Night Mode; Tape Recording - Harman Kardon AVR 247 Owner's Manual

Operation
Digital 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" 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 or to
select the appropriate audio track and thus
language. 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. As
long as your DVD player is set for 6-channel
output, the AVR will automatically sense
changes to the bitstream and channel count and
reflect them in these indicators.
Important Note: When a digital surround
source (Dolby Digital, DTS) is played, the letters
SBL/SBR for the Surround Back channels will
appear only when a DTS ES DISCRETE 6.1
source is played. Then this surround mode will
be indicated in the front display and on-screen
display. With all other recordings the icons for
the surround back speakers may light (when
those speakers have been configured) to
indicate that a signal will be fed to them (Matrix
decoded with NEO:6, LOGIC 7 or 7 CH Stereo),
but no letters inside will light as the unit will not
receive an input signal for the surround back
channels.
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 put into a Pause mode.
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. This is normal, and the digital playback will
resume once the playback is started again.
42 OPERATION

Night Mode

A special feature of Dolby Digital is the Night
mode, which enables Dolby Digital input sources
to be played back with full digital intelligibilty
while reducing the maximum peak level and
lifting the low levels 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
the Dolby Digital mode is selected.
The Night mode may be engaged when a Dolby
Digital DVD is playing by pressing the Night
Button B on the remote. Next, press the
buttons D to select either the middle
⁄ / ¤
range or full compression versions of the Night
mode. To turn the Night mode off, press the
buttons D until the message in the
⁄ / ¤
lower third of the video display and the Main
Information Display Ò reads
D-RANGE
.
OFF
The Night mode may also be selected to always
be on as soon as the Dolby Digital mode is
activated at either level of compression using the
options in the DOLBY menu. See page 25 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 Indicators $ will flash.
This is normal and does not indicate a problem
with either the AVR or the source machine. The
AVR 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 will decode virtually all DVD
movies, CDs and HDTV sources, it is possible that
some future digital sources may not be compatible
with the AVR.
• Note that not all digitally encoded programs
and not all audio tracks on a DVD contain full
5.1 or 6.1 channel audio. Consult the program
guide that accompanies the DVD or laser disc to
determine which type of audio has been
recorded on the disc. The AVR will automatically
sense the type of digital surround encoding
used, indicate it in the Channel Input
Indicators $ and adjust to accommodate it.
• When a Dolby Digital or DTS source is playing,
you normally may not be able to select some of
the analog surround modes such as Dolby Pro
Logic II, Dolby 3 Stereo, Hall, Theater, 5CH/7CH
Stereo or Logic 7, except with specific Dolby
Digital 2.0 recordings that can be played with
the Pro Logic II modes too (see page 35).
• When a digital source is playing, it is NOT
possible to make an analog recording using the
Tape 3 or Video 1 7 record outputs, even if
the source is connected to any digital input of
the AVR only, as long as "Surround Off" mode is
selected (possible with a PCM source only). But
the analog two channel signal, even of a Dolby
Digital (not DTS) source, the "Downmix" to
Stereo or Dolby Surround, can be recorded by
connecting its analog audio outputs to the
appropriate analog inputs (e.g. DVD) of the AVR.
Additionally, the digital signals will be passed
through to the Digital Audio Outputs A.

Tape Recording

In normal operation, the audio or video source
selected for listening through the AVR is sent to
the record outputs. This means that any program
you are watching or listening to may be
recorded simply by placing machines connected
to the outputs for Tape Outputs 3 or
Video 1 Outputs P 7 in the record mode.
When a digital audio recorder is connected to
any of the Digital Audio Outputs A, you are
able to record the digital signal using a CD-R,
MiniDisc or other digital recording system.
Note that all digital signals will be passed
through to both, coaxial and optical, digital
outputs simultanously, no matter which kind of
digital input was selected.
NOTES:
• The digital outputs are active only when a
digital signal is present, and they do not convert
an analog input to a digital signal, or change the
format of the digital signal (e.g. Dolby Digital to
PCM or vice versa, but coaxial digital signals are
converted to optical signals and vice versa). In
additon, the digital recorder must be compatible
with the output signal. For example, the PCM
digital output from a CD player may be recorded
on a CD-R or MiniDisc, but Dolby Digital or DTS
signals may not.
• To make an analog recording from a digital
source is possible, but only from a PCM source
(not Dolby Digital or DTS) and correctly only with
"Surround Off" mode (with any Surround mode
only the L/R front signals will be fed to the
record outputs).
Using
When Harman Kardon's (optional) is
connected and a compatible Apple
docked in The Bridge, press the
Selector Button e to choose the iPod as the
input source allowing playback of audio, video
and still-image materials on your iPod through
your high-quality audio/video system. Pressing
DMP Selector Button e will
the
also activate the AVR remote's control codes for
the iPod, and you may also use the front-panel
® iPod ® is
DMP