts, any impact of changes to our current assertion to indefinitely reinvest foreign earnings as a result of the Tax Act, and any impacts from changes to current year earnings estimates. The Securities Exchange Commission has issued rules that would allow for a measurement period of up to one year after the enactment date of the Tax Act to finalize the recording of the related tax impacts. We currently anticipate finalizing and recording any resulting adjustments by the end of our current fiscal year ending September 28, 2018 . Unrecognized Tax Benefit As of March 30, 2018 , the total amount of gross unrecognized tax benefits was $103.5 million , of which $90.2 million , if recognized, would reduce our effective tax rate. As of September 29, 2017 , the total amount of gross unrecognized tax benefits was $98.7 million , of which $85.0 million , if recognized, would reduce our effective tax rate. Our net liability for unrecognized tax benefits is classified within other non-current liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets. Withholding Taxes We recognize licensing revenue gross of withholding taxes, which our licensees remit directly to their local tax authorities, and for which we receive a partial foreign tax credit in our income tax provision. The foreign current tax provision includes this withholding tax expense while the appropriate foreign tax credit benefit is included in current federal and foreign taxes. Withholding taxes were as follows (in thousands): Fiscal Quarter Ended Fiscal Year-To-Date Ended March 30, March 31, March 30, March 31, Withholding taxes $ 16,310 $ 13,408 $ 28,574 $ 22,399 Effective Tax Rate Each period, the combination of different factors can impact our effective tax rate. These factors include both recurring items such as tax rates and the relative amount of income earned in foreign jurisdictions, as well as discrete items such as changes to our uncertain tax positions, that may occur in, but are not necessarily consistent between periods. Our effective tax rate in the second quarter of fiscal 2018 was 20.9% , compared to 23.4% in the second quarter of fiscal 2017 . The two and a half percentage point decrease in our effective tax rate was primarily due to the reduction in the federal statutory rate from the Tax Act and excess tax benefit related to the settlement of stock-based awards, partially offset by reduced benefits from foreign taxes and the relative change in foreign earned income. Our effective tax rate was 106.1% in the fiscal year-to-date period ended March 30, 2018 , compared to 22.1% in the fiscal year-to-date period ended March 31, 2017 . The 84 percent point increase in our effective tax rate reflects an 89 percentage point impact from the Tax Act, partially offset by a five percentage point decrease from the excess benefit related to stock-based awards.

Restructuring

Restructuring	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Restructuring Charges [Abstract]
Restructuring	Restructuring Restructuring charges recorded in our statements of operations represent costs associated with separate individual restructuring plans implemented in various fiscal periods. Costs arising from these actions, including fluctuations in related balances between fiscal periods, are based on the nature of activities under the various plans. Fiscal 2017 Restructuring Plan ("Restructuring Plan"). In September 2017, we implemented a plan to reduce certain activities in order to reallocate those resources towards higher priority investment areas. As a result, we recorded $12.9 million in restructuring costs during fiscal 2017, representing severance and other related benefits offered to approximately 80 employees that were affected by this action. The table presented below summarizes changes in restructuring accruals under this plan (in thousands): Severance and associated costs Restructuring charges $ 12,856 Cash payments (168 ) Non-cash and other adjustments — Balance at September 29, 2017 $ 12,688 Restructuring charges 23 Cash payments (10,938 ) Non-cash and other adjustments (436 ) Balance at March 30, 2018 $ 1,337 Accruals for restructuring charges are included within accrued liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets while restructuring charges/(credits) are included within restructuring charges/(credits) in our consolidated statements of operations.

Legal Proceedings

Legal Proceedings	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Loss Contingency, Information about Litigation Matters [Abstract]
Legal Proceedings	. Legal Matters We are involved in various legal proceedings that occasionally arise in the normal course of business. These can include claims of alleged infringement of IP rights, commercial, employment, and other matters. In our opinion, resolution of these proceedings is not expected to have a material adverse impact on our operating results or financial condition. Given the unpredictable nature of legal proceedings, it is possible that an unfavorable resolution of one or more such proceedings could materially affect our future operating results or financial condition in a particular period, including as a result of required changes to our licensing terms, monetary penalties, and other potential consequences. However, based on the information known by us as of the date of this filing and the rules and regulations applicable to the preparation of our consolidated financial statements, any such amounts are either immaterial, or it is not possible to provide an estimated amount of any such potential losses.

Commitments And Contingencies

Commitments And Contingencies	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments And Contingencies	. Commitments & Contingencies In the ordinary course of business, we enter into contractual agreements with third parties that include non-cancelable payment obligations, for which we are liable in future periods. These arrangements can include terms binding us to minimum payments and/or penalties if we terminate the agreement for any reason other than an event of default as described by the agreement. The following table presents a summary of our contractual obligations and commitments as of March 30, 2018 (in thousands): Payments Due By Fiscal Period Remainder of Fiscal Fiscal Fiscal Fiscal Thereafter Total Naming rights $ — $ 7,811 $ 7,909 $ 8,008 $ 8,108 $ 86,865 $ 118,701 Operating leases 9,087 17,507 14,784 11,351 9,706 25,912 88,347 Purchase obligations 21,779 25,436 22,125 333 333 — 70,006 Donation commitments — 6,300 322 122 122 958 7,824 Total $ 30,866 $ 57,054 $ 45,140 $ 19,814 $ 18,269 $ 113,735 $ 284,878 Naming Rights. We are party to an agreement for naming rights and related benefits with respect to the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, the location of the Academy Awards®. The term of the agreement is 20 years, over which we will make payments on a semi-annual basis until fiscal 2032. Our payment obligations are conditioned in part on the Academy Awards being held and broadcast from the Dolby Theatre. Operating Leases . Operating lease payments represent our commitments for future minimum rent made under non-cancelable leases for office space, including those payable to our principal stockholder and portions attributable to the controlling interests in our wholly owned subsidiaries. Purchase Obligations. Purchase obligations primarily consist of our commitments made under agreements to purchase goods and services related to Dolby Cinema and for purposes that include IT and telecommunications, marketing and professional services, and manufacturing and other R&D activities. Donation Commitments. Donation commitments primarily relate to a non-cancelable obligation entered into during fiscal 2014 to install and donate imaging and audio products to the Museum of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles, California, and to provide maintenance services for fifteen years from its expected opening date in fiscal 2019, in exchange for various marketing, branding, and publicity benefits. Indemnification Clauses. On a limited basis, our contractual agreements contain a clause under which we agree to provide indemnification to the counterparty, most commonly to licensees in connection with licensing arrangements that include our IP. We have also entered into indemnification agreements with our officers, directors, and certain employees, and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain similar indemnification obligations. Additionally, and although not a contractual requirement, we have at times elected to defend our licensees from third party IP infringement claims. Since the terms and conditions of our contractual indemnification clauses do not explicitly specify our obligations, we are unable to reasonably estimate the maximum potential exposure for which we could be liable. Furthermore, we have not historically made any payments in connection with any such obligation and believe there to be a remote likelihood that any potential exposure in future periods would be of a material amount. As a result, no amounts have been accrued in our consolidated financial statements with respect to the contingent aspect of these indemnities.

Summary Of Significant Accoun21

Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies (Policy)	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Principles Of Consolidation	Principles of Consolidation The unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. and our wholly owned subsidiaries. In addition, we have consolidated the financial results of jointly owned affiliated companies in which our principal stockholder has a controlling interest. We report these controlling interests as a separate line in our consolidated statements of operations as net income attributable to controlling interest and in our consolidated balance sheets as a controlling interest. We eliminate all intercompany accounts and transactions upon consolidation.
Operating Segments	Operating Segments Since we operate as a single reporting segment, all required financial segment information is included in our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. This determination reflects the fact that our CODM, our Chief Executive Officer, evaluates our financial information and resources, and assesses the performance of these resources on a consolidated basis.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates The preparation of our financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported and disclosed in our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include estimated selling prices for elements sold in ME revenue arrangements; valuation allowances for accounts receivable; carrying values of inventories and certain property, plant, and equipment, goodwill and intangible assets; fair values of investments; accrued liabilities including liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits, deferred income tax assets and liabilities, and stock-based compensation. Actual results could differ from our estimates.
Fiscal Year	Fiscal Year Our fiscal year is a 52 or 53 week period ending on the last Friday in September. The fiscal periods presented herein include the 13 week periods ended March 30, 2018 and March 31, 2017 . Our fiscal year ending September 28, 2018 (fiscal 2018 ) and our fiscal year ended September 29, 2017 (fiscal 2017 ) both consist of 52 weeks.
Reclassifications	Reclassifications We have reclassified certain prior period amounts within our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes to conform to our current period presentation. These reclassifications did not affect total revenue, operating income, or net income.

