Harman Kardon AVR 247 Owner's Manual

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Harman Kardon AVR 247 Owner's Manual Manual pdf 39 page image

OPERATION 39ENGLISHOperationinputs take the analog output signals from anoptional, external DVD-Audio or SACD player, oranother source device and carry them straightthrough to the volume control.To listen to a program in traditional two-channelstereo, using the front left and front rightspeakers only (plus the subwoofer, if installedand configured), press the Stereo Button5 until SURR OFF appears in the MainInformation Display Ò.Digital Audio PlaybackDigital audio is a major advancement over olderanalog surround processing systems such asDolby Pro Logic. It delivers five, six or sevendiscrete channels: left front, center, right front,left surround and right surround and with DTSES (see below) even surround back (with left andright). Each channel reproduces full frequencyrange (20Hz to 20kHz) and offers dramaticallyimproved dynamic range and significantimprovements to signal-to-noise ratios. Inaddition, digital systems have the capability todeliver an additional channel that is specificallydevoted to low-frequency information. This is the“.1” channel referred to when you see thesesystems described as “5.1,” “6.1” or “7.1”.The bass channel is separate from the otherchannels, but since it is intentionally bandwidth-limited, sound designers have given it thatunique designation.Dolby DigitalDolby Digital (originally known as AC-3®) is astandard 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 iscapable of delivering 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 audio.Although both DTS and Dolby Digital are digital,they use different methods of encoding thesignals, and thus they require different decodingcircuits to convert the digital signals back toanalog.DTS-encoded sound tracks are available onselect DVD and LD discs, as well as on specialaudio-only DTS CDs. You may use any LD, DVDor CD player equipped with a digital output toplay DTS-encoded special audio-only CDs withthe AVR, but DTS-LDs can be played on LD play-ers and DTS-DVDs on DVD players only. All thatis required is to connect the player’s digital out-put to either the Optical or Coaxial input onthe rear panel or front panel *Ó.In order to listen to DVDs encoded with DTSsound tracks, the DVD player must becompatible with the DTS signal as indicated by aDTS logo on the player’s front panel. Note thatearly DVD players may not be able to play DTS-encoded DVDs. This does not indicate a problemwith the AVR, as some players cannot pass theDTS signal through to the digital outputs. If youare in doubt as to the capability of your DVDplayer to handle DTS DVDs, consult the player’sowner’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 out-put is enabled.PCM Audio PlaybackPCM (Pulse Code Modulation) is the non-com-pressed digital audio system used for compactdiscs, Non-Dolby Digital/DTS Laserdiscs andsome special PCM encoded DVDs. The digitalcircuits in the AVR are capable of high qualitydigital-to-analog decoding, and they may beconnected directly to the digital audio output ofyour CD/DVD or LD player (LD only for PCM orDTS programs, 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 Ò, 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 the AVR.Connect the digital outputs from DVD players,HDTV receivers, satellite systems or CD playersto the 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 ondigital source equipment should also be con-nected to their appropriate inputs on the AVRrear panel (e.g., connect the analog stereo audiooutput from a DVD to the DVD Audio inputson the rear panel when you connect thesource’s digital outputs).To select a digital source such as DVD, firstselect its input using the remote or front panelInput Selector 4% as outlined in thismanual in order to feed its video signal (if any)to the TV monitor and to provide its analogaudio signal for recording. When the digitalinput associated with the input selected (e.g.“DVD”) is not selected automatically (due to theinput settings made earlier during the systemconfiguration, see page 21), select the digitalsource by pressing the Digital Input Selectorbutton G Û and then using the ⁄/¤ buttonsD on the remote or the Selector buttons 7on the front panel to choose any of theOPTICAL or COAXIAL inputs, as theyappear in the Main Information Display Òor 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 willenable Dolby Digital decoding. When the unitsenses PCM data, from CDs and LDs and somemusic DVDs or certain tracks on normal DVDs, itwill allow 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 thetype of bitstream received. These messages willappear shortly after an input or surround modeis changed, and will remain in the MainInformation Display Ò for about fiveseconds before the display returns to the normalsurround mode indication.