Harman Kardon DVD 50 Owner's Manual

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Harman Kardon DVD 50 Owner's Manual Manual pdf 22 page image

22 SETUP MENUSetup MenuHowever, since many movies are produced for awider screen than the TV set they are playedon, there is a problem that is like fitting asquare peg in a round hole. In many instancesthis is taken care of by the disc’s producers,who reformat the image to fit within a standard4 x 3 TV screen. Discs such as this require nospecial setting. The only downside to this is thatwhen wide-screen movies are converted to4 x 3, some of the information at the sides of ascene may be cut off due to the difference inpicture shape. This is also called a “pan andscan” presentation, as a 4 x 3 viewing area ismoved across the wider cinema image.Other discs are produced in what is called a“letterbox wide-screen” format. In this case theentire wide image is fit inside the 4 x 3 screenshape from side to side. This means that yousee the entire picture as the movie’s directorintended, but the height of the picture isreduced to accommodate the added width. Theblank areas that appear at the top and bottomof the screen make the image in the centerappear as if you are looking into a mail slot,giving this sort of presentation the nickname of“letterbox.”The DVD format accommodates both of theseformats, though it is up to the producer of thedisc to select which way to convert the movieto video. Sometimes you will have a choice ofonly one of the two formats, while some discsoffer a full screen, with the pan and scan ver-sion on one side of a disc and the widescreen,but letterbox version, on the other side.The DVD 50 will play either type of disc, andyou may select a default that tells which way topresent the image when there is a choice.To select an aspect ratio default, you must beviewing the Setup Menu (Figure 1), which isavailable by pressing the Menu Buttonwhile the unit is in the Stop mode. At the SetupMenu, press the ¤ Navigation Button euntil the TV Aspect option is highlighted. Next,press the Enter Button `. Selectone of the three choices in the options box(Figure 10) using the ⁄/ ¤ NavigationButtons e.Figure 10Depending on the type of television set youhave, choose one of these three options: 4 x 3 Letterbox: Choose this setting if youhave a standard 4 x 3 television set and pre-fer to see movies in their original aspectratio. You will see the entire movie but,when it is presented in a letterbox fashion,there will be black bars at the top andbottom of the screen. Movies or other pro-grams recorded in a 4 x 3 format will appearnormal. 4 x 3 Pan Scan: Choose this setting if youhave a standard 4 x 3 television set andalways want the image to fill the entirescreen. When a wide-screen movie is shown,you may not see parts of the picture at oneside of the screen or the other. Note, how-ever, that even when you select this option,playing a wide-screen-only movie will resultin black letterbox bars at the top and bot-tom of the screen. This is due to the waythe disc was produced, and it cannot bechanged. 16 x 9 Wide-Screen: Choose this setting onlyif you have a wide-screen television set(16 x 9 aspect ratio). With this setting, theDVD 50 will adjust the output for wide-screen movies so that they fill the entirescreen in the proper aspect ratio. Note, how-ever, that in this setting a disc recorded inthe 4 x 3 aspect ratio will appear in the widescreen as a boxed image in the center, withblack columns on the left and right side ofthe screen.NOTE: If the wide-screen option is chosenand a wide-screen movie is played on a con-ventional 4 x 3 aspect ratio set, the image willbe distorted due to vertical compression.Make the selection for your desired aspect ratioby pressing the ⁄/ ¤ Navigation Buttonse so that the circle next to your choice isfilled in orange. Press the Enter Button `to finalize the selection.If you have no other changes to make after set-ting this default, press the Menu Buttonto remove the Setup Menu from the screen, orpress the Play Button g/# to begin orresume playback.Video OutputThe DVD 50 is among the first 5-disc DVDchangers available that offers the option ofhigh-quality, progressive scan output in addi-tion to standard composite video and S-Videooutputs. When used with a compatible “digitalready” television, the progressive scan outputdelivers twice the information of a standardpicture for a seamless, cinema-like image.IMPORTANT NOTES ON PROGRESSIVESCAN OPERATION:The progressive scan outputs may only be usedwith video displays (direct-view monitors, rearor front projectors) that have progressive scancompatibility. In general, this includes setsdesigned for use with high-definition television(HDTV), as well as other high-scan-rate moni-tors and displays. If the specifications for yourdisplay show a “horizontal scan rate” figure of31.5 kHz or higher, then the set is most likelycompatible with the progressive scan signal. Ifyou have any doubt as to the compatibility ofyour display with the high-scan-rate signal,consult the set’s owner’s manual, ask your deal-er or installer, or contact the set manufacturer.If the progressive scan rate output is enabled,but the display device is not compatible, youwill not be able to see any image.If your video display is compatible with progres-sive scan, make certain that you connect theDVD 50 to the display using the ComponentVideo Outputs ¢. Depending on thespecifics of your display, the correct input maybe labeled “Component Video”, “HDComponent Input” or some other similar term.If there is a question as to which input jacksshould be used on your video display, consultthe set’s owner’s manual, ask your dealer orinstaller, or contact the set manufacturer.2828