Composition Of Certain Financ22

Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions [Abstract]
Schedule Of Accounts Receivable	Accounts Receivable March 30, September 29, Trade accounts receivable $ 117,351 $ 62,305 Accounts receivable from patent administration program customers 28,491 14,412 Accounts receivable, gross 145,842 76,717 Less: allowance for doubtful accounts (4,585 ) (2,967 ) Total $ 141,257 $ 73,750
Schedule Of Inventories	Inventories March 30, September 29, Raw materials $ 3,787 $ 6,812 Work in process 4,432 4,954 Finished goods 15,847 13,285 Total $ 24,066 $ 25,051
Schedule Of Prepaid Expenses And Other Current Assets	Prepaid Expenses And Other Current Assets March 30, September 29, Prepaid expenses $ 19,686 $ 16,681 Other current assets 14,542 11,383 Income tax receivable 1,016 2,444 Total $ 35,244 $ 30,508
Schedule Of Accrued Liabilities	Accrued Liabilities March 30, September 29, Accrued royalties $ 2,308 $ 2,274 Amounts payable to patent administration program partners 45,940 49,141 Accrued compensation and benefits 63,973 92,277 Accrued professional fees 8,347 5,530 Unpaid PP&E additions 9,809 10,096 Other accrued liabilities 37,416 47,716 Total $ 167,793 $ 207,034
Schedule Of Other Non-Current Liabilities	Other Non-Current Liabilities March 30, September 29, Supplemental retirement plan obligations $ 3,190 $ 2,928 Non-current tax liabilities 185,932 91,013 Other liabilities 12,960 13,573 Total $ 202,082 $ 107,514

Investments & Fair Value Meas23

Investments & Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Sep. 29, 2017
Fair Value, Assets, Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Measured on Recurring Basis [Abstract]
Schedule Of Financial Assets and Liabilities Carried At Fair Value	Our cash and investment portfolio consisted of the following (in thousands): March 30, 2018 Cost Unrealized Estimated Fair Value Gains Losses Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Cash and cash equivalents: Cash $ 642,640 $ 642,640 Cash equivalents: Commercial paper 44,065 4 (1 ) 44,068 44,068 Corporate bonds 16,398 (3 ) 16,395 16,395 Money market funds 2,416 — — 2,416 2,416 Cash and cash equivalents 705,519 4 (4 ) 705,519 2,416 60,463 — Short-term investments: Certificate of deposit (1) 23,848 7 (5 ) 23,850 23,850 U.S. agency securities 7,305 (22 ) 7,283 7,283 Government bonds 535 (1 ) 534 534 Commercial paper 8,575 — (16 ) 8,559 8,559 Corporate bonds 166,141 62 (578 ) 165,625 165,625 Municipal debt securities 34,736 — (90 ) 34,646 34,646 Short-term investments 241,140 69 (712 ) 240,497 534 239,963 — Long-term investments: Certificate of deposit (1) 4,845 5 — 4,850 4,850 U.S. agency securities 20,284 (324 ) 19,960 19,960 Government bonds 15,356 (253 ) 15,103 15,103 Corporate bonds 196,848 51 (2,473 ) 194,426 194,426 Municipal debt securities 23,976 (143 ) 23,833 23,833 Other long-term investments (2) 3,619 271 3,890 271 Long-term investments 264,928 327 (3,193 ) 262,062 15,374 243,069 — Total cash, cash equivalents, and investments $ 1,211,587 $ 400 $ (3,909 ) $ 1,208,078 $ 18,324 $ 543,495 $ — Investments held in supplemental retirement plan: Assets 3,288 3,288 3,288 Included in prepaid expenses and other current assets & other non-current assets Liabilities 3,288 3,288 3,288 Included in accrued liabilities & other non-current liabilities (1) Certificates of deposit include marketable securities, while those with a maturity in excess of one year as of March 30, 2018 are classified within long-term investments. (2) Other long-term investments as of March 30, 2018 include a marketable equity security of $0.3 million , and other investments that are not carried at fair value including an equity method investment of $0.1 million and two cost method equity investments of $3.0 million and $0.5 million . September 29, 2017 Cost Unrealized Estimated Fair Value Gains Losses Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Cash and cash equivalents: Cash $ 623,244 $ 623,244 Cash equivalents: Commercial paper 1,223 — — 1,223 1,223 Money market funds 2,550 — — 2,550 2,550 Cash and cash equivalents 627,017 — — 627,017 2,550 1,223 — Short-term investments: Certificate of deposit (1) 17,236 9 (1 ) 17,244 17,244 U.S. agency securities 9,518 — (20 ) 9,498 9,498 Government bonds 2,034 — (6 ) 2,028 2,028 Commercial paper 15,160 2 (1 ) 15,161 15,161 Corporate bonds 174,750 54 (163 ) 174,641 174,641 Municipal debt securities 29,178 16 (9 ) 29,185 29,185 Short-term investments 247,876 81 (200 ) 247,757 2,028 245,729 — Long-term investments: Certificate of deposit (1) 22,940 5 (6 ) 22,939 22,939 U.S. agency securities 21,779 — (178 ) 21,601 21,601 Government bonds 17,839 — (107 ) 17,732 17,732 Corporate bonds 218,857 327 (537 ) 218,647 218,647 Municipal debt securities 28,913 29 (25 ) 28,917 28,917 Other long-term investments (2) 4,171 357 — 4,528 357 — Long-term investments 314,499 718 (853 ) 314,364 18,089 292,104 — Total cash, cash equivalents, and investments $ 1,189,392 $ 799 $ (1,053 ) $ 1,189,138 $ 22,667 $ 539,056 $ — Investments held in supplemental retirement plan: Assets 3,026 3,026 3,026 Included in prepaid expenses and other current assets & other non-current assets Liabilities 3,026 3,026 3,026 Included in accrued liabilities & other non-current liabilities	September 29, 2017 Cost Unrealized Estimated Fair Value Gains Losses Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Cash and cash equivalents: Cash $ 623,244 $ 623,244 Cash equivalents: Commercial paper 1,223 — — 1,223 1,223 Money market funds 2,550 — — 2,550 2,550 Cash and cash equivalents 627,017 — — 627,017 2,550 1,223 — Short-term investments: Certificate of deposit (1) 17,236 9 (1 ) 17,244 17,244 U.S. agency securities 9,518 — (20 ) 9,498 9,498 Government bonds 2,034 — (6 ) 2,028 2,028 Commercial paper 15,160 2 (1 ) 15,161 15,161 Corporate bonds 174,750 54 (163 ) 174,641 174,641 Municipal debt securities 29,178 16 (9 ) 29,185 29,185 Short-term investments 247,876 81 (200 ) 247,757 2,028 245,729 — Long-term investments: Certificate of deposit (1) 22,940 5 (6 ) 22,939 22,939 U.S. agency securities 21,779 — (178 ) 21,601 21,601 Government bonds 17,839 — (107 ) 17,732 17,732 Corporate bonds 218,857 327 (537 ) 218,647 218,647 Municipal debt securities 28,913 29 (25 ) 28,917 28,917 Other long-term investments (2) 4,171 357 — 4,528 357 — Long-term investments 314,499 718 (853 ) 314,364 18,089 292,104 — Total cash, cash equivalents, and investments $ 1,189,392 $ 799 $ (1,053 ) $ 1,189,138 $ 22,667 $ 539,056 $ — Investments held in supplemental retirement plan: Assets 3,026 3,026 3,026 Included in prepaid expenses and other current assets & other non-current assets Liabilities 3,026 3,026 3,026 Included in accrued liabilities & other non-current liabilities (1) Certificates of deposit include marketable securities, while those with a maturity in excess of one year as of September 29, 2017 are classified within long-term investments. (2) Other long-term investments as of September 29, 2017 include a marketable equity security of $0.4 million , and other investments that are not carried at fair value including an equity method investment of $0.6 million and two cost method equity investments of $3.0 million and $0.5 million .
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	The following table presents the gross unrealized losses and fair value for those AFS securities that were in an unrealized loss position for less than twelve months and for twelve months or greater as of March 30, 2018 and September 29, 2017 (in thousands): March 30, 2018 September 29, 2017 Less Than 12 Months 12 Months Or Greater Less Than 12 Months 12 Months Or Greater Investment Type Fair Value Gross Unrealized Losses Fair Value Gross Unrealized Losses Fair Value Gross Unrealized Losses Fair Value Gross Unrealized Losses Certificate of deposit $ 15,288 $ (5 ) $ — $ 19,750 $ (6 ) $ — $ — U.S. agency securities 4,704 (85 ) 22,539 (261 ) 19,713 (91 ) 11,386 (108 ) Government bonds 13,730 (229 ) 1,906 (26 ) 15,029 (64 ) 4,729 (49 ) Commercial paper 19,822 (16 ) — — 4,292 (1 ) — — Corporate bonds 212,227 (2,070 ) 106,413 (984 ) 125,890 (251 ) 109,806 (449 ) Municipal debt securities 56,927 (217 ) 1,553 (15 ) 26,749 (24 ) 3,625 (10 ) Total $ 322,698 $ (2,622 ) $ 132,411 $ (1,286 ) $ 211,423 $ (437 ) $ 129,546 $ (616 )
Available-for-sale Securities	The following table summarizes the amortized cost and estimated fair value of the AFS securities within our investment portfolio based on stated maturities as of March 30, 2018 and September 29, 2017 , which are recorded within cash equivalents and both short and long-term investments in our consolidated balance sheets (in thousands): March 30, 2018 September 29, 2017 Range of maturity Amortized Cost Fair Value Amortized Cost Fair Value Due within 1 year $ 304,019 $ 303,376 $ 251,649 $ 251,530 Due in 1 to 2 years 138,508 137,073 213,555 213,154 Due in 2 to 3 years 122,802 121,099 96,773 96,682 Total $ 565,329 $ 561,548 $ 561,977 $ 561,366

