Harman Kardon AVR 7000 Owner's Manual

Also see for AVR 7000: Brochure Test report Owner's manual Specifications Service manual

28 OPERATIONOperationexample, DTS bitstreams will cause the unit toswitch to DTS decoding, and Dolby Digital bit-streams will enable Dolby Digital decoding.When the unit senses PCM data, as is presentfrom CDs and LDs, the unit will allow theappropriate surround sources to be selectedmanually. Since the range of available surroundmodes is dependant on the type of digital datathat is present, the AVR 7000 uses a variety ofindicators to let you know what type of signalis present. This will help you to understand thechoice of modes.When a digital source is playing, a BitstreamIndicator A will light to show which type ofsignal is playing:AC-3: When the AC-3* indicator lights, aDolby Digital bitstream is being received.Depending on the settings on the source playerand specific surround information and numberof channels on the disc, a number of surroundmodes are possible. For discs with full 5.1audio, only the Dolby Digital and VMAx modesare available. When the Dolby Digital signal isonly two channel, you may also select from theLogic 7 Cinema/Music, Hall, Theater, Dolby ProLogic or Dolby 3 Stereo modes.DTS: When the DTS indicator lights, a DTSbitstream is being received. When the unitsenses this type of data, only the DTS modemay be used.PCM: When the PCM indicator lights, a stan-dard Pulse Code Modulation, or PCM, signal isbeing received. This is the type of digital audioused by conventional compact disc and laserdisc recordings. When a PCM bitstream is pres-ent, all modes except Dolby Digital and DTS areavailable.HDCD: When the HDCD® indicator lights inconjunction with the PCM indicator, the CD thatis playing is encoded through the special HighDefinition Compatible Digital® process. HDCDdiscs use 20-bit encoding and other proprietaryprocessing to provide the ultimate in CD listen-ing. Note that HDCD processing is only avail-able in the Stereo or Surround Off mode.In addition to the bitstream indicators, theAVR 7000 features a set of unique channelinput indicators that tell you how many chan-nels of digital information are being receivedand if the digital signal is interrupted.These indicators are the L/C/R/LS/RS/LFE lettersthat are inside the center boxes of theSpeaker/Channel Input Indicators P in thefront panel Information Display Ò. When astandard analog signal is in use, only the “L”and “R” indicators will light, as analog signalshave only left and right channels, respectively.Digital signals, however, may have two, five orsix separate channels, depending on the pro-gram material, the method of transmission andthe way in which it was encoded. When a digi-tal signal is playing, the letters in these indica-tors will light in response to the specific signalbeing received. It is important to note thatalthough Dolby Digital, for example, is referredto as a “5.1” system, not all Dolby Digital DVDsor programs are encoded for 5.1. Thus, it issometimes normal for a DVD with a DolbyDigital soundtrack to trigger only the “L” and“R” indicators.NOTE: Many DVD discs are recorded with both“5.1” and “2.0” versions of the same sound-track. When playing a DVD, always be certain tocheck the type of material on the disc. Mostdiscs show this information in the form of alisting or icon on the back of the disc jacket.When a disc does offer multiple soundtrackchoices you may have to make some adjust-ments to your DVD player (usually with the“Audio Select” button or in a menu screenon the disc) to send a full 5.1 feed to theAVR 7000. It is also possible for the type of sig-nal feed to change during the course of a DVDplayback. In some cases the previews of specialmaterial will only be recorded in 2.0 audio,while the main feature is available in 5.1 audio.As long as your DVD player is set for 6-channeloutput, the AVR 7000 will automatically sensechanges to the bitstream and channel countand reflect them in these indicators.The letters used by the Speaker/ChannelInput Indicators P also flash to indicatewhen a bitstream has been interrupted. Thiswill happen when a digital input source isselected before the playback starts, or when adigital source such as a DVD is put into a Pausemode. The flashing indicators remind you thatthe playback has stopped due to the absence ofa digital signal and not through any fault of theAVR. This is normal, and the digital playbackwill resume once the playback is started again.Night ModeA special feature of Dolby Digital is the Nightmode, which enables AC-3 input sources to beplayed back with full digital intelligibilty whilereducing the minimum peak level by 1/4 to 1/3.This prevents abruptly loud transitions from dis-turbing others without reducing the impact ofthe digital source. The Night mode is availableonly when Dolby Digital signals with specialdata are being played.The Night mode may be engaged when a DolbyDigital DVD is playing by pressing the NightButton z on the remote. Next, press the⁄/¤ buttons g to select either the middlerange or full compression versions of the Nightmode. To turn the Night mode off, press the⁄/¤ buttons g until the message in thelower third of the video display and the MainInformation Display W reads D-Range Off.When the Night mode is active, the NightMode Indicator N will also illuminate.The Night mode may also be selected to alwaysbe on at either level of compression using theoptions in the Surround Setup Menu. See page20 for information on using the menus to setthis option.IMPORTANT NOTES ONDIGITAL PLAYBACK:1. When the digital playback source is stopped,or in a pause, fast forward or chapter searchmode, the digital audio data will momentarilystop, and the channel position letters inside theSpeaker/Channel Indicators P will flash.This is normal and does not indicate a problemwith either the AVR 7000 or the sourcemachine. The AVR 7000 will return to digitalplayback as soon as the data is available andwhen the machine is in a standard play mode.2. Although the AVR 7000 will decode virtually allDVD movies, CDs and HDTV sources, it is possiblethat some future digital sources may not be com-patible with the AVR 7000.3. Note that not all digitally encoded programscontain full 5.1-channel audio. Consult the pro-gram guide that accompanies the DVD or laserdisc to determine which type of audio has beenrecorded on the disc. The AVR 7000 will auto-matically sense the type of digital surroundencoding used and adjust to accommodate it.4. When a digital source is playing, you may notbe able to select some of the analog surroundmodes such as Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby 3, Stereo,Hall, Theater or Logic 7.