Harman Kardon DVD 50 Owner's Manual

Also see for DVD 50: Brochure Brochure Specifications Service manual

Harman Kardon DVD 50 Owner's Manual Manual pdf 5 page image

5 DVD COMPATIBILITY & TERMINOLOGYDVD Compatibility & TerminologyThe DVD 50 is more than a DVD player; it willplay the following disc formats: Both 5-inch (12cm) and 3-inch (8cm) discs DVD movie discs CD, CD-R and CD-RW audio discs DTS audio discs CD audio discs with HDCD encoding MP3 discs VCD (video CD) discsHowever, it will NOT play the following: DVD discs with a Region Code other thanthe one the player is set for. DVD discs with PAL format video DVD-ROM data discs DVD-RAM discs CD-I discs CD-G discs SVCD discs Photo CD discsNOTE: Due to differences in the formats ofcertain discs, it is possible that some discs mayinclude a mix of features that are not compati-ble with the DVD 50. Similarly, although theDVD 50 is capable of a wide range of features,not all discs include every capability of the DVDsystem. For example, although the DVD 50 iscompatible with multi-angle discs, that featureis only possible when the disc is speciallyencoded for multiple-angle play. In addition, theDVD 50 is compatible with both Dolby Digitaland DTS soundtracks, but the number and typesof tracks available will vary from disc to disc. Tomake certain that a specific feature or sound-track option is available, please check theoptions noted on the disc jacket. Playback of DTS audio discs requires connec-tion to a processor or receiver with a DTSdecoder. Playback capability for CD-RW discs mayvary due to variations in the quality of theCD-RW disc and the recorder used to createthe disc.Since they share some of the characteristics andtechnology of CD players, many of the termsand operational concepts used in a DVD playerare similar to what you may be familiar withfrom CD players and changers, or older videodisc formats such as Laser Disc. However, if thisis your first DVD product, some of the termsused to describe the features of a DVD playermay be unfamiliar. The following explanationsshould solve some of the mysteries of DVD, andhelp you to enjoy all the power and flexibility ofthe DVD format and the DVD 50.Aspect Ratio: This is a description of thewidth of a video image in relation to its height.A conventional video screen is four units widefor every three units of height, making it almostsquare. Newer wide-aspect-ratio video displaysare 16 units wide for every nine units of height,making them more like the screen in a movietheater. The program material on a DVD may berecorded in either format and, in addition, youmay configure the DVD 50 to play back ineither format, depending on the featuresrecorded on a disc.Chapter: DVD programs are divided into chap-ters and titles. Chapters are the subsectionsprogrammed into a single title on a disc.Chapters may be compared to the individualtracks on an audio CD. Press the Menu buttonto see a listing of the chapters on a disc.Component Video: This is a new form ofvideo signal that eliminates many of the arti-facts of traditional composite video signals bysplitting the signal into a separate luminancechannel and two color-difference signals. With acomponent video connection, you will seegreater picture resolution and eliminate manypicture imperfections such as the moiré pat-terns often seen on checked patterned cloths.However, in order to benefit from componentvideo you must have a video display withY/Pr/Pb component video inputs. Do notconnect the component video outputs of theDVD 50 to the standard composite or S-Videoinputs of a TV or recorder.Title: For a DVD, a title is defined as an entiremovie or program. There may be as many chap-ters within a title as the producers decide toinclude. Most discs include only one title, butsome may have more than one, to give you a“Double Feature” presentation. Press the Titlebutton to see a listing of the titles on a disc.When a disc has only one title, pressing the titlebutton may show a list of the chapters.Multiple Angle: DVDs have the capability toshow up to four different views of the samescene in a program. When a disc is encodedwith multiple-angle information, pressing theAngle button will enable you to switch betweenthese different views. Note that, at present, fewdiscs take advantage of this capability and,when they do, the multiple-angle technologymay only be present for short periods of timewithin the disc. Producers will usually insertsome sort of icon or graphic in the picture toalert you to the availability of multiple-anglescenes.Reading: This is a message that you will seewhen you first press the Play button. It refers tothe fact that the player must first examine thecontents of the disc to see whether it is a CD orDVD, and then extract the information aboutthe type of material on the disc, such as lan-guages, aspect ratios, subtitles, number of titlesand more. The slight delay while the contents ofthe disc are read is normal.Resume: The operation of the Stop button onthe DVD 50 works differently from what youare used to on CD players. On a traditional CDplayer, when you press the Stop button, the unitdoes just that: it stops playback. On a CD player,when you press the Start button again, the discstarts from the beginning. With the DVD 50,however, you have two options when playingDVD discs. Pressing Stop once will stop theplayback, but it actually puts the unit in theResume mode. This means that you can turnthe machine off and, when you press Play thenext time, the disc will resume or continue fromthe point on the disc where the Stop buttonwas pressed. This is helpful if you are watchinga movie and must interrupt your viewing ses-sion but wish to pick up where you left off.Pressing the Stop button twice will stop themachine in a traditional manner and, whenthe disc is played again, it will start from thebeginning.