Property, Plant and Equipment (

Property, Plant and Equipment (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Property, Plant and Equipment	Property, plant, and equipment are recorded at cost, with depreciation expense included in cost of licensing, cost of products, cost of services, R&D, S&M, and G&A expenses in our consolidated statements of operations. PP&E consist of the following (in thousands): March 30, September 29, Land $ 43,430 $ 43,364 Buildings and building improvements 283,037 281,196 Leasehold improvements 65,981 65,034 Machinery and equipment 105,593 98,437 Computer equipment and software 185,097 173,341 Furniture and fixtures 30,066 28,118 Equipment provided under operating leases 117,060 97,456 Construction-in-progress 4,197 3,673 Property, plant, and equipment, gross 834,461 790,619 Less: accumulated depreciation (333,480 ) (305,344 ) Property, plant, & equipment, net $ 500,981 $ 485,275

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Goodwill	The following table outlines changes to the carrying amount of goodwill (in thousands): Goodwill Balance at September 29, 2017 $ 311,087 Acquired goodwill 4,807 Translation adjustments 664 Balance at March 30, 2018 $ 316,558
Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets	Intangible assets subject to amortization consist of the following (in thousands): March 30, 2018 September 29, 2017 Intangible Assets Cost Accumulated Amortization Net Cost Accumulated Amortization Net Acquired patents and technology $ 315,125 $ (141,355 ) $ 173,770 $ 299,707 $ (128,986 ) $ 170,721 Customer relationships 56,866 (39,713 ) 17,153 56,843 (38,368 ) 18,475 Other intangibles 22,770 (22,353 ) 417 22,742 (22,290 ) 452 Total $ 394,761 $ (203,421 ) $ 191,340 $ 379,292 $ (189,644 ) $ 189,648 With regard to our purchase of intangible assets during the periods presented, the following table summarizes the consideration paid, the weighted-average useful lives over which the acquired assets will be amortized using the greater of either the straight-line basis or a ratio-to-revenue method, and the classification of their amortized expense in our consolidated statements of operations: Fiscal Period Total Purchase Consideration (1) Weighted-Average Useful Life (in millions) (in years) Fiscal 2017 Q1 - Quarter ended December 30, 2016 None Q2 - Quarter ended March 31, 2017 5.3 18.0 $5.3 18.0 Fiscal 2018 Q1 - Quarter ended December 29, 2017 $12.0 14.1 Q2 - Quarter ended March 30, 2018 $2.8 5.3 $14.8 12.5 (1) Amortization expense on the intangible assets from patent portfolio and business acquisitions is included within cost of revenue, R&D, and G&A in our consolidated statements of operations.
Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Future Amortization Expense	As of March 30, 2018 , estimated amortization expense in future fiscal periods was as follows (in thousands): Fiscal Year Amortization Expense Remainder of 2018 $ 13,468 2019 26,415 2020 25,952 2021 25,926 2022 23,261 Thereafter 76,318 Total $ 191,340

