Harman Kardon AVR 645 Owners Manual - Page 40

OPERATION playback, as well as move to the next track. Activity of the Transport buttons may vary from one media player to another, but at the very least you will be able to use the Play and Stop buttons. Once playback is started, the audio from a USB source is treated the same as any other two-channel audio source, and you may apply any of the appropriate surround processing modes. When playing back audio from a computer via the USB connection, the internal speakers in a laptop computer are often muted. Speaker/Channel Indicators In addition to the bitstream indicators, the AVR 645 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 (Figure 23). LFE Figure 23 The letters inside the boxes tell you which channels are receiving an input signal. Since conventional analog audio is only two channels, the "L" and "R" letters will light with any analog source. When a digital source is in use, you will see letters displayed that correspond to the number of channels in the incoming data stream, which may be just the L and R for two-channel PCM or 2.0 Dolby Digital material. When a 5.1 signal is being received, the L/C/R/SL/SR indicators will light, with the LFE indication also being shown when an LFE signal is present. All seven indicators, including the SBL/SBR letters, will light for a 7.1 signal, and a horizontal line is shown to connect the SBL/SBR indicators when a 6.1 source is in use. 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 645. It is also possible for the type of signal feed to change during the course of a DVD's 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 645 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 @ will 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 645. This is normal, and the digital playback will resume once the playback is started again. The boxes around the channel indication letters are used to show which speakers are configured in your system. A small box around the letter indicates that a "Small" speaker has been assigned to that position, while a larger, double box indicates a "Large" speaker assignment. Note that in some cases, such as an analog stereo or 2.0 digital sources you will see empty speaker position boxes, which indicates that the speaker is active and will receive sound, but that there is no discrete signal for that channel. In other cases you may see letters with no speaker boxes. This indicates that there is a discrete signal for that channel, but due to the mode in use (e.g., Dolby VS with a 5.1 source) there is no signal being sent to the channel. 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 at any time when a Dolby Digital source is playing by pressing the Night Mode Button T. Each press of the button will change the Night mode setting, as shown in the lower third of the on-screen display (except when 720p or 1080i sources are in use). To turn the Night mode off, press the button as described, until D-RANGE OFF is shown. The Night mode may also be selected to always be on at either level of compression using the options in the DOLBY SURROUND menu. See page 27 for information on using the menus to set this option. IMPORTANT NOTES ON DIGITAL PLAYBACK: • When playing DVDs, please note that even when you have selected a specific digital audio format for playback, an individual disc may change formats or the number of available channels during playback. For example, even if you select a DTS mode for the movie, you may see Dolby Digital in use when the trailers, menus or copyright warnings are playing. This is not a fault with either the AVR or your DVD player, as both are responding to the way the disc was created. • When viewing digital television signals, note that the number of audio channels available may vary during the course of a program, depending on the content. For example, while a sports event may have 5.1 sound, the commercials or local station content may be in 2.0. In addition, not all local stations are currently equipped for carrying the 5.1 digital audio signals. This may mean that even though the actual program is produced with 5.1, it may be transmitted in a 2.0 configuration in some areas. Your AVR will automatically change to react to the proper type of audio stream if it is changed by the broadcast station. • Although the AVR 645 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 645. • 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 645 will automatically sense the type of digital surround encoding used and adjust to accommodate it. • When a digital source is playing, you may not be able to select some of the analog surround modes such as Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, Stereo, Hall, Theater or Logic 7. • When a Dolby Digital or DTS source is playing, it is not possible to make an analog recording using the Tape Outputs 2 and Video 1 Audio Outputs g. However, the digital signals will be passed through to the Digital Audio Outputs X YM. Using TheBridgeTM The AVR 645 is equipped for use with Harman Kardon's optional TheBridgeTM iPod docking station. When The Bridge is connected to the AVR and an iPod properly docked, you may use either remote to control the iPod for audio playback while using the front-panel display and on-screen semi-OSD messages to help you locate tracks or view information about the track being played. In addition, connecting an iPod to the AVR 645 through The Bridge also charges the iPod's battery. Using the DMP AUTO POWER menu option, as described on page 45, you may even have the AVR 645 automatically turn on with your iPod as a playback source whenever the iPod is turned on. 40 OPERATION