Harman Kardon AVR 354 Owner's Manual page 46

ADVANCED FUNCTIONS
incoming signal, only a limited number of surround modes are available.
Although there is never a time when all of the AVR 354's surround
modes are available, there is usually a wide variety of modes available
for a given input.
Multichannel digital recordings usually are found in the 5.1-, 6.1- or
7.1-channel formats. The channels included in a 5.1-channel recording
are front left, front right, center, surround left, surround right and LFE.
The LFE channel is denoted as ".1" to represent the fact that it is not
full-range, being limited to the low frequencies.
6.1-Channel recordings add a single surround back channel, and
7.1-channel recordings add surround back left and surround back
right channels to the 5.1-channel configuration. New formats, such
as Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD and DTS-HD Master
Audio, are available in 7.1-channel configurations. The AVR 354 is
able to play the new audio formats, delivering a more exciting home
theater experience.
NOTE: To use the 6.1- and 7.1-channel surround modes, the
AVR 354 must be configured so that the Surround Back channels
are enabled. See the Manual Setup section on page 48 of the
Advanced Functions section for more information.
Digital formats include Dolby Digital 2.0 (two channels only), Dolby
Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD,
DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS 5.1, DTS-ES (6.1 Matrix and Discrete),
DTS 96/24, 2-channel PCM modes in 32kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHz
or 96kHz, and 5.1 or 7.1 multichannel PCM.
When a digital signal is received, the AVR 354 detects the encoding
method and the number of channels. The number of channels encoded
will appear briefly in the front-panel display as three numbers, separated
by slashes (e.g., "3/2/.1").
The first number indicates the number of front channels in the signal:
"1" represents a monophonic recording, usually an older program that
has been digitally remastered or, more rarely, a modern program
for which the director has chosen a special effect.
"2" indicates the presence of the left and right channels, but no
center channel.
"3" indicates that all three front channels (left, right and center)
are present.
The second number indicates whether any surround channels are present:
"0" indicates that no surround information is present.
"1" indicates that a matrixed surround signal is present.
"2" indicates discrete left and right surround channels.
"3" is used with DTS-ES bitstreams to represent the presence of the
discrete surround back channel in addition to the side surround left and
right channels.
"4" is used with 7.1-channel digital formats, including Dolby TrueHD, Dolby
Digital Plus, DTS-HD and DTS-HD Master Audio, to indicate the presence of
two discrete side surround channels and two discrete back surround channels.
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The third number is used for the LFE channel:
"0" indicates no LFE channel.
".1" indicates that an LFE channel is present.
The 6.1-channel signals – Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES Matrix and
Discrete – each include a flag meant to signal the receiver to decode
the surround back channel.
For Dolby Digital EX materials, the incoming bitstream will be displayed
as 3/2/.1 EX-ON.
For DTS-ES materials, the incoming bitstream will be displayed as
3/3/.1 ES-ON.
When a PCM signal is received, the PCM message, followed by the
sampling rate of the signal (32kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHz or 96kHz), will
appear in the front-panel display.
In addition, the Speaker/Channel Input Indicators will indicate the
number of channels discretely encoded in the signal by displaying a
letter inside that channel's speaker box. A line will connect the SBL and
SBR boxes when a 6.1-channel signal is detected, indicating that the
same signal is playing through both speakers. The letters flash when
no signal is present, such as when a DVD is paused. See Figure 63.
C
L R
LFE
SL SR
Figure 63 – Speaker/Channel Input Indicators
SBL SBR
When only two channels – left and right – are present, the analog surround
modes may be used to decode the signal into the remaining channels.
If you would prefer a different surround format than the native signal's
digital encoding, press the Surround Modes Button to display the
Surround Modes menu (see Figure 62).
The Auto Select option (the first line) uses the native signal's digital
encoding, e.g., Dolby Digital or DTS. For 2-channel materials, the
AVR defaults to Logic 7 Movie mode. If you prefer a different surround
processing mode, select the appropriate line from the menu: Virtual
Surround, Stereo, Movie, Music or Video Game.
Each line is set to a default surround mode:
• Virtual Surround: Dolby Virtual Speaker Reference
• Stereo: 7-channel stereo
• Movie: Logic 7 Movie
• Music: Logic 7 Music
• Video Game: Logic 7 Game
You may change each line's setting to a different surround mode. The
choice of new modes depends on the number of speakers in your system.
• Virtual Surround: Dolby Virtual Speaker Reference or Wide
• Stereo: 2-channel stereo, 5-channel stereo or 7-channel stereo
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