Stockholders' Equity And Stoc26

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Abstract]
Summary Of Stock Options Issued To Officers, Directors, And Employees Under 2000 Stock Incentive Plan And 2005 Stock Plan	The following table summarizes information about all stock options issued under our 2005 Stock Plan: Shares Weighted-Average Exercise Price Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life Aggregate Intrinsic Value (1) (in thousands) (in years) (in thousands) Options outstanding at September 29, 2017 8,741 $ 38.65 Grants 1,281 62.33 Exercises (1,736 ) 37.17 Forfeitures and cancellations (366 ) 40.46 Options outstanding at March 30, 2018 7,920 42.72 7.0 $ 165,037 Options vested and expected to vest at March 30, 2018 7,443 42.01 6.9 160,387 Options exercisable at March 30, 2018 4,015 $ 37.29 5.9 105,478 (1) Aggregate intrinsic value is based on the closing price of our Class A common stock on March 30, 2018 of $63.56 and excludes the impact of options that were not in-the-money.
Summary Of Restricted Stock Units Issued To Officers, Directors And Employees Under 2005 Stock Incentive Plan	The following table summarizes information about RSUs issued under our 2005 Stock Plan: Shares Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value (in thousands) Non-vested at September 29, 2017 2,839 $ 44.38 Granted 1,144 62.42 Vested (943 ) 40.28 Forfeitures (246 ) 42.98 Non-vested at March 30 , 2018 2,794 $ 53.27
Schedule Of Fair Value Of Stock-Based Awards Estimated Using Weighted-Average Assumptions	The weighted-average assumptions used in the determination of the fair value of our stock options were as follows: Fiscal Quarter Ended Fiscal Year-To-Date Ended March 30, March 31, March 30, March 31, Expected life (in years) 5.06 5.13 5.06 5.13 Risk-free interest rate 2.5 % 1.9 % 2.2 % 2.1 % Expected stock price volatility 21.9 % 27.0 % 22.6 % 27.5 % Dividend yield 1.0 % 1.2 % 1.1 % 1.1 %
Schedule of Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs	The following two tables separately present stock-based compensation expense both by award type and classification in our consolidated statements of operations (in thousands): Expense - By Award Type Fiscal Quarter Ended Fiscal Year-To-Date Ended March 30, March 31, March 30, March 31, Compensation Expense - By Type Stock options $ 5,090 $ 4,575 $ 12,054 $ 9,378 Restricted stock units 11,632 10,514 22,412 22,097 Employee stock purchase plan 969 894 1,909 1,723 Total stock-based compensation 17,691 15,983 36,375 33,198 Benefit from income taxes (3,657 ) (4,635 ) (7,553 ) (9,663 ) Total stock-based compensation, net of tax $ 14,034 $ 11,348 $ 28,822 $ 23,535 Expense - By Income Statement Line Item Classification Fiscal Quarter Ended Fiscal Year-To-Date Ended March 30, March 31, March 30, March 31, Compensation Expense - By Classification Cost of products $ 245 $ 223 $ 507 $ 481 Cost of services 142 123 260 257 Research and development 4,750 4,506 9,627 9,436 Sales and marketing 5,846 6,509 11,797 13,376 General and administrative 6,708 4,622 14,184 9,648 Total stock-based compensation expense 17,691 15,983 36,375 33,198 Benefit from income taxes (3,657 ) (4,635 ) (7,553 ) (9,663 ) Total stock-based compensation, net of tax $ 14,034 $ 11,348 $ 28,822 $ 23,535
Schedule of Tax Benefit from Exercise of Options	This benefit was as follows (in thousands): Fiscal Quarter Ended Fiscal Year-To-Date Ended March 30, March 31, March 30, March 31, Tax benefit - shares issued under ESPP $ 52 $ 95 $ 357 $ 419
Schedule of Stock Repurchase Authorizations	The following table summarizes the initial amount of authorized repurchases as well as additional repurchases approved by our Board of Directors as of March 30, 2018 (in thousands): Authorization Period Authorization Amount Fiscal 2010: November 2009 $ 250,000 Fiscal 2010: July 2010 300,000 Fiscal 2011: July 2011 250,000 Fiscal 2012: February 2012 100,000 Fiscal 2015: October 2014 200,000 Fiscal 2017: January 2017 200,000 Total $ 1,300,000
Schedule of Stock Repurchase Activity	The following table provides information regarding share repurchase activity under the program during fiscal 2018 : Quarterly Repurchase Activity Shares Repurchased Cost in thousands (1) Average Price Paid Per Share (2) Q1 - Quarter ended December 29, 2017 493,884 $ 29,999 $ 60.73 Q2 - Quarter ended March 30, 2018 77,705 5,001 64.33 Total 571,589 $ 35,000 (1) Cost of share repurchases includes the price paid per share and applicable commissions. (2) Average price paid per share excludes commission costs.
Dividends Declared	In October 2014, our Board of Directors initiated a recurring quarterly dividend program for our stockholders. The following table summarizes dividends declared under the program in relation to fiscal 2018 : Fiscal Period Announcement Date Record Date Payment Date Cash Dividend Per Common Share Dividend Payment Fiscal 2018 Q1 - Quarter ended December 29, 2017 January 24, 2018 February 5, 2018 February 14, 2018 $ 0.16 $16.6 million Q2 - Quarter ended March 30, 2018 April 24, 2018 May 7, 2018 May 16, 2018 $ 0.16 $16.7 million (1) (1) The amount of the dividend payment is estimated based on the number of shares of our Class A and Class B common stock that we estimate will be outstanding as of the Record Date.

Accumulated Other Comprehensi27

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Equity [Abstract]
Schedule of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	The following table summarizes the changes in the accumulated balances during the period, and includes information regarding the manner in which the reclassifications out of AOCI into earnings affect our consolidated statements of operations (in thousands): Fiscal Quarter Ended Fiscal Year-To-Date Ended Investment Securities Currency Translation Adjustments Total Investment Securities Currency Translation Adjustments Total Beginning Balance $ (1,970 ) $ (6,152 ) $ (8,122 ) $ (377 ) $ (7,376 ) $ (7,753 ) Other comprehensive income before reclassifications: — Unrealized gains/(losses) - investment securities (1,393 ) (1,393 ) (3,089 ) (3,089 ) Foreign currency translation gains/(losses) (1) 4,932 4,932 6,430 6,430 Income tax effect - benefit/(expense) 16 (867 ) (851 ) 103 (1,141 ) (1,038 ) Net of tax (1,377 ) 4,065 2,688 (2,986 ) 5,289 2,303 Amounts reclassified from AOCI into earnings: Realized gains/(losses) - investment securities (1) (227 ) (227 ) (207 ) (207 ) Income tax effect - benefit/(expense) (2) 45 45 41 41 Net of tax (182 ) — (182 ) (166 ) — (166 ) Net current-period other comprehensive income/(loss) (1,559 ) 4,065 2,506 (3,152 ) 5,289 2,137 Ending Balance $ (3,529 ) $ (2,087 ) $ (5,616 ) $ (3,529 ) $ (2,087 ) $ (5,616 ) Fiscal Quarter Ended Fiscal Year-To-Date Investment Securities Currency Translation Adjustments Total Investment Securities Currency Translation Adjustments Total Beginning Balance $ (1,277 ) $ (18,402 ) $ (19,679 ) $ 742 $ (10,939 ) $ (10,197 ) Other comprehensive income before reclassifications: Unrealized gains/(losses) - investment securities 686 686 (1,474 ) (1,474 ) Foreign currency translation gains/(losses) (1) 4,989 4,989 (3,739 ) (3,739 ) Income tax effect - benefit/(expense) (99 ) (599 ) (698 ) 3 666 669 Net of tax 587 4,390 4,977 (1,471 ) (3,073 ) (4,544 ) Amounts reclassified from AOCI into earnings: Realized gains/(losses) - investment securities (1) (12 ) (12 ) 34 34 Income tax effect - benefit/(expense) (2) 6 6 (1 ) (1 ) Net of tax (6 ) — (6 ) 33 — 33 Net current-period other comprehensive income/(loss) 581 4,390 4,971 (1,438 ) (3,073 ) (4,511 ) Ending Balance $ (696 ) $ (14,012 ) $ (14,708 ) $ (696 ) $ (14,012 ) $ (14,708 ) (1) Realized gains or losses, if any, from the sale of our AFS investment securities or from foreign currency translation adjustments are included within other income/expense, net in our consolidated statements of operations. (2) The income tax benefit or expense is included within provision for income taxes in our consolidated statements of operations.

Per Share Data (Tables)

Per Share Data (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted	The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted EPS attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (in thousands, except per share amounts): Fiscal Quarter Ended Fiscal Year-To-Date Ended March 30, March 31, March 30, March 31, Numerator: Net income/(loss) attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc. $ 70,631 $ 50,590 $ (10,991 ) $ 103,964 Denominator: Weighted-average shares outstanding—basic 103,771 101,787 103,162 101,635 Potential common shares from options to purchase common stock 2,397 1,513 — 1,448 Potential common shares from restricted stock units 833 583 — 784 Weighted-average shares outstanding—diluted 107,001 103,883 103,162 103,867 Net income/(loss) per share attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc.: Basic $ 0.68 $ 0.50 $ (0.11 ) $ 1.02 Diluted $ 0.66 $ 0.49 $ (0.11 ) $ 1.00 Antidilutive awards excluded from calculation: Stock options 1,276 1,819 2,429 1,222 Restricted stock units 3 2 1,215 8

Income Taxes (Tables)

Income Taxes (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Withholding Taxes	Withholding taxes were as follows (in thousands): Fiscal Quarter Ended Fiscal Year-To-Date Ended March 30, March 31, March 30, March 31, Withholding taxes $ 16,310 $ 13,408 $ 28,574 $ 22,399

Restructuring (Tables)

Restructuring (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Restructuring Charges [Abstract]
Restructuring and Related Costs	The table presented below summarizes changes in restructuring accruals under this plan (in thousands): Severance and associated costs Restructuring charges $ 12,856 Cash payments (168 ) Non-cash and other adjustments — Balance at September 29, 2017 $ 12,688 Restructuring charges 23 Cash payments (10,938 ) Non-cash and other adjustments (436 ) Balance at March 30, 2018 $ 1,337

