Harman-Kardon DVD 27, Progressive-Scan DVD Player owner manual DVD Terminology

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DVD TERMINOLOGY

Since the DVD players share some of the characteris- tics and technology of CD players, many of the terms and operational concepts used in a DVD player are similar to what you may be familiar with from CD players and changers, or older video disc formats such as Laser Disc. However, if this is your first DVD player, some of the terms used to describe the features

of a DVD player may be unfamiliar. The following explanations should solve some of the mysteries of DVD, and help you to enjoy all the power and flexibility of the DVD format and the DVD 27.

Aspect Ratio: This is a description of the width of a video image in relation to its height. A conventional video screen is four units wide for every three units of height, making it almost square. Newer wide-aspect- ratio video displays are 16 units wide for every nine units of height, making them more like the screen in a movie theater. The program material on a DVD may be recorded in either format and, in addition, you may configure the DVD 27 to play back in either format, depending on the features recorded on a disc.

Chapter: DVD programs are divided into chapters and titles. Chapters are the subsections programmed into a single title on a disc. Chapters may be compared to the individual tracks on an audio CD. Press the Disc Menu Button Pto see a listing of the chapters on a disc.

Component Video: This form of video signal eliminates many of the artifacts of traditional composite video signals by splitting the signal into a separate luminance channel (the “Y” signal channel) and two color-difference signals (the Pr and Pb signal channels). With a component video connection, you will see greater picture resolution and eliminate many picture imperfections such as the moiré patterns often seen on check-patterned cloth. However, in order to benefit from component video, you must have a video display with Y/Pr/Pb component video inputs. Do not connect the component video outputs of the DVD 27 to the standard composite or S-video inputs of a TV or recorder.

JPEG Files: JPEG stands for the Joint Photographic Experts Group, which developed a standard for com- pressing still images, such as photographs. JPEG files may be created on a personal computer by importing images from a digital camera, or scanning printed photographs. These files may be burned onto a com- pact disc. The DVD 27 is among the few DVD players that are capable of recognizing JPEG files and enabling you to view them on your video screen.

MP3 Files: MP3 is an audio compression format that was developed by the Motion Picture Experts Group as an adjunct to the MPEG-1 video compression for- mat. A number of encoding software programs are available for transferring CDs and other audio pro- grams into the MP3 format. The main benefit of MP3 is that it reduces the size of audio files considerably, depending on the amount of compression selected during the encoding process, enabling you to store many more songs on one compact disc than in the standard audio CD format. The DVD 27 is capable of playing MP3 files using its advanced graphic interface. See page 30 for more information on MP3 files.

Multiple Angle: DVDs have the capability to show up to four different views of the same scene in a program. When a disc is encoded with multiple-angle information, pressing the Angle Button Cwill enable you to switch between these different views. Note that, at present, few discs take advantage of this capability and, when they do, the multiple-angle tech- nology may only be present for short periods of time within the disc. Producers will usually insert some sort of icon or graphic in the picture to alert you to the availability of multiple-angle scenes.

Progressive Scan: Progressive scan playback takes the original video signal on the disc and formats it as a high-scan-rate output with twice the scan lines of con- ventional video images. Progressive scan outputs must be connected to “digital-ready” or high-definition video displays, regardless of the technology of the specific display (e.g., conventional direct-view television, front or rear projector, plasma display panel or LCD). In some cases, the displays may have special inputs for use with high-scan-rate inputs, and in others you may need to make adjustments to the display’s setup menus to make certain that the inputs used are con- figured for an “HD” signal. Although the progressive scan output uses the component video jacks, it is not compatible with older conventional analog video displays, even when they have component inputs.

Reading: This is a message that you will see when you first press the Play Button 2L. It refers to the fact that the player must first examine the contents of the disc to see whether it is a CD or DVD, and then extract the information about the type of material on the disc, such as languages, aspect ratios, subtitles, number of titles and more. The slight delay while the contents of the disc are read is normal.

