Harman Kardon AVR 445 Owner's Manual

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Harman Kardon AVR 445 Owner's Manual Manual pdf 40 page image

40 OPERATIONOperationNote that the Dolby Digital or DTS modes mayonly be selected when a digital input is in use. Inaddition, when a digital source is present, theAVR will automatically select and switch to thecorrect mode (Dolby Digital or DTS), regardless ofthe mode that has been previously selected. Formore information on selecting digital sources, seethe following section of this manual.When the 6-Channel/8-Channel direct inputs arein use there is no surround processing, as theseinputs 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 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®) is astandard 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 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 demodulatoris required for use with DVD players or DTS-encoded laser discs.In order to provide maximum playbackcompatibility with DVDs, the AVR 445 receiverwill always default first to the playback modeembedded in a disc’s digital “flag” information.For Dolby Digital discs, the following playbackmodes are initially selected after the AVR locks tothe incoming digital audio data stream toidentify the selected:• When a 5.1 audio stream is detected, theDolby Digital 5.1 format will be selected,regardless of the number of speakers in yoursystem, in compliance with Dolby Laboratorieslicensing requirements.• When a disc with the Dolby Digital EX formatflag is played, your system will automaticallyswitch to the EX mode when seven mainchannel speakers are available.• When a disc with Dolby Digital data, but only2.0 audio is detected, the default mode isDolby Digital with Pro Logic II post-processingwhen you have a 5.1 speaker system, orDolby Digital with Pro Logic IIx post-processingwhen you have a 7.1 speaker system.• Depending on the number of speaker channelsavailable in your system, once the AVR locks tothe digital signal, you may select any surroundmode or post-processing option that isavailable, based on the incoming data stream’spossible restrictions and the number ofspeakers in your system. For example, when a5.1 or 2.0 audio stream is in use, you mayselect alternate postprocessing such asLogic 7/7-Channel Movie Mode post-processing to create the rear surrounds in7.1 speaker systems.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 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-compressed digital audio system used forcompact discs, Non-Dolby Digital/DTS Laserdiscsand some 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 E on theremote, or the Selector buttons 7$ on thefront panel, until the desired choice appears in theLower Display Line ˜, then press the Setbutton @ F to confirm the choice.In most cases this will be 4 8 KHZ, though inthe case of specially mastered, high-resolutionaudio discs you will see a 9 6 KHZ indication.The PCM 4 8 KHZ indication will also appearwhen modes or inputs are changed for analogsources. In those cases the system is telling youthe sampling frequency used internally at theoutput of the analog-to-digital converters thatchange the incoming signal from a VCR, tapedeck, the tuner, or other ana-log source todigital.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.