Harman Kardon DPR 1005 Owners Manual - Page 34

OPERATION an HDCD-encoded disc is playing and the CD player is connected using a digital connection, the DPR 1005 will automatically recognize the HDCD encoding and activate the circuits required for proper playback, provided that the Surround Off mode is selected. An HDCD message will appear in the Lower Display Line & to confirm the HDCD playback. HDCD playback is limited to two-channel stereo only. Speaker/Channel Indicators In addition to the bitstream indicators, the DPR 1005 features channel-input indicators that show how many channels of digital information are being received and/or whether the digital signal is interrupted (see Figure 15). Figure 15 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 % on the frontpanel. 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, may have two, five, six or seven channels; depending on the program material, its 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 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," and Dolby Digital and DTS 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 using icons on the back of the disc jacket. When a disc offers 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 DPR 1005 or to select between Dolby Digital or DTS. 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 or special material will be recorded in 2.0 audio, while the main feature is available in 5.1 audio. The DPR 1005 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 % 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, along with the UNLOCK message in the Lower Display Line &, remind you that the playback has stopped due to the absence of a digital signal and not through any fault of the DPR 1005. 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 T on the remote. Next, press the ⁄/¤ Navigation Button o to select either the middle range or full compression versions of the Night mode. To turn the Night mode off, press the ⁄/¤ Navigation Button o until the message in the lower third of the video display and in the Lower Display Line & 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 SURR menu. See page 23 for information on using the menus to set this option. MP3 Audio Playback The DPR 1005 is one of the few receivers equipped for onboard decoding for the MP3 audio format used by computers and portable audio devices. By offering MP3 decoding, the DPR 1005 is able to deliver precise conversion of the digital signals to an analog output, along with the benefits of listening to the MP3 audio through the DPR 1005's high-power amplifier and the speakers from your surround system, rather than the smaller speakers and low-powered amplifiers typically used with computers. To take advantage of the DPR 1005's MP3 capabilities, simply connect the S/P-DIF output of a computer's sound card or the S/P-DIF output of a portable digital audio device to either the rear panel Digital Inputs fl‡ or the front-panel Digital Inputs HJ. When the digital signal is available, the Lower Display Line & will indicate that an MP3 bitstream is present, and the audio will begin playing. NOTES: • The DPR 1005 is only capable of playing signals in the MP3 (MPEG 1/Layer 3) format. It is not compatible with other computer audio codecs. • The digital audio input signal may be either optical or coaxial, but the signal must be in the S/P-DIF format. Direct connection of USB or serial data outputs is not possible, even though the signals are in the MP3 format. If you have any questions about the data output format from your computer or a sound card, check with the device's owner's manual. • If your computer or sound card's digital output is not capable of direct connection to the DPR 1005, you may use an optional, external transcoder to convert the USB output of a computer to a format compatible with the DPR. • Due to the wide variation in MP3 formats and encoding speeds, it is possible that the DPR 1005 may not be compatible with all MP3 input signals. Some may produce unacceptable results or may not be decoded. This is not a fault of either the computer or the DPR 1005, but rather a by-product of the unpredictable nature of MP3 playback. • Even when your computer does not have a digital output that is compatible with the DPR 1005, you may connect the analog audio output available on virtually all computers to one of the DPR's analog audio inputs using an optional adaptor cable that converts the stereo mini plug commonly used for computer audio connections to the left/right RCA jacks used on the DPR. Connecting your computer to the DPR will enable you to take advantage of the high-quality audio reproduction possible with a home theater system, as well as enable the use of surround processing modes such as Logic 7, to greatly enhance downloaded or streaming audio playback. IMPORTANT NOTES ON DIGITAL PLAYBACK: • When the digital playback source is stopped, or in a pause, fast forward or search mode, digital audio data will momentarily stop, and the channel position letters inside the Speaker/Channel Input Indicators % will flash and an UNLOCK message may appear. This is normal and does not indicate a problem with either the DPR 1005 or the source machine. The DPR 1005 will return to digital playback as soon as the data is available. 34 OPERATION