Resume: The operation of the Stop Button 4N on the DVD 27 works differently from what you are used to on CD players. On a traditional CD player, when you press the Stop button, the unit does just that – it stops playback. On a CD player, when you press the Start button again, the disc starts from the

beginning. With the DVD 27, however, you have two options when playing most discs. Pressing the Stop Button 4Nonce will stop the playback, but it actually puts the unit in the Resume mode. This means that you can turn the machine off and, when you press the Play Button 2Lthe next time, the disc will resume playback from the point on the disc where the Stop Button 4Nwas pressed. This is helpful if you are watching a movie and must interrupt your viewing session but wish to pick up where you left off. Pressing the Stop Button 4Ntwice will stop the machine in a traditional manner and, when the disc is played again, it will start from the beginning.

In Resume mode, the Harman Kardon screen will appear, and the RESUME message will appear in the Information Display B. The resume function is not available for WMA files. For DVDs, CDs, MP3 files, JPEG files, and VCDs with PBC (Playback Control) only, the resume function will be retained even after the DVD 27 has been placed in Standby mode by pressing the Power Off Button 2 U, but not after the unit has been unplugged from AC power.

Title: For a DVD, a title is defined as an entire movie or program. There may be as many chapters within a title as the producers decide to include. Most discs include only one title, but some may have more than one, to give you a “Double Feature” presentation or to include other special features. Press the Title Button Sto see a listing of the titles on a disc. When a disc has only one title, pressing the Title Button Smay show a list of the chapters.

WMA Files: WMA (Windows Media® Audio) is an audio compression format that was developed by the Microsoft® Corporation for use with its Windows Media Player. WMA files can be even smaller in size than MP3 files, while maintaining similar quality. The

DVD 27 is among those DVD players capable of play- ing discs containing WMA files. Note that Windows Media Player uses other file formats; however, the DVD 27 is only capable of playing files that end in the “.wma” extension. See page 5 for more information on WMA file support.

6 DVD TERMINOLOGY

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Contents Power for the Digital Revolution PROGRESSIVE-SCAN DVD PlayerTable of Contents DVD 27 DVD PlayerIntroduction IntroductionSafety Information Safety InformationPacking List Features & DVD CompatibilityFeatures & DVD Compatibility DVDDVD Terminology DVD TerminologyFRONT-PANEL Controls FRONT-PANEL ControlsFull Brightness ± Lights when the disc is paused FRONT-PANEL Information DisplayFRONT-PANEL Information Display Remote Control Functions Remote Control FunctionsRNumeric Keys Press these buttons to enter a number UPower Off Turns off the player to Standby mode £ Optical Digital Audio Output REAR-PANEL ConnectionsREAR-PANEL Connections ¶ S-Video OutputSetup and Connections Setup and ConnectionsConnecting to a TV Only Video NotesConnecting to a Receiver Remote Control Operation Range Remote Control OperationBattery Installation Service Life of BatteriesDolby Digital and DTS Digital Audio ConnectionFor Your Reference Digital Audio ConnectionSystem Setup System SetupSystem Setup On the Setup Main Menu, the Available Submenus AreSelect from any of the choices shown in the drop- down menu Level 5 Intermediate level between the R and PG-13 ratingsAudio Setup Submenu Following adjustments are available on the Audio Setup menuFollowing adjustments are available on the Video Setup menu Video Setup SubmenuVideo Adjustments Banner To limit the sampling rate to 48kHz‹ Navigation Button n to decrease the setting Test Screen Test ScreenTest Screen Loading Discs Playback Features for DVD and CD DiscsPlayback Basics Playback BasicsDuring slow modes. Slow-play is not available for CD discs Playback Resume Feature Using a DVD’s MenuZoom Feature DVD PlaybackDisc This line displays the disc type, such as DVD-Video Disc This line displays the disc typeVideo Off Feature Repeat PlayTime This section consists of three lines CD PlaybackCD Playback @ will change accordinglyRandom Indicator C in the Front-Panel Random PlayMP3, Windows Media and Jpeg Playback 30 MP3, Windows Media and Jpeg PlaybackMP3, Windows Media and Jpeg Playback Jpeg PlaybackVCD Playback VCD PlaybackVCD Playback Programmed Play Programmed PlayTroubleshooting Guide Troubleshooting GuideSymptom Possible Cause Solution DVD 27 Technical Specifications Technical SpecificationsNtsc