Commitments And Contingencies (

Commitments And Contingencies (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule Of Contractual Obligations And Commitments	The following table presents a summary of our contractual obligations and commitments as of March 30, 2018 (in thousands): Payments Due By Fiscal Period Remainder of Fiscal Fiscal Fiscal Fiscal Thereafter Total Naming rights $ — $ 7,811 $ 7,909 $ 8,008 $ 8,108 $ 86,865 $ 118,701 Operating leases 9,087 17,507 14,784 11,351 9,706 25,912 88,347 Purchase obligations 21,779 25,436 22,125 333 333 — 70,006 Donation commitments — 6,300 322 122 122 958 7,824 Total $ 30,866 $ 57,054 $ 45,140 $ 19,814 $ 18,269 $ 113,735 $ 284,878

Basis Of Presentation (Details)

Basis Of Presentation (Details) - segment	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 30, 2018
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of weeks in fiscal year	13 years
Number of Operating Segments		1

Summary Of Significant Accoun33

Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 30, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Excess tax benefit	$ 3.4	$ 9.4

Composition Of Certain Financ34

Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions (Schedule Of Accounts Receivable) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 30, 2018	Sep. 29, 2017
Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions [Abstract]
Trade accounts receivable	$ 117,351	$ 62,305
Accounts receivable related to patent administration program	28,491	14,412
Accounts receivable, gross	145,842	76,717
Less: allowance for doubtful accounts	(4,585)	(2,967)
Accounts receivable, net	$ 141,257	$ 73,750

Composition Of Certain Financ35

Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions (Schedule Of Inventories) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 30, 2018	Sep. 29, 2017
Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions [Abstract]
Raw materials	$ 3,787	$ 6,812
Work in process	4,432	4,954
Finished goods	15,847	13,285
Inventories	$ 24,066	$ 25,051

Composition Of Certain Financ36

Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 30, 2018	Sep. 29, 2017
Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Raw materials	$ 3,787	$ 6,812
Capital expenditures incurred, but not yet paid	9,809	10,096
Other Noncurrent Assets [Member]
Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Raw materials	$ 3,000	$ 1,800

Composition Of Certain Financ37

Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions (Schedule Of Prepaid Expenses And Other Current Assets) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 30, 2018	Sep. 29, 2017
Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions [Abstract]
Prepaid assets	$ 19,686	$ 16,681
Other current assets	14,542	11,383
Income tax receivable	1,016	2,444
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	$ 35,244	$ 30,508

Composition Of Certain Financ38

Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions (Schedule Of Accrued Liabilities) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 30, 2018	Sep. 29, 2017
Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions [Abstract]
Accrued royalties	$ 2,308	$ 2,274
Amounts payable to patent administration program partners	45,940	49,141
Accrued compensation and benefits	63,973	92,277
Accrued professional fees	8,347	5,530
Capital expenditures incurred, but not yet paid	9,809	10,096
Other accrued liabilities	37,416	47,716
Total	$ 167,793	$ 207,034

Composition Of Certain Financ39

Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions (Schedule Of Other Non-Current Liabilities) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 30, 2018	Sep. 29, 2017
Composition Of Certain Financial Statement Captions [Abstract]
Supplemental retirement plan obligations	$ 3,190	$ 2,928
Non-current tax liabilities	185,932	91,013
Other liabilities	12,960	13,573
Other non-current liabilities	$ 202,082	$ 107,514

Investments & Fair Value Meas40

Investments & Fair Value Measurements (Schedule Of Financial Assets and Liabilities Carried At Fair Value) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Sep. 29, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Fair Value Disclosure		$ 627,017
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 705,519	627,017	$ 532,508	$ 516,112
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	565,329	561,977
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Securities	561,548	561,366
Investment Owned, Unrecognized Unrealized Depreciation	(3,909)	(1,053)
Cash Cash Equivalents And Investments Total	1,208,078	1,189,138
Financial assets carried at fair value	705,519	627,017
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents	8,082	7,351
Long-term investments	262,062	314,364
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	322,698	211,423
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(2,622)	(437)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	132,411	129,546
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(1,286)	(616)
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Next Twelve Months, Amortized Cost Basis	304,019	251,649
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Next Twelve Months, Fair Value	303,376	251,530
Available For Sale Securities Debt Maturities After One Through Two Years Amortized Cost	138,508	213,555
Available For Sale Securities Debt Maturities After One Through Two Years Fair Value	137,073	213,154
Available For Sale Securities Debt Maturities After Two Through Three Years Amortized Cost	122,802	96,773
Available For Sale Securities Debt Maturities After Two Through Three Years Fair Value	121,099	96,682
Investment Owned, at Cost	1,211,587	1,189,392
Investment Owned, Unrecognized Unrealized Appreciation	400	799
Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Fair Value Disclosure	2,416	2,550
Financial assets carried at fair value	18,324	22,667
Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Fair Value Disclosure	60,463	1,223
Financial assets carried at fair value	543,495	539,056
Cash [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Fair Value Disclosure	642,640	623,244
Corporate Debt Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Fair Value Disclosure	16,395
Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	16,398
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss	(3)
Money Market Funds [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Fair Value Disclosure	2,416	2,550
Cash and cash equivalents	2,416
Money Market Funds [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Fair Value Disclosure	2,416	2,550
Certificates of Deposit [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss		(1)
Available-for-sale Debt Securities Gross Unrealized Gain		9
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis		22,940
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	15,288	19,750
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(5)	(6)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss		0
Certificates of Deposit [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure		17,244
Investments, Noncurrent, Fair Value Disclosure		22,939
U.S. Agency Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis		21,779
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	4,704	19,713
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(85)	(91)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	22,539	11,386
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(261)	(108)
U.S. Agency Securities [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Noncurrent, Fair Value Disclosure
U.S. Agency Securities [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Noncurrent, Fair Value Disclosure		21,601
US Government Agencies Short-term Debt Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss	(22)	(20)
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Securities	7,283	9,498
Available-for-sale Debt Securities Gross Unrealized Gain		0
US Government Agencies Short-term Debt Securities [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	7,283	9,498
Government Bonds [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss		(6)
Available-for-sale Debt Securities Gross Unrealized Gain		0
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis		17,839
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	13,730	15,029
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(229)	(64)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,906	4,729
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(26)	(49)
Government Bonds [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Noncurrent, Fair Value Disclosure		17,732
Commercial Paper [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Fair Value Disclosure	44,068	1,223
Cash and cash equivalents	44,065
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss		(1)
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Amortized Cost Basis		15,160
Available-for-sale Debt Securities Gross Unrealized Gain		2
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	0	0
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	0	0
Investment Owned, at Cost	19,822	4,292
Investment Owned, Unrecognized Unrealized Appreciation	16	1
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gain	4
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss	(1)
Commercial Paper [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Fair Value Disclosure	44,068	1,223
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure		15,161
Corporate Debt Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Fair Value Disclosure		2,550
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss		(163)
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Amortized Cost Basis		174,750
Available-for-sale Debt Securities Gross Unrealized Gain		54
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis		218,857
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	212,227	125,890
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(2,070)	(251)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	106,413	109,806
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(984)	(449)
Corporate Debt Securities [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Fair Value Disclosure	16,395
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure		174,641
Investments, Noncurrent, Fair Value Disclosure		218,647
Municipal Bonds [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss		(9)
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Amortized Cost Basis		29,178
Available-for-sale Debt Securities Gross Unrealized Gain		16
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis		28,913
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	(217)	(24)
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Twelve Months or Longer, Fair Value	1,553	3,625
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	(15)	(10)
Investment Owned, at Cost	56,927	26,749
Municipal Bonds [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure		29,185
Investments, Noncurrent, Fair Value Disclosure		28,917
Short-term Investments [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Debt Securities Gross Unrealized Gain		81
Other Long-term Investments [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cost Method Investment, Fair Value Measurement Adjustment	300	400
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis		4,171
Investments, Noncurrent, Fair Value Disclosure	100	600
Other Long-term Investments [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Noncurrent, Fair Value Disclosure		357
Investments Held In Supplemental Retirement Plan [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Financial assets carried at fair value	3,288	3,026
Financial liabilities carried at fair value	3,288	3,026
Cost Method Investment 1 [Member] | Other Long-term Investments [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Long-term investments	3,000	3,000
Cost Method Investment 2 [Member] | Other Long-term Investments [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Long-term investments	500	500
Short-term Investments [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss		(200)
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Amortized Cost Basis		247,876
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Securities		247,757
Short-term Investments [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	534	2,028
Short-term Investments [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	239,963	245,729
Short-term Investments [Member] | Certificates of Deposit [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss	(5)
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	23,848	17,236
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Securities	23,850
Available-for-sale Debt Securities Gross Unrealized Gain	7
Available-for-sale Securities		17,244
Short-term Investments [Member] | Certificates of Deposit [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	23,850
Short-term Investments [Member] | U.S. Agency Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	7,305	9,518
Short-term Investments [Member] | Government Bonds [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss	(1)
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	535	2,034
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Securities	534	2,028
Short-term Investments [Member] | Government Bonds [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	534	2,028
Short-term Investments [Member] | Commercial Paper [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss	(16)
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	8,575
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Securities	8,559	15,161
Available-for-sale Debt Securities Gross Unrealized Gain	0
Short-term Investments [Member] | Commercial Paper [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	8,559
Short-term Investments [Member] | Corporate Debt Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss	(578)
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	166,141
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Securities	165,625	174,641
Available-for-sale Debt Securities Gross Unrealized Gain	62
Short-term Investments [Member] | Corporate Debt Securities [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	165,625
Short-term Investments [Member] | Municipal Bonds [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss	(90)
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	34,736
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Securities	34,646	29,185
Available-for-sale Debt Securities Gross Unrealized Gain	0
Short-term Investments [Member] | Municipal Bonds [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	34,646
Short-term Investments [Member] | Short-term Investments [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss	(712)
Available-for-sale Debt Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	241,140
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Securities	240,497
Available-for-sale Debt Securities Gross Unrealized Gain	69
Long-term Investments [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis		314,499
Available-for-sale Securities, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain, before Tax		718
Available-for-sale Securities, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Loss, before Tax		(853)
Available-for-sale Securities		314,364
Long-term Investments [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Noncurrent, Fair Value Disclosure	15,374	18,089
Long-term Investments [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Noncurrent, Fair Value Disclosure	243,069	292,104
Long-term Investments [Member] | Certificates of Deposit [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Debt Securities Gross Unrealized Gain	5
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	4,845
Available-for-sale Securities	4,850	22,939
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gain		5
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss	0	6
Long-term Investments [Member] | Certificates of Deposit [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Noncurrent, Fair Value Disclosure	4,850
Long-term Investments [Member] | U.S. Agency Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	20,284
Available-for-sale Securities	19,960	21,601
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gain		0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss	324	178
Long-term Investments [Member] | U.S. Agency Securities [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Noncurrent, Fair Value Disclosure	19,960
Long-term Investments [Member] | Government Bonds [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	15,356
Available-for-sale Securities	15,103	17,732
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gain		0
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss	253	107
Long-term Investments [Member] | Government Bonds [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Noncurrent, Fair Value Disclosure	15,103
Long-term Investments [Member] | Corporate Debt Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	196,848
Available-for-sale Securities	194,426	218,647
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gain	51	327
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss	2,473	537
Long-term Investments [Member] | Corporate Debt Securities [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Noncurrent, Fair Value Disclosure	194,426
Long-term Investments [Member] | Municipal Bonds [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	23,976
Available-for-sale Securities	23,833	28,917
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gain		29
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss	143	25
Long-term Investments [Member] | Municipal Bonds [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Noncurrent, Fair Value Disclosure	23,833
Long-term Investments [Member] | Other Long-term Investments [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	3,619
Available-for-sale Securities	3,890	4,528
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gain	271	357
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss		$ 0
Long-term Investments [Member] | Other Long-term Investments [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Investments, Noncurrent, Fair Value Disclosure	271
Long-term Investments [Member] | Long-term Investments [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities, Amortized Cost Basis	264,928
Available-for-sale Securities	262,062
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gain	327
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss	$ 3,193

