Harman Kardon AVR 7200 Owner's Manual page 31

Speaker/Channel Indicators
In addition to the bitstream indicators, the AVR 7200
features a set of unique channel-input indicators
(shown below) that tell you how many channels of dig-
ital information are being received and/or whether the
digital signal is interrupted.
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 E in the front-panel
Main Information Display ˜. 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, however, may have two, five, six or
seven channels, depending on the program material,
the method of transmission and the way in which it
was encoded. When a digital signal is playing, the let-
ters in these indicators will light in response to the
specific 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 pro-
grams are encoded for 5.1. Thus, it is sometimes nor-
mal for a DVD with a Dolby Digital soundtrack to trig-
ger only the "L" and "R" indicators.
NOTE: Many DVD discs are recorded with both "5.1"
and "2.0" versions of the same sound-track. When
playing a DVD, always be certain to check the type of
material on the disc. Most discs show this information
in the form of a listing or icon on the back of the disc
jacket. When a disc does offer 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 AVR 7200. It is also possible for the type
of signal feed to change during the course of a DVD
playback. In some cases, the previews of special
material will only be recorded in 2.0 audio, while the
main feature is available in 5.1 audio. The AVR 7200
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 E 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 remind you that the playback has
stopped due to the absence of a digital signal and not
through any fault of the AVR 7200. 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 n to select either the middle
range or full compression versions of the Night mode.
To turn the Night mode off, press the ⁄
Navigation Button n until the message in the
lower third of the video display and in the Lower
Display Line B 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 menu. See page 21 for information on
using the menus to set this option.
IMPORTANT NOTES ON DIGITAL PLAYBACK:
• When the digital playback source is stopped, or in a
pause, fast forward or chapter search mode, the
digital audio data will momentarily stop, and the
channel position letters inside the
Speaker/Channel Input Indicators E will flash.
This is normal and does not indicate a problem with
either the AVR 7200 or the source machine. The
AVR 7200 will return to digital playback as soon as
the data is available and when the machine is in a
standard play mode.
• Although the AVR 7200 will decode virtually all current
DVD movies, CDs and HDTV sources, it is possible
that some future digital sources may not be compati-
ble with the AVR 7200.
• Not all digitally encoded programs contain full 5.1
or 6.1 channel audio. Consult the program guide
that accompanies the DVD or laser disc to deter-
mine which type of audio has been recorded on the
disc. The AVR 7200 will automatically sense the
type of digital surround encoding used and adjust to
accommodate it.
• When a digital source is playing, you may not be
able to select some of the analog surround modes
such as Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby 3, Stereo, Hall,
Theater or Logic 7.
• When a Dolby Digital or DTS source is playing,
it is not possible to make an analog recording using
the Tape Outputs k and Video 1 or Video 2
Outputs ¢⁄. However, the digital signals will be
passed through to the Digital Audio Outputs
fh(.
PCM Audio Playback
PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) is the noncompressed
digital audio system used for compact discs and laser
discs. It is also the format used as an output by audio
transcoders such as the Harman Kardon DAL 150.
The digital circuits in the AVR 7200 are capable of
high-quality digital-to-analog decoding, and they may
be connected directly to the digital audio output of your
CD or LD player.
/
⁄ ¤
Connections may be made to either the rear-panel
Optical or Coaxial Inputs j
/ ¤
Digital Inputs &(.
To listen to a PCM digital source, first select the input for
the desired source (e.g., CD). Next press the Digital
Select Button Po and then use the
Navigation Button n on the remote, or the
Selector Buttons )# on the front panel, until the
desired choice appears in the Main Information
Display ˜.
During PCM playback, you may select any Surround
mode except Dolby Digital or DTS. When an HDCD-
encoded disc is being played and the DVD or CD
player is connected to the AVR 7200 via a digital con-
nection, select Surround Off as the Surround mode to
enjoy the benefits of the HDCD process.
MP3 Audio Playback
The AVR 7200 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 AVR 7200 is able to deliver pre-
cise conversion of the digital signals to an analog out-
put, along with the benefits of listening to the MP3
audio through the AVR 7200's high-current 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 AVR 7200's MP3 capabili-
ties, simply connect the PCM output of a computer's
sound card or the PCM output of a portable digital
audio device to either the rear panel Digital Inputs
j or the front panel Digital Inputs &(.
32
When the digital signal is available, the Lower Display
Line B will indicate that an MP3 bitstream is pres-
ent, and the audio will begin playing.
OPERATION OPERATION
or the front-panel
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OPERATION OPERATION 31 31