Harman Kardon AVR 260 Owner's Manual

Also see for AVR 260: Service manual Specifications

Harman Kardon AVR 260 Owner's Manual Manual pdf 35 page image

35ENGLISHVIDEO ADjUSTMENTSVIDeo aDjuStmentSThe AVR 260 includes sophisticated DCDi by Faroudja video processingthat delivers enhanced video quality, even for older analog video sourcecomponents, as well as upgraded on-screen displays. When upscaling videomaterials from a lower resolution to a higher one (the AVR 260 upscales toa maximum of 1080p), the processor is adding pixels to the original image.Sometimes when converting interlaced video (displays all odd rows thenall even rows of the frame) to progressive-scan video (displays all rows atonce) and increasing the resolution, the interpolation of new pixels cancause jagginess, or a staircase effect, at edge transitions, such as the stripesin an American flag. Faroudja engineers developed the DCDi (DirectionalCorrelational Deinterlacing) algorithm to ensure that the additional pixelsfollow the edge, virtually eliminating the jagginess and enhancing upscaledimages.Thanks to the “Torino” video processing chip, on-screen graphics may begenerated in high definition, and blended with the incoming video. This notonly delivers crisp, clear information messages, it allows you to continue towatch a program while making system adjustments.Video modesAfter you have adjusted the picture settings on your video display, additionaladjustments may be made to the AVR, if necessary, to further improve thepicture. Access these settings from the Video Modes menu. Press the VideoModes Button on the front panel or remote, and the screen shown in Figure17 will appear. The menu may also be accessed from the Setup Source menuby pressing the Info Settings Button and selecting the Video Modes line.Figure 17 – Video Modes MenuVideo Mode: The default setting of Processor Off passes the video signalthrough to the display without any processing. Select one of these processingoptions to optimize the picture for the current program by applyingadjustments to the brightness, contrast, color and sharpness:Sports• : For sporting events.Nature• : For programs shot outdoors, in a natural setting.Movie• : For movies and many television broadcasts.Custom• : Allows manual adjustment of the picture settings. TheBrightness, Contrast, Color and Sharpness settings will appear on screenas sliders with values ranging from 0 to 100. The default setting for eachadjustment is 50. Use the M N Buttons to change each setting’s value.Picture Adjust: Use this setting to change the aspect ratio of the displayedimage.When displaying widescreen (16:9) images on a full screen (4:3) device,letterbox format will be used, in which black bars may appear above andbelow the image (pillarboxing).When displaying full screen images on a widescreen device, black or gray barsmay appear to the left and right of the image.Some displays, especially plasma and CRT monitors, may suffer from “burn-in”when the same image, such as the horizontal or vertical bars, is left on screenfor a long period of time. Use this setting to adjust the picture so that it fillsthe display’s screen. The options are:Auto Fit• : The AVR automatically adjusts the image as required to fit thedisplay’s capabilities.Height Fit• : Adjusts the image to eliminate any bars above or below it.Bars may remain at the sides.Width Fit• : Adjusts the image to eliminate any bars on the sides. Barsmay remain above and below the image.Zoom 1x• : Displays the image as received from the source. If the imageis in the 4:3 aspect ratio, on widescreen displays pillarbox format may beused. If the image is in the 16:9 aspect ratio, on full screen (4:3) displaysletterbox format may be used.Zoom 2x• : Stretches the image evenly to completely fill the screen. Theouter portions of the image may be cropped.Feel free to experiment with this setting for each source until you find apleasing display format for each program.Advanced Video Settings: Press the N or OK Button to display theAdvanced Video Modes submenu (see Figure 18).Figure 18 – Advanced Video ModesMenuNoise Reduction: To reduce signal noise, choose between LOW, MEDIUM,HIGH or OFF with the OK button V. It is advisable to use as low a step aspossible, as high levels of Noise Reduction may impair other aspects of theimage.MPEG Noise Reduction: This setting is designed to address two specifictypes of video distortion, mosquito noise and blocking artifacts. If you seehaziness or shimmering around the edges of objects or the scrolling creditsin a film, or if the image appears to “pixellate” into blocks, change the MPEGNoise Reduction setting from its default of Off to the Low, Medium or Highsetting to improve the picture.