Property, Plant and Equipment41

Property, Plant and Equipment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 30, 2018	Sep. 29, 2017
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant And Equipment, Gross	$ 834,461	$ 790,619
Less: accumulated depreciation	(333,480)	(305,344)
Property, Plant And Equipment, Net	500,981	485,275
Land [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant And Equipment, Gross	43,430	43,364
Building [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant And Equipment, Gross	283,037	281,196
Leasehold Improvements [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant And Equipment, Gross	65,981	65,034
Machinery and Equipment [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant And Equipment, Gross	105,593	98,437
Computer Systems and Software [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant And Equipment, Gross	185,097	173,341
Furniture and Fixtures [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant And Equipment, Gross	30,066	28,118
Equipment Leased to Other Party [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant And Equipment, Gross	117,060	97,456
Construction in Progress [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property, Plant And Equipment, Gross	$ 4,197	$ 3,673

Goodwill and Intangible Asset42

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Goodwill Rollforward (Details) $ in Thousands	Mar. 30, 2018USD ($)
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at September 26, 2014	$ 311,087
Balance at September 29, 2017	$ 316,558

Goodwill and Intangible Asset43

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Finite-Lived Intangible Assets (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended			6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Dec. 29, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Sep. 29, 2017
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Cost	$ 394,761,000			$ 394,761,000		$ 379,292,000
Accumulated Amortization	(203,421,000)			(203,421,000)		(189,644,000)
Total	191,340,000			191,340,000		189,648,000
Purchases of intangible assets	$ 2,800		$ 5,000	$ 11,893,000	$ 5,250,000
Intangible Assets, Explanation of Significant Additions		12		14.8	5.3
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life	5 years 3 months	14 years 1 month	18 years	12 years 6 months	18 years
Amortization of Intangible Assets	$ 6,600,000		$ 8,400,000
Acquired Patents And Technology [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Cost	315,125,000			$ 315,125,000		299,707,000
Accumulated Amortization	(141,355,000)			(141,355,000)		(128,986,000)
Total	173,770,000			173,770,000		170,721,000
Customer Relationships [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Cost	56,866,000			56,866,000		56,843,000
Accumulated Amortization	(39,713,000)			(39,713,000)		(38,368,000)
Total	17,153,000			17,153,000		18,475,000
Other Intangibles [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Cost	22,770,000			22,770,000		22,742,000
Accumulated Amortization	(22,353,000)			(22,353,000)		(22,290,000)
Total	$ 417,000			$ 417,000		$ 452,000

Goodwill and Intangible Asset44

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Future Amortization Expense (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 30, 2018	Sep. 29, 2017
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Remainder of 2018	$ 13,468
2,018	26,415
2,019	25,952
2,020	25,926
2,021	23,261
Thereafter	76,318
Total	$ 191,340	$ 189,648

Goodwill and Intangible Asset45

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Intangible Assets, Additions (Details)	3 Months Ended			6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Dec. 29, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life	5 years 3 months	14 years 1 month	18 years	12 years 6 months	18 years

Stockholders' Equity And Stoc46

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($)

Apr. 24, 2018

Jan. 24, 2018

Dec. 15, 2017

Dec. 15, 2016

Dec. 15, 2015

Mar. 30, 2018

Mar. 31, 2017

Mar. 30, 2018

Mar. 31, 2017

Oct. 31, 2010

Mar. 28, 2014

Sep. 29, 2017

Jan. 25, 2017

Oct. 31, 2014

Feb. 29, 2012

Jul. 31, 2011

Jul. 31, 2010

Nov. 30, 2009

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Options outstanding to purchase

8,741,000

Year end stock price

$ 63.56

Percentage of vesting per year

50.00%

Common stock, dividends declared (in dollars per share)

$ 0.16

$ 0.14

$ 0.32

$ 0.28

Remaining authorization to purchase additional shares

$ 117,000,000

$ 117,000,000

Authorization Amount

1,300,000,000

1,300,000,000

$ 250,000,000

Subsequent Event [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Common stock, dividends declared (in dollars per share)

