Harman Kardon AVR 235 Owner's Manual

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30 OPERATIONOperationTo listen to a program in traditional two-channelstereo, using the front left and front rightspeakers only (plus the subwoofer, if installed andconfigured), press the Stereo Button 5until SURR OFF appears in the MainInformation Display ˜.Digital 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, leftsurround and right surround and with DTS ES(see below) even surround back (with identicalsignals for left and right). Each channel repro-duces full frequency range (20Hz to 20kHz) andoffers dramatically improved dynamic range andsignificant improvements to signal-to-noiseratios. In addition, digital systems have thecapability to deliver an additional channel that isspecifically devoted to low-frequency infor-mation. This is the “.1” channel referred to whenyou see these systems described as “5.1,” “6.1”or “7.1”. The bass channel is separate from theother channels, but since it is intentionallybandwidth-limited, sound designers have given itthat unique designation.Dolby DigitalDolby Digital (originally known as AC-3®) isa standard part of DVD, and is available onspecially encoded LD discs and satellitebroadcasts and it is a part of the new high-definition television (HDTV) system.Note that an optional, external RF demodulatoris required 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 logoon the 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-analog decoding, and they may be connecteddirectly to the digital audio output of yourCD/DVD or LD player (LD only for PCM or DTSprograms, for Dolby Digital laser discs an RFadapter 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 toprovide its analog audio signal for recording.Next press the Digital Select button Û Gand then use the ⁄ / ¤ buttons D on theremote, or the Selector buttons 7 on the frontpanel, until the desired choice appears in theMain Information Display ˜, then press theSet button @ F to 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 signalfor recording. When the digital input associatedwith the input selected (e.g. “DVD”) is notselected automatically (due to the input settingsmade earlier during the system configuration, seepage 18), select the digital source by pressingthe Digital 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 beselected manually. Since the range of availablesurround modes depends on the type of digitaldata that is present, the AVR uses a variety ofindicators to let you know what type of signal ispresent. This will help you to understand thechoice of modes and the input channels recordedon the disc.When a digital source is playing, the AVR willdisplay a variety of messages to indicate the typeof bitstream received. These messages willappear shortly after an input or surround mode ischanged, and will remain in the MainInformation Display ˜ for about fiveseconds before the display returns to the normalsurround mode indication.