Digital Audio Playback - Harman Kardon AVR 7200 Owner's Manual

To listen to a program in traditional two-channel stereo,
using only the front left and front right speakers (plus a
subwoofer, if installed and configured), press the
Stereo Button on the remote once or twice until
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SURR OFF appears in the Main Information
Display ˜. From the front panel, press the Surround
Mode Group Selector 7 until STEREO
MODES appears in the on-screen display and
Lower Display Line B. Next, press the Surround
Mode Select Button 8 until the display message
reads SURROUND OFF.

Digital Audio Playback

Digital audio is a major advancement over older analog
surround processing systems such as Dolby Pro Logic.
It delivers five discrete channels: left front, center, right
front, left surround and right surround. Each channel
reproduces full frequency range (20Hz to 20kHz) and
offers dramatically improved dynamic range and signifi-
cant improvements to signal-to-noise ratios. In addition,
digital systems have the capability to deliver an additional
channel that is specifically devoted to low-frequency
information. This is the ".1" channel referred to when you
see these systems described as "5.1, " "6.1" or "7.1".
The bass channel is separate from the other channels,
but since it is intentionally bandwidth-limited, sound
designers have given it that unique designation.
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital is a standard on DVDs, and is available on
specially encoded LD discs and satellite broadcasts and
high-definition television (HDTV) broadcasts.
An optional, external RF demodulator is required to
use the AVR 7200 to listen to the Dolby Digital sound-
tracks available on laser discs. Connect the RF output
of the LD player to the demodulator and then connect
the digital output of the demodulator to the Optical or
Coaxial Inputs &(j
of the AVR 7200. No
32
demodulator is required for use with DVD players or
DTS-encoded laser discs.
DTS
DTS is another digital audio system that is capable of
delivering 5.1 or 6.1 discrete or matrix sound field
reproduction. Although both DTS and Dolby Digital are
digital, they use different methods of encoding the sig-
nals, and thus they require different decoding circuits
to convert the digital signals back to analog.
DTS-encoded soundtracks are available on select DVD
and LD discs, as well as on special audio-only DTS
discs. You may use any LD or CD player equipped
with a digital output to play DTS-encoded discs with
the AVR 7200. All that is required is to connect the
30 OPERATION
player's output to either an Optical or Coaxial Input
on the rear panel j or front panel &(.
32
In order to listen to DVDs encoded with DTS sound-
tracks, the DVD player must be compatible with the
DTS signal as indicated by a DTS logo on the player's
front panel. Early DVD players may not be able to play
DTS-encoded DVDs. This does not indicate a problem
with the AVR 7200, 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.
NOTE: Some DVD players have a default setting that
does not pass through the DTS signal. Before playing
DVDs with a DTS soundtrack, make certain that the
settings in your DVD player have been properly adjusted
so that DTS audio is passed through. Consult the
Owner's Manual for your DVD player for more infor-
mation on making these settings.
Selecting a Digital Source
To utilize either digital mode, you must have properly
connected a digital source to the AVR 7200. Connect
the digital outputs from DVD players, HDTV receivers,
satellite systems or CD players to the Optical or
Coaxial Inputs &(j
. In order to provide a
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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 7200 rear panel (e.g., connect the analog
stereo audio output from a DVD to the DVD Inputs
on the rear panel when you connect the source's digi-
tal outputs).
If you have not already configured an input for a digital
source using the on-screen menus as shown on
pages 19 – 20, 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 oP and then using the
Navigation Button 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 A
or on-screen display. When the digital source is play-
ing, the AVR 7200 will automatically detect which type
of digital data stream is being decoded and display
that information in the Upper Display Line A.
Digital Bitstream Indicators
When a digital source is playing, the AVR 7200 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.
OPERATION
When the unit senses PCM data from CDs and LDs,
it will allow the appropriate surround sources to be
selected manually. Since the range of available sur-
round modes is dependent on the type of digital data
that is present, the AVR 7200 uses display indicators
to let you know what type of signal is present. This will
help you to understand the choice of modes.
To help you see which type of digital source is playing,
the Surround Mode Indicators
with the Information Display
bitstream indications to show which type of bitstream
is present, as well as the surround mode in use, if
applicable.
Dolby Digital: When the green LED next to the Dolby
Digital or Dolby Digital EX modes is lit, a Dolby Digital
bitstream is being received. Depending on the settings
on the source player and specific surround information
and number of channels on the disc, a number of
surround modes are possible. For discs with full 5.1
audio, only the Dolby Digital and VMAx modes are
available.
DTS: When the green LED next to the DTS logo
lights, a DTS bitstream is being received. When the
unit senses this type of data, only the applicable DTS
mode may be used.
PCM: When the green LED next to the word DIGITAL
lights, a standard Pulse Code Modulation, or PCM, sig-
nal is being received. This is the type of digital audio
used by conventional compact disc and laser disc
12
recordings. When a PCM bitstream is present, all
modes except Dolby Digital and DTS are available.
HDCD: When the letters HDCD appear on the
Lower Display Line B in conjunction with the PCM
indicator, the CD that is playing is encoded through the
special High Definition Compatible Digital
HDCD ® discs use 20-bit encoding and other propri-
etary processing to provide the ultimate in CD listen-
/
⁄ ¤
‹ › ing. HDCD processing is only available in the Stereo
/
(Surround Off) mode.
MP3: When MP3 appears on the Lower Display
Line B a compatible MPEG 1/Layer 3 digital signal
is being received. This is the popular audio format
used by many computer programs for recording com-
pressed audio files. When an MP3 bitstream is pres-
ent, the sound will automatically be played in the
Stereo (Surround Off) mode. The surround modes are
not available during MP3 playback. There are many
different forms of MP3 encoding available and the
format is used at a number of different bit rates. The
AVR 7200 may not be compatible with all forms of
MP3, particularly when the data file is encoded at
128kb/s or above.
˘
in combination
˜
also serve as
® process.