Harman Kardon AVR 140 Owner's Manual

Also see for AVR 140: Brochure Brochure Brochure & specs Quick start guide Connection guide

Harman Kardon AVR 140 Owner's Manual Manual pdf 30 page image

30 OPERATIONOperationDTS-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 play DTS-encoded special audio-only CDs with the AVR,but DTS-LDs can be played on LD players andDTS-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 DVD play-ers may not be able to play DTS- encoded DVDs.This does not indicate a problem with the AVR, assome players cannot pass the DTS signal throughto the digital outputs. If you are in doubt as tothe capability of your DVD player to handle DTSDVDs, 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 your DVDplayer to make certain that DTS data output isenabled.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 Ò, 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 have prop-erly connected a digital source to the AVR.Connect the digital outputs from DVD players,HDTV receivers, satellite systems or CD players tothe Optical or Coaxial inputs on the rear orfront 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 on therear panel when you connect the source’s digitaloutputs).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 page18), 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 Ò 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 Main Informa-tion Display Ò for about five seconds beforethe display returns to the normal surround modeindication.Surround Mode TypesFor Dolby Digital and DTS sources, a three digitindication will appear, showing the number ofchannels present in the data. An example of thistype of display is 3/2/.1.The first number indicates how many discretefront channel signals are present.• A 3 tells you that separate front left, center andfront right signals are available. This will be dis-played for Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 pro-grams.• A 2 tells you that separate front left and rightsignals are available, but there is no discretecenter channel signal. This will be displayed forDolby Digital bit streams that have stereo pro-gram material.• A 1 tells you that there is only a mono channelavailable in the Dolby Digital bitstream.The middle number indicates how many discretesurround channel signals are present.• A 2 tells you that separate surround left andright signals are available. This will be displayedfor Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 programs.• A 1 tells you that there is only a single, sur-round encoded surround channel. This willappear for Dolby Digital bit streams that havematrix encoding.• A 0 indicates that there is no surround channelinformation. This will be displayed for two-channel stereo programs.The last number indicates if there is a discreteLow Frequency Effects (LFE) channel. This is the“.1” in the common abbreviation of “5.1” soundand it is a special channel that contains only bassfrequencies.• A .1 tells you that an LFE channel is present.This will be displayed for Dolby Digital 5.1 andDTS 5.1 programs, as available.• A 0 indicates that there is no LFE channel infor-mation available. However, even when there isno dedicated LFE channel, low frequency soundwill be present at the subwoofer output whenthe speaker configuration is set to show thepresence of subwoofer.• The information in the right side of the displaywill tell you if the digital audio data contains aspecial flag signal that will automaticallyactivate the appropriate 6.1 or 7.1 mode. Thiswill be shown as EX-ON or EX-OFF for DolbyDigital bitstreams and ES-ON or ES-OFF for DTSbitstreams.An UNLOCK message may appear in theLower Display Line Ò. This is your indicationthat the digital audio data stream has been inter-rupted or is no longer present. When that occurs,the unit’s digital signal processor has no signal to