Harman Kardon AVR 325 Owners Manual - Page 29

OPERATION OPTICAL or COAXIAL inputs, as they appear in the Upper Display Line A or on-screen display. When the digital source is playing, the AVR 325 will automatically detect which type of digital data stream is being decoded and display that information in the Upper Display Line A. Digital Bitstream Indicators When a digital source is playing, the AVR 325 senses the type of bitstream data that is present. Using this information, the correct surround mode will automatically be selected. For example, DTS bitstreams will cause the unit to switch to DTS decoding, and Dolby Digital bitstreams will enable Dolby Digital decoding. When the unit senses PCM data from CDs and LDs, it will allow the appropriate surround sources to be selected manually. Since the range of available surround modes is dependent on the type of digital data that is present, the AVR 325 uses display indicators to let you know what type of signal is present. This will help you to understand the choice of modes. To help you see which type of digital source is playing, the Surround Mode Indicators ˘ in combination with the Information Display ˜ also serve as bitstream indications to show which type of bitstream is present, as well as the surround mode in use, if applicable. Dolby Digital: When the green LED next to the Dolby Digital or Dolby Digital EX mode is lit, a Dolby Digital bitstream is being received. Depending on the settings on the source player and specific surround information and number of channels on the disc, a number of surround modes are possible. For discs with full 5.1 audio, only the Dolby Digital and VMAx modes are available. DTS: When the green LED next to the DTS logo lights, a DTS bitstream is being received. When the unit senses this type of data, only the applicable DTS mode may be used. PCM: When the green LED next to the word DIGITAL lights, a standard Pulse Code Modulation, or PCM, signal is being received. This is the type of digital audio used by conventional compact disc and laser disc recordings. When a PCM bitstream is present, all modes except Dolby Digital and DTS are available. MP3: When MP3 appears on the Lower Display Line B a compatible MPEG 1/Layer 3 digital signal is being received. This is the popular audio format used by many computer programs for recording compressed audio files. When an MP3 bitstream is present, the sound will automatically be played in the Stereo (Surround Off) mode. The surround modes are not available during MP3 playback. There are many different forms of MP3 encoding available and the format is used at a number of different bit rates. The AVR 325 may not be compatible with all forms of MP3, particularly when the data file is encoded at 128kb/s or above. Speaker/Channel Indicators In addition to the bitstream indicators, the AVR 325 features a set of unique channel-input indicators that tell you how many channels of digital information are being received and/or whether the digital signal is interrupted. (See Figure 9.) Figure 9 These indicators are the L/C/R/LFE/SL/SR/SBL/SBR letters that are inside the center boxes of the Speaker/Channel Input Indicators E in the frontpanel Main Information Display ˜. When a standard analog signal is in use, only the "L" and "R" indicators will light, as analog signals have only left and right channels. Digital signals, however, may have two, five, six or seven channels, depending on the program material, the method of transmission and the way in which it was encoded. When a digital signal is playing, the letters in these indicators will light in response to the specific signal being received. It is important to note that although Dolby Digital, for example, is referred to as a "5.1" system, not all Dolby Digital DVDs or programs are encoded for 5.1. Thus, it is sometimes normal for a DVD with a Dolby Digital 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 soundtrack. When playing a DVD, always be certain to check the type of material on the disc. Most discs show this information in the form of a listing or icon on the back of the disc jacket. When a disc does offer multiple soundtrack choices, you may have to make some adjustments to your DVD player (usually with the "Audio Select" button or in a menu screen on the disc) to send a full 5.1 feed to the AVR 325. It is also possible for the type of signal feed to change during the course of a DVD playback. In some cases, the previews of special material will only be recorded in 2.0 audio, while the main feature is available in 5.1 audio. The AVR 325 will automatically sense changes to the bitstream and channel count and reflect them in these indicators. The letters used by the Speaker/Channel Input Indicators E also flash to indicate when a bitstream has been interrupted. This will happen when a digital input source is selected before the playback starts, or when a digital source such as a DVD is paused. The flashing indicators remind you that the playback has stopped due to the absence of a digital signal and not through any fault of the AVR 325. This is normal, and the digital playback will resume once the playback is started again. Night Mode A special feature of Dolby Digital is the Night mode, which enables specially encoded Dolby Digital input sources to be played back with full digital intelligibility while reducing the minimum peak level by 1/4 to 1/3. This prevents abruptly loud transitions from disturbing others, without reducing the impact of the digital source. The Night mode is available only when Dolby Digital signals with special data are being played. The Night mode may be engaged when a Dolby Digital DVD is playing by pressing the Night Mode Button l on the remote. Next, press the ⁄/¤ Buttons n to select either the middle range or full compression versions of the Night mode. To turn the Night mode off, press the ⁄/¤ Buttons n until the message in the lower third of the video display and in the Lower Display Line B reads D-RANGE OFF. The Night mode may also be selected to always be on at either level of compression using the options in the DOLBY menu. See page 20 for information on using the menus to set this option. IMPORTANT NOTES ON DIGITAL PLAYBACK: • When the digital playback source is stopped, or in a pause, fast forward or chapter search mode, the digital audio data will momentarily stop, and the channel position letters inside the Speaker/Channel Input Indicators E will flash. This is normal and does not indicate a problem with either the AVR 325 or the source machine. The AVR 325 will return to digital playback as soon as the data is available and when the machine is in a standard play mode. • Although the AVR 325 will decode virtually all current DVD movies, CDs and HDTV sources, it is possible that some future digital sources may not be compatible with the AVR 325. • Not all digitally encoded programs contain full 5.1or 6.1-channel audio. Consult the program guide that accompanies the DVD or laser disc to determine which type of audio has been recorded on the disc. The AVR 325 will automatically sense the type of digital surround encoding used and adjust to accommodate it. OPERATION 29