Harman Kardon AVR 335 Owner's Manual page 30

OPERATION
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 335, change the
player's settings in the "Audio" or "Bitstream" configu-
ration 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 335. Connect
the digital outputs from DVD players, HDTV receivers,
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satellite systems or CD players to the Optical or
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Coaxial Inputs *(dg. In order to provide a
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backup signal and a source for analog stereo recording,
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the analog outputs provided on digital source equipment
33
26
should also be connected to their appropriate inputs on
32
27
the AVR 335 rear panel (e.g., connect the analog stereo
31
28
30
audio output from a DVD to the DVD Audio Inputs
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29
on the rear panel when you connect the source's 30
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digital outputs).
If you have not already configured an input for a digital
source using the on-screen menus as shown on page
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
⁄
n on the remote or the ‹ ›
/ Selector Buttons
) on the front panel to choose any of the OPTI-
CAL or COAXIAL inputs, as they appear in the
Upper Display Line ˜ or on-screen display. When
the digital source is playing, the AVR 335 will automat-
ically 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 335 senses
the type of bitstream data that is present. Using this
information, the correct surround mode will automati-
cally 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 335 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 335 will dis-
play a variety of messages to indicate the type of bit-
30 OPERATION
stream 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 dis-
play 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 front-
channel signals are present.
• A "3" tells you that separate front left, center and
front right signals are available. This will be displayed
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for Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 programs.
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• A "2" tells you that separate front left and right sig-
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41 51
38 40 37 47 nals are available, but there is no discrete center
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25 37 channel signal. This will be displayed for Dolby
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36
24
Digital bitstreams that have stereo program material.
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• A "1" tells you that there is only a mono channel
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22
34
32 42 available in the Dolby Digital bitstream.
21 33
20 32 31
The middle number indicates how many discrete sur-
round 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.
/ Buttons
¤
• A "1" tells you that there is only a single, surround-
encoded 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 infor-
mation 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 or 7.1 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 occasionally appear
in the Lower Display Line ¯. It does not indicate
a fault or problem with your receiver or the digital
source. This is your indication that the digital audio
data stream has been interrupted or is no longer
present.
When the message appears and the indicators flash,
the unit's digital signal processor has no signal to lock
onto, and is thus "unlocked." You may see this mes-
sage 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 mes-
sage when a satellite receiver, cable set-top or HDTV
tuner is in use if the digital audio is temporarily inter-
rupted 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 prob-
lem with your receiver. Rather, it tells you that the
incoming data has simply been paused or is not pres-
ent 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 pack-
age. 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.