Harman Kardon AVR 135 Owner's Manual

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Harman Kardon AVR 135 Owner's Manual Manual pdf 27 page image

OPERATION 27OperationDigital Audio PlaybackDigital audio is a major advancement over olderanalog surround processing systems such asDolby Pro Logic. It delivers five or six discretechannels: left front, center, right front, left sur-round and right surround and with DTS ES (seebelow) even surround back (with identical signalsfor left and right). Each channel reproduces fullfrequency range (20Hz to 20kHz) and offers dra-matically improved dynamic range and significantimprovements to signal-to-noise ratios. In addi-tion, digital systems have the capability to deliveran additional channel that is specifically devotedto low-frequency information. This is the “.1”channel referred to when you see these systemsdescribed as “5.1,” “6.1” or “7.1”. The basschannel is separate from the other channels, butsince it is intentionally bandwidth-limited, sounddesigners have given it that unique designation.Dolby DigitalDolby Digital (originally known as AC-3®) isa standard part of DVD, and is available onspecially encoded LD discs and satellite broad-casts and it is a part of the new high-definitiontelevision (HDTV) system.Note that an optional, external RF demodulator isrequired to use the AVR to listen to the DolbyDigital sound tracks available on laser discs.Connect the RF output of the LD player to thedemodulator and then connect the digital outputof the demodulator to the Optical or Coaxialinputs *Ó of the AVR.No demodulator is required for use with DVDplayers or DTS-encoded laser discs.DTSDTS is another digital audio system that is capa-ble of delivering 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 audio. Althoughboth DTS and Dolby Digital are digital, they usedifferent methods of encoding the signals, andthus they require different decoding circuits toconvert the digital signals back to analog.DTS-encoded sound tracks are available on selectDVD and LD discs, as well as on special audio-only DTS CDs. You may use any LD, DVD or CDplayer equipped with a digital output to playDTS-encoded special audio-only CDs with theAVR, but DTS-LDs can be played on LD playersand DTS-DVDs on DVD players only. All that isrequired is to connect the player’s digital outputto either the Optical or Coaxial input on therear panel or front panel *Ó.In order to listen to DVDs encoded with DTSsound tracks, the DVD player must be compatiblewith the DTS signal as indicated by a DTS logo onthe player’s front panel. Note that early DVDplayers may not be able to play DTS- encodedDVDs. This does not indicate a problem with theAVR, as some players cannot pass the DTS signalthrough to the digital outputs. If you are in doubtas to the capability of your DVD player to handleDTS DVDs, consult the player’s owner’s manual.Please note that some DVD players are shippedwith their output set for Dolby Digital only. Toinsure that DTS data is being sent to the AVR,please check the setup menu system on yourDVD player to make certain that DTS data outputis enabled.PCM Audio PlaybackPCM (Pulse Code Modulation) is the non- com-pressed digital audio system used for compactdiscs, Non-Dolby Digital/DTS Laserdiscs and somespecial PCM encoded DVDs. The digital circuits inthe AVR are capable of high quality digital-to-ana-log decoding, and they may be connected directlyto the digital audio output of your CD/DVD or LDplayer (LD only for PCM or DTS programs, forDolby Digital laser discs an RF adapter is needed,see ”Dolby Digital” above).Connections may be made to either the Opticalor Coaxial inputs on the rear panel or thefront panel Digital Inputs *Ó.To listen to a PCM digital source, first select theinput for the desired source (e.g., CD) to feed itsvideo signal (if any) to the TV monitor and to pro-vide its analog audio signal for recording. Nextpress the Digital Select button Û G and thenuse the ⁄ / ¤ buttons D on the remote, or theSelector buttons 7 on the front panel, until thedesired choice appears in the Main InformationDisplay ˜, then press the Set button @ Fto confirm the choice.During PCM playback the unit automatically willturn to the default surround mode or to theLOGIC 7 mode but you also may select anysurround mode except Dolby Digital or DTS.Selecting a Digital SourceTo utilize either digital mode you must haveproperly connected a digital source to theAVR. Connect the digital outputs from DVD play-ers, HDTV receivers, satellite systems or CD play-ers to the Optical or Coaxial inputs on the rearor front panel *Ó. In order to provide abackup signal and a source for analog stereorecording, the analog outputs provided on digitalsource equipment should also be connected totheir appropriate inputs on the AVR rear panel(e.g., connect the analog stereo audio outputfrom a DVD to the DVD Audio inputs onthe rear panel when you connect the source’sdigital outputs).To select a digital source such as DVD, first selectits input using the remote or front panel InputSelector 4% as outlined in this manual inorder to feed its video signal (if any) to the TVmonitor and to provide its analog audio signal forrecording. When the digital input associated withthe input selected (e.g. “DVD”) is not selectedautomatically (due to the input settings madeearlier during the system configuration, see page16), select the digital source by pressing theDigital Input Selector button G Û andthen using the ⁄/¤ buttons D on the remoteor the Selector buttons 7 on the front panel tochoose any of the OPTICAL or COAXIALinputs, as they appear in the Main InformationDisplay ˜ or on-screen display.When the digital source is playing, the AVR willautomatically detect whether it is a multichannelDolby Digital or DTS source or a conventionalPCM signal, which is the standard output fromCD players.Note that a digital input (e.g. coaxial) remainsassociated with any analog input (e.g. DVD) assoon as it is selected, thus the digital input neednot be re-selected each time the appropriateinput choice (e.g. DVD) is made.Digital Bitstream IndicatorsWhen a digital source is playing, the AVR sensesthe type of bitstream data that is present. Usingthis information, the correct surround mode willautomatically be selected. For example, DTS bit-streams will cause the unit to switch to DTSdecoding, and Dolby Digital bitstreams will enableDolby Digital decoding. When the unit sensesPCM data, from CDs and LDs and some musicDVDs or certain tracks on normal DVDs, it willallow the appropriate surround mode to be select-ed manually. Since the range of available surroundmodes depends on the type of digital data that ispresent, the AVR uses a variety of indicators to letyou know what type of signal is present. This willhelp you to understand the choice of modes andthe input channels recorded on the disc.When a digital source is playing, the AVR willdisplay a variety of messages to indicate the typeof bitstream received. These messages will appearshortly after an input or surround mode ischanged, and will remain in the MainInformation Display ˜ for about five secondsbefore the display returns to the normal surroundmode indication.