Harman Kardon AVR 235 Owners Manual - Page 28

OPERATION with the AVR 235, as some players cannot pass the DTS signal through to the digital outputs. If you are in doubt as to the capability of your DVD player to handle DTS discs, consult the player's owner's manual. IMPORTANT NOTE: Many DVD players have a default setting that does not pass through the DTS data, even though the machine is capable of doing so. If your DVD player has the "DTS Digital Out" logo but does not trigger DTS playback in the AVR 235, change the player's settings in the "Audio" or "Bitstream"" configuration menu so that DTS playback is enabled. The method for doing this will vary with each player. In some cases, the proper menu choice will be "Original," while in others it will be "DTS." Consult the owner's manual for your player to find the specific information to find the proper setting. Selecting a Digital Source To utilize either digital mode, you must have properly connected a digital source to the AVR 235. Connect the digital outputs from DVD players, HDTV receivers, satellite systems or CD players to the Optical or Coaxial Inputs *(ad. In order to provide a backup signal and a source for analog stereo recording, the analog outputs provided on digital source equipment should also be connected to their appropriate inputs on the AVR 235 rear panel (e.g., connect the analog stereo audio output from a DVD to the DVD Audio Inputs k on the rear panel when you connect the source's digital outputs). If you have not already configured an input for a digital source using the on-screen menus as shown on pages 17-18, first select the input using the remote or front-panel controls, as outlined in this manual. Next, select the digital source by pressing the Digital Select Button q# and then using the ⁄/¤ Buttons n on the remote or the ‹/› Selector Buttons ) on the front panel to choose any of the OPTICAL or COAXIAL inputs, as they appear in the Upper Display Line ˜ or onscreen display. When the digital source is playing, the AVR 235 will automatically detect which type of digital data stream is being decoded and display that information in the Upper Display Line ˜. Digital Bitstream Indications When a digital source is playing, the AVR 235 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 or LDs, you may select any of the standard surround modes, such as Dolby Pro Logic II or Logic 7. Since the range of available surround modes is dependent on the type of digital data that is present, the AVR 235 uses a variety of indicators to let you know what type of signal is present. This will help you to understand the choice of modes. When a digital source is playing, the AVR 235 will display a variety of messages to indicate the type of bitstream being received. These messages will appear shortly after an input or surround mode is changed, and they will remain in the Lower Display Line ¯ for about five seconds before that portion of the display returns to the normal surround mode indication. Surround Mode Types For Dolby Digital and DTS sources, a three-digit indication will appear, showing the number of channels present in the data. An example of this type of display is 3/2/.1. The first number indicates how many discrete frontchannel signals are present. • A "3" tells you that separate front left, center and front right signals are available. This will be displayed for Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 programs. • A "2" tells you that separate front left and right signals are available, but there is no discrete center channel signal. This will be displayed for Dolby Digital bitstreams that have stereo program material. • A "1" tells you that there is only a mono channel available in the Dolby Digital bitstream. The middle number indicates how many discrete surround channel signals are present. • A "2" tells you that separate surround left and right signals are available. This will be displayed for Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 programs. • A "1" tells you that there is only a single, surroundencoded surround channel. This will appear for Dolby Digital bitstreams that have matrix encoding. • A "0" indicates that there is no surround channel information. This will be displayed for two-channel stereo programs. The last number indicates whether there is a discrete low-frequency effects (LFE) channel. This is the ".1" in the common abbreviation of "5.1" sound and it is a special channel that contains only bass frequencies. • A ".1" tells you that an LFE channel is present. This will be displayed for Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 programs, as available. • A "0" indicates that there is no LFE channel information available. However, even when there is no dedicated LFE channel, low-frequency sound will be present at the subwoofer output when the speaker configuration is set to show the presence of a subwoofer. The information in the right side of the display will tell you if the digital audio data contains a special flag signal that will automatically activate the appropriate 6.1 mode. This will be shown as EX-ON or EX-OFF for Dolby Digital bitstreams, and ES-ON or ES-OFF for DTS bitstreams. An UNLOCK message may appear in the Lower Display Line ¯. This is your indication that the digital audio data stream has been interrupted or is no longer present. When that occurs, the unit's digital signal processor has no signal to lock onto, and is thus "unlocked." You may see this message when a DVD is first started until the stream is playing and the processor determines which mode to apply; or any time the data stream is stopped or paused, such as when the menus of some discs are displayed or when the player is switching between the different sections of a disc. You may also see the message when a satellite receiver, cable set-top or HDTV tuner is in use if the digital audio is temporarily interrupted when channels are changed or when a cable box switches from a channel with a digital data stream to a channel with analog audio only. The UNLOCK message is normal, and does not indicate any problem with your receiver. Rather, it tells you that the incoming data has simply been paused or is not present for a variety of possible reasons. When Dolby Digital 3/2/.1 or DTS 3/2/.1 signals are being played, the AVR will automatically switch to the proper surround mode, and no other processing may be selected. When a Dolby Digital signal with a 3/1/0 or 2/0/0 signal is detected, you may select any of the Dolby surround modes. It is always a good idea to check the readout for the channel data to make certain that it matches the audio logo information shown on the back of a DVD package. In some cases, you will see an indication for "2/0/0" even when the disc contains a full 5.1, or 3/2/.1, signal. When this happens, check the audio output settings for your DVD player or the audio menu selections for the specific disc being played to make certain that the player is sending the correct signal to the AVR. PCM Playback Indications PCM is the abbreviation for Pulse Code Modulation, which is the type of digital signal used for standard CD playback, and other non-Dolby Digital and non-DTS digital sources such as Mini-Disc. When a PCM signal is detected, the Lower Display Line ¯ will briefly show a message with the letters PCM, in addition to a readout of the sampling frequency of the digital signal. In most cases, this will be 48kHz, though in the case of specially mastered, high-resolution audio discs, you will see a 96kHz indication. 28 OPERATION