$ 0.16

$ 0.16

Employee Stock Option [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Stock options expected to vest

$ 34,000,000

$ 34,000,000

Employee stock options expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period

2 years 5 months

Performance-Based Stock Options [Member] | Executive Officer [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Shares exercisable (in shares)

981,121

981,121

Percentage Of Target Award

125.00%

Options outstanding to purchase

784,898

784,898

Performance-Based Stock Options [Member] | Executive Officer [Member] | Awarded Fiscal 2018 [Member] [Domain]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Shares exercisable (in shares)

330,000

Percentage Of Target Award

125.00%

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Net of Forfeitures

264,000

Performance-Based Stock Options [Member] | Executive Officer [Member] | Awarded Fiscal 2016 [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Shares exercisable (in shares)

419,623

Percentage Of Target Award

125.00%

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Net of Forfeitures

335,699

Performance-Based Stock Options [Member] | Executive Officer [Member] | Awarded Fiscal 2017 [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Shares exercisable (in shares)

345,248

Percentage Of Target Award

125.00%

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Net of Forfeitures

276,199

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Stock options expected to vest

$ 108,300,000

$ 108,300,000

Employee stock options expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period

2 years 8 months 9 days

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member] | Employees and Officers [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period

4 years

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member] | Awards Granted Prior to November 2010 [Member] | Directors [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period

3 years

1 year

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member] | Awards Granted After November 2010 [Member] | Directors [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period

2 years

Awards Granted Under 2005 Stock Plan Prior To February 2011 [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Terms for issuance of stock

2

Awards Granted Under 2005 Stock Plan From February 2011 [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Terms for issuance of stock

1.6

Employee Stock Purchase Plan [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Percentage of compensation withheld by employees to purchase common stock

10.00%

Common stock purchase price determined over percentage of closing price

15.00%

Additional Stock Approved [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Authorization Amount

$ 200,000,000

$ 200,000,000

$ 100,000,000

$ 250,000,000

$ 300,000,000

Class A Common Stock [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Common stock, shares authorized (shares)

500,000,000

500,000,000

500,000,000

Common stock, shares issued (shares)

61,364,751

61,364,751

59,281,837

Common stock, shares outstanding (shares)

61,364,751

61,364,751

59,281,837

Class A Common Stock [Member] | 2005 Stock Plan. [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Shares authorized under plan

46,000,000

46,000,000

Options outstanding to purchase

7,920,000

7,920,000

Weighted average remaining contractual life

7 years

Options vested and exercisable

4,015,000

4,015,000

Class A Common Stock [Member] | Employee Stock Purchase Plan [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Maximum value of common stock available for eligible employees

$ 25,000

Maximum number of common stock available for eligible employees

1,000

Purchase period

6 months

Look back commencement period

1 year

Class B Common Stock [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Common stock, shares authorized (shares)

500,000,000

500,000,000

500,000,000

Common stock, shares issued (shares)

42,733,038

42,733,038

42,873,597

Common stock, shares outstanding (shares)

42,733,038

42,733,038

42,873,597

Options Granted Prior To June 2008 [Member] | Employee Stock Option [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period

4 years

Options expiration period

10 years

Options Granted From June Two Thousand Eight Member | Employee Stock Option [Member]

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period

36 months

Percentage of stock option becoming exercisable subjected to date of grant

25.00%

Stockholders' Equity And Stoc47

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation (Summary Of Stock Options Issued To Officers, Directors, And Employees Under 2000 Stock Incentive Plan And 2005 Stock Plan) (Details) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018USD ($)$ / sharesshares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Document Period End Date	Mar. 30, 2018
Shares
Shares, Options outstanding at beginning of period | shares	8,741
Shares, Grants | shares	1,281
Shares, Exercises | shares	(1,736)
Shares, Forfeitures and cancellations | shares	(366)
Shares, Options vested and expected to vest | shares	7,443
Weighted-Average Exercise Price
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Options outstanding at beginning of period	$ 38.65
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Grants (in usd per share)	62.33
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Exercises (in usd per share)	37.17
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Forfeitures and cancellations (in usd per share)	40.46
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Options outstanding at end of period	42.72
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Options vested and expected to vest (in usd per share)	42.01
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Options exercisable (in usd per share)	$ 37.29
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life, Options vested and expected to vest at end of period	6 years 11 months
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life, Options exercisable	5 years 11 months
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Options outstanding | $	$ 165,037
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Options vested and expected to vest | $	160,387
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Options exercisable | $	$ 105,478
Employee Stock Option [Member] | Options Granted From June Two Thousand Eight Member
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award Options Becoming Exercisable	25.00%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period	36 months

Stockholders' Equity And Stoc48

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation (Summary Of Restricted Stock Units Issued To Officers, Directors, And Employees Under 2005 Stock Incentive Plan) (Details) shares in Thousands	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018$ / sharesshares
Shares
Shares, Non-vested at beginning of period | shares	2,839
Shares, Granted | shares	1,144
Shares, Vested | shares	(943)
Shares, Forfeitures | shares	(246)
Shares, Non-vested at end of period | shares	2,794
Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value
Weighted Average Fair Value, Non-vested at beginning of period | $ / shares	$ 44.38
Weighted Average Fair Value, Granted | $ / shares	62.42
Weighted Average Fair Value, Vested | $ / shares	40.28
Weighted Average Fair Value, Forfeitures | $ / shares	42.98
Weighted Average Fair Value, Non-vested at end of period | $ / shares	$ 53.27

Stockholders' Equity And Stoc49

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation (Schedule Of Fair Value Of Stock-Based Awards Estimated Using Weighted-Average Assumptions) (Details)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Abstract]
Document Period End Date			Mar. 30, 2018
Expected life (in years)	5 years 23 days	5 years 1 month 17 days	5 years 23 days	5 years 1 month 17 days
Risk-free interest rate	2.50%	1.90%	2.20%	2.10%
Expected stock price volatility	21.90%	27.00%	22.60%	27.50%
Dividend yield	1.00%	1.20%	1.10%	1.10%

Stockholders' Equity And Stoc50

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation (Schedule Of Stock-Based Compensation Expense By Plan) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]
Document Period End Date			Mar. 30, 2018
Stock-based compensation expense	$ 17,691	$ 15,983
Share-based Compensation			$ 36,375	$ 33,198
Benefit from income taxes	(3,657)	(4,635)	(7,553)	(9,663)
Total stock-based compensation, net of tax	14,034	11,348	28,822	23,535
Stock Option [Member]
Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	5,090	4,575
Share-based Compensation			12,054	9,378
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]
Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	11,632	10,514
Share-based Compensation			22,412	22,097
Employee Stock Purchase Plan [Member]
Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	969	894
Share-based Compensation			1,909	1,723
Cost of Sales [Member]
Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	245	223	507	481
Cost Of Service [Member]
Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	142	123	260	257
Research and Development Expense [Member]
Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	4,750	4,506	9,627	9,436
Selling and Marketing Expense [Member]
Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	5,846	6,509	11,797	13,376
General and Administrative Expense [Member]
Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	$ 6,708	$ 4,622	$ 14,184	$ 9,648

Stockholders' Equity And Stoc51

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation (Schedule of Stock-Based Compensation By Classification) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	$ 17,691	$ 15,983
Benefit from income taxes	(3,657)	(4,635)	$ (7,553)	$ (9,663)
Total stock-based compensation, net of tax	14,034	11,348	28,822	23,535
Cost of products [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	245	223	507	481
Cost of services [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	142	123	260	257
Research and development [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	4,750	4,506	9,627	9,436
Sales and marketing [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	5,846	6,509	11,797	13,376
General and administrative [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	$ 6,708	$ 4,622	$ 14,184	$ 9,648

Stockholders' Equity And Stoc52

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation (Tax Benefit from Exercise of Options) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Tax Benefit from Exercise of Stock Options	$ 52	$ 95	$ 357	$ 419
Document Period End Date			Mar. 30, 2018

