Ray Dolby — American Inventor born on January 18, 1933,

Ray Milton Dolby, OBE was an American engineer and inventor of the noise reduction system known as Dolby NR. He helped develop the video tape recorder while at Ampex and was the founder of Dolby Laboratories... (wikipedia)

Inventing is a skill that some people have and some people don't. But you can learn how to invent.
I think a lot of developments start with the desire of the developer to get what he really wants so that he can use it. It's not just the technical fascination or the business opportunity.