Harman Kardon AVR 210 Owner's Manual

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Harman Kardon AVR 210 Owner's Manual Manual pdf 26 page image

26 OPERATIONOperationSurround Mode SelectionOne of the most important features of theAVR 210 is its ability to reproduce a fullmultichannel surround-sound field from digitalsources, analog matrix surround-encodedprograms and standard stereo programs. In all,a total of twelve listening modes are availableon the AVR 210.Selection of a surround mode is based on per-sonal taste, as well as the type of programsource material being used. For example, motionpictures or TV programs bearing the logo of oneof the major surround-encoding processes, suchas Dolby Surround, DTS Stereo or UltraStereo®may be played in either the Dolby Digital, DolbyPro Logic or Logic 7 Cinema surround modesdepending on the source material.NOTE: Once a program has been encoded withmatrix surround information, it retains the sur-round information as long as the program isbroadcast in stereo. Thus, movies with surroundsound may be decoded via any of the analogsurround modes such as Pro Logic or Logic 7,when they are broadcast via conventional TV sta-tions, cable, pay TV and satellite transmission. Inaddition, a growing number of made-for-televi-sion programs, sports broadcasts, radio dramasand music CDs are also recorded in surroundsound. You may view a list of these programsat the Dolby Laboratories Web site atwww.dolby.com.Even when a program is not listed as carryingintentional surround information, you may findthat the Pro Logic, Logic 7, VMAx and the Hall orTheater modes often deliver enveloping surroundpresentations through the use of the naturalinformation present in all stereo recordings.However, for stereo, but not surround programs,we suggest that you experiment with theother modes.Surround modes are selected using either thefront panel controls or the remote. To select asurround mode from the front panel, press theSurround Mode Selector 7 to scroll up ordown through the list of available modes. Toselect a surround mode using the remote, pressthe Surround Mode Selectorj and thenpress the ⁄ / ¤ buttons mq to change themode. As you press the buttons, the Surroundmode name will appear in the MainInformation Display X, and an individualmode indicator will also light up CDFHIJKLN. As the surround modes change, agreen LED will light next to the current mode inthe Surround Mode Indicators list ˜ onthe front panel.Note that the Dolby Digital and DTS modes mayonly be selected when a digital input is in use.In addition, when a digital source is present,the AVR 210 will automatically select andswitch to the correct mode (Dolby Digital orDTS), regardless of the mode that has been pre-viously selected. For more information on select-ing digital sources, see the following section ofthis manual.To listen to a program in traditional two-channelstereo, using the front-left and front-rightspeakers only (plus the subwoofer if installedand configured), follow the instructions shownabove for using the remote until SURR OFFappears in the Main Information Display X.Digital Audio PlaybackDigital audio is a major advancement over oldersystems such as Dolby Pro Logic. It delivers fivediscrete channels: left-front, center, right-front,left-surround and right-surround. Each channelreproduces full frequency range (20Hz to 20kHz)and offers dramatically improved dynamic rangeand significant improvements to signal-to-noiseratios. In addition, digital systems have the capa-bility to deliver an additional channel that isspecifically devoted to low-frequency information.This is the “.1” channel referred to when you seethese systems described as “5.1”. The bass chan-nel is separate from the other channels, but sinceit 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 demodulatoris required to use the AVR 210 to listen to theDolby Digital sound tracks available on laserdiscs. Connect the RF output of the LD player tothe demodulator and then connect the digitaloutput of the demodulator to the the Opticalor Coaxial inputs hi#$ of the AVR 210.No demodulator is required for use with DVDplayers or DTS-encoded laser discs.DTSDTS is another digital audio system that iscapable of delivering 5.1 audio. Although bothDTS and Dolby Digital are digital, they use dif-ferent methods of encoding the signals, andthus they require different decoding circuits toconvert the digital signals back to analog.DTS-encoded sound tracks are available onselect DVD and LD discs, as well as on specialaudio-only DTS discs. You may use any LD orCD player equipped with a digital output toplay DTS-encoded discs with the AVR 210. Allthat is required is to connect the player’s outputto either the Optical or Coaxial input on therear panel hi or front panel #$.In order to listen to DVDs encoded with DTSsound tracks, the DVD player must be compati-ble with the DTS signal as indicated by a DTSlogo on the player’s front panel. Note that earlyDVD players may not be able to play DTS-encoded DVDs. This does not indicate a prob-lem with the AVR 210, as some players cannotpass the DTS signal through to the digital out-puts. If you are in doubt as to the capability ofyour DVD player to handle DTS discs, consultthe player’s owner’s manual.Selecting a Digital SourceTo utilize either digital mode you must haveproperly connected a digital source to theAVR 210. Connect the digital outputs from DVDplayers, HDTV receivers, satellite systems or CDplayers to the Optical or Coaxial inputshi#$. In order to provide a backup sig-nal and a source for analog stereo recording,the analog outputs provided on digital sourceequipment should also be connected to theirappropriate inputs on the AVR 210 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).When playing a digital source such as DVD, firstselect the input using the remote or front panelcontrols as outlined in this manual. Next, selectthe digital source by pressing the DigitalInput Selector button pÚ and then usingthe ⁄/¤ buttons mq on the remote or theSelector buttons 5 on the front panel tochoose any of the OPTICAL or COAXIALinputs, as they appear in the MainInformation Display X indicator BE oron-screen display. When the digital source is