Stockholders' Equity And Stoc53

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation (Stock Repurchase Authorizations) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 30, 2018	Jan. 25, 2017	Oct. 31, 2014	Feb. 29, 2012	Jul. 31, 2011	Jul. 31, 2010	Nov. 30, 2009
Equity, Class of Treasury Stock [Line Items]
Authorization Amount	$ 1,300,000						$ 250,000
Additional Stock Approved [Member]
Equity, Class of Treasury Stock [Line Items]
Authorization Amount		$ 200,000	$ 200,000	$ 100,000	$ 250,000	$ 300,000

Stockholders' Equity And Stoc54

Stockholders' Equity And Stock-Based Compensation (Stock Repurchase) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Dec. 29, 2017	Mar. 30, 2018
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares repurchased (in shares)	77,705		571,589
Repurchase of common stock	$ 5,001	$ 29,999	$ 35,000
Average Price Paid per Share (in dollars per share)	$ 64.33		$ 64.33
Stock Repurchase Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares repurchased (in shares)		493,884
Average Price Paid per Share (in dollars per share)		$ 60.73

Stockholders' Equity and Stoc55

Stockholders' Equity and Stock-Based Compensation - Dividends (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	Apr. 24, 2018	Jan. 24, 2018	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Common stock, dividends declared (in dollars per share)			$ 0.16	$ 0.14	$ 0.32	$ 0.28
Subsequent Event [Member]
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Common stock, dividends declared (in dollars per share)	$ 0.16	$ 0.16
Dividend Payment	$ 16.7	$ 16.6

Accumulated Other Comprehensi56

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Balance, Beginning Of Period	$ (8,122)	$ (19,679)	$ (7,753)	$ (10,197)
Income Tax Effect - Benefit/(Expense)	(851)	(698)	1,038	(669)
Net Of Tax	2,688	4,977	2,303	(4,544)
Realized (Gains) - Investment Securities	(227)	(12)	(207)	34
Income Tax Effect - (Benefit)/Expense	45	6	(41)	1
Net Of Tax	(182)	(6)	(166)	(33)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), After Reclassifications, Net of Tax	2,506	4,971	2,137	(4,511)
Balance, End Of Period	(5,616)	(14,708)	(5,616)	(14,708)
Unrealized Gains/Losses On Available-For-Sale Securities [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Balance, Beginning Of Period	(1,970)	(1,277)		742
Unrealized Gains (Losses)	(1,393)	686	(3,089)	(1,474)
Income Tax Effect - Benefit/(Expense)		(99)		(3)
Net Of Tax		587		(1,471)
Realized (Gains) - Investment Securities		(12)		34
Income Tax Effect - (Benefit)/Expense		6		1
Net Of Tax		(6)		(33)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), After Reclassifications, Net of Tax		581		(1,438)
Balance, End Of Period		(696)		(696)
Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Balance, Beginning Of Period	(6,152)	(18,402)		(10,939)
Unrealized Gains (Losses)	$ 4,932	4,989	$ 6,430	(3,739)
Income Tax Effect - Benefit/(Expense)		(599)		(666)
Net Of Tax		4,390		(3,073)
Net Of Tax				(3,073)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), After Reclassifications, Net of Tax		4,390
Balance, End Of Period		$ (14,012)		$ (14,012)

Per Share Data (Details)

Per Share Data (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Schedule Of Earnings Per Share Basic And Diluted [Line Items]
Net income/(loss) attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc.	$ 70,631	$ 50,590	$ (10,991)	$ 103,964
Weighted average shares outstanding-basic (in shares)	103,771	101,787	103,162	101,635
Potential common shares from options to purchase common stock (in shares)	2,397	1,513
Potential common shares from restricted stock units (in shares)	833	583
Weighted average shares outstanding-diluted (in shares)	107,001	103,883	103,162	103,867
Net income per share attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc. - Basic (in usd per share)	$ 0.68	$ 0.50	$ (0.11)	$ 1.02
Net income per share attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc. - Diluted (in usd per share)	$ 0.66	$ 0.49	$ (0.11)	$ 1
Employee Stock Option [Member]
Schedule Of Earnings Per Share Basic And Diluted [Line Items]
Anti-dilutive securities, excluded from calculations (in shares)	1,276	1,819	2,429
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]
Schedule Of Earnings Per Share Basic And Diluted [Line Items]
Anti-dilutive securities, excluded from calculations (in shares)	3	2	1,215

Income Taxes (Narrative) (Detai

Income Taxes (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jan. 01, 2018	Mar. 30, 2018	Dec. 29, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Sep. 29, 2017
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Federal tax rate			35.00%
Provision for income taxes		$ 18,718		$ 15,467	$ 185,030	$ 29,549
Unrecognized tax benefits, gross		103,500			103,500		$ 98,700
Unrecognized tax benefits if recognized, would affect our effective tax rate		$ 90,200			$ 90,200		$ 85,000
Effective tax rate (as a percent)		20.90%		23.40%	106.10%	22.10%
Impact Of Tax Cuts And Jobs Act [Member]
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Provision for income taxes			$ 154,600
Decrease in deferred tax assets			57,900
Impact Of Tax Cuts And Jobs Act, Repatriation Transition Tax [Member]
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Tax liability			$ 96,700
Forecast [Member]
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Federal tax rate	21.00%

Income Taxes (Withholding Taxes

Income Taxes (Withholding Taxes) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Withholding taxes	$ 16,310	$ 13,408	$ 28,574	$ 22,399

Restructuring (Details)

Restructuring (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)	Mar. 30, 2018USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 29, 2017USD ($)employee
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Restructuring charges	$ 167	$ 0	$ 364	$ 0
2017 Restructuring Plan [Member] [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Number of positions eliminated | employee					80
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Restructuring reserve, beginning balance			12,688
Restructuring charges			(23)		$ (12,856)
Cash payments			(10,938)		(168)
Non-cash charges			(436)		0
Restructuring reserve, ending balance	$ 1,337		$ 1,337		$ 12,688

Commitments And Contingencies61

Commitments And Contingencies (Schedule Of Contractual Obligations And Commitments) (Details) $ in Thousands	Mar. 30, 2018USD ($)
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Naming rights, Remainder of Fiscal 2014	$ 0
Naming rights, Fiscal 2015	7,811
Naming rights, Fiscal 2016	7,909
Naming rights, Fiscal 2017	8,008
Naming rights, Fiscal 2018	8,108
Naming rights, Thereafter	86,865
Naming rights, Total	118,701
Donation commitments, Remainder of Fiscal 2015	0
Donation commitments, Fiscal 2016	6,300
Donation commitments, Fiscal 2017	322
Donation commitments, Fiscal 2018	122
Donation commitments, Fiscal 2019	122
Donation commitments, Thereafter	958
Donation commitments, Total	88,347
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due, Next Twelve Months	9,087
Operating leases, Fiscal 2015	17,507
Operating leases, Fiscal 2016	14,784
Operating leases, Fiscal 2017	11,351
Operating leases, Fiscal 2018	9,706
Operating leases, Thereafter	25,912
Operating leases, Total	70,006
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation, Due in Next Twelve Months	21,779
Purchase obligation, Fiscal 2015	25,436
Purchase obligation, Fiscal 2016	22,125
Purchase Obligation, Fiscal 2017	333
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation, Due within Five Years	333
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation, Due after Five Years	0
Purchase obligation, Total	7,824
Total, due in Remainder of Fiscal 2014	30,866
Total, due in Fiscal 2015	57,054
Total, due in Fiscal 2016	45,140
Total, due in Fiscal 2017	19,814
Total, due in Fiscal 2018	18,269
Total, due Thereafter	113,735
Total due	$ 284,878

Commitments And Contingencies62

Commitments And Contingencies (Narrative) (Details)	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Term of agreement	20 years

Uncategorized Items - dlb-20180

Label	Element	Value
Noncontrolling Interest [Member]
Noncontrolling Interest, Decrease from Distributions to Noncontrolling Interest Holders	us-gaap_MinorityInterestDecreaseFromDistributionsToNoncontrollingInterestHolders	$ 1,022,000