When the digital source is playing, the DCR600II will automatically detect whether it is a multi- channel Dolby Digital or DTS source, or a conven- tional PCM signal, which is the standard output from CD players. A Bitstream Indicator A will light in the Main Information Display ( to confirm that the digital signal is Dolby Digital, DTS or PCM.
Digital Status Indicators
When a digital source is playing, the DCR600II senses the type of bitstream data that is present. Using this information, the correct surround mode will automatically 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, it will allow the appropriate surround sources to be selected manually. Since the range of available surround modes is dependent on the type of digital data that is present, the DCR600II 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, a Bitstream Indicator A will light to show which type of signal is playing:
DOLBY D: When the DOLBY D Indicator A lights, 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 mode is available. When the Dolby Digital signal is only two-channel, you may also select from the Logic 7 Cinema/Music, Hall, Theater, Dolby Pro Logic
IIMovies/Music/Emulation, or Dolby 3 Stereo modes. When the receiver detects a 2.0-channel Dolby Digital signal, it will automatically select Dolby Pro Logic II as the surround processing mode, and both the Dolby Digital D and Dolby Pro Logic II F indicators will light, in accordance with the requirements of Dolby Laboratories.
DTS: When the DTS Indicator A lights, a DTS bitstream is being received. When the unit senses this type of data, only the DTS mode may be used.
PCM: When the PCM Indicator A lights, a standard Pulse Code Modulation, or PCM, signal is being received. This is the type of digital audio used by conventional compact disc and laser disc recordings. When a PCM bitstream is
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present, all modes except Dolby Digital and DTS are available.
In addition to the bitstream indicators, the DCR600II features a set of unique channel-input indicators that tell you how many channels of digital information are being received and/or whether the digital signal is interrupted.
These indicators are the L/C/R/SL/SR/LFE let- ters that are inside the center boxes of the Speaker/Channel Input Indicators M 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, respectively.
Digital signals, however, may have two, five or six separate 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 letters 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 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 DCR600II. 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 DCR600II 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 M 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 DCR600II. 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, or Dynamic Range Compression mode, which enables these input sources to be played back with full digital intelligibility while reduc- ing the minimum peak level by 1/4 to 1/3. This prevents abruptly loud transitions from disturb- ing 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 
on the remote. Next, press the ⁄/¤ Buttons y 
to select either the middle range or full-compression versions of the Night mode. To turn the Night mode off, press the ⁄/¤ Buttons y 
until the message in the lower third of the video display and the Main Information Display U reads
D-RangeOff.
IMPORTANT NOTES
ON DIGITAL PLAYBACK
1.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 M will flash. This is normal and does not indicate a problem with either the DCR600II or the source machine. The DCR600II will return to digital playback as soon as the data is available and when the machine is in a standard play mode.
2.Although the DCR600II will decode virtually all DVD movies, CDs and HDTV sources, it is possible that some future digital sources may not be com- patible with the DCR600II.
3.Note that not all digitally encoded programs contain full 5.1-channel audio. Consult the pro- gram guide that accompanies the DVD to deter- mine which type of audio has been recorded on the disc. Also, due to bandwidth limitations, dig- ital cable television signals may contain only a 2.0-channel Dolby Digital signal. Check with your cable provider. The DCR600II will automati- cally sense the type of digital surround encoding used and adjust to accommodate it.
4.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.
