Selecting a Digital Source, 34OPERATION

Operation

To take advantage of the AVR’s MP3 capabilities, simply connect the digital (SPDIF) output of a computer sound card able to feed the MP3 for- mat to its digital output, or the digital (SPDIF) output of MP3 compatible CD or DVD players or of a portable MP3 player with a digital output to

either the rear panel Digital Inputs or the front panel Digital Inputs *Ó.

NOTES:

•The AVR is only capable of playing signals in the MP3 (MPEG 1/Layer 3) format. It is not com- patible with other computer audio codecs.

•The MP 3 DSP mode found in the new AVR requires an MP3 SPDIF stream. Presently, only a few units provide this but in the coming genera- tions of motherboards and operating system updates this will follow, since SPDIF is the stan- dard for audio & video hardware.

•The digital audio input signal may be either optical or coaxial, but the signal must be in the MP3 SPDIF format. Direct connection of USB or serial data outputs is not possible, even though the signals are in the MP3 format. If you have any questions about the data output format from your computer or a sound card, check with the device’s Owner’s Manual or contact the manufacturer’s technical support area.

•If your computer or sound card’s digital output is not capable of direct connection to the AVR or if the output is not capable of delivering MP3 data stream, you may use an optional, external transcoder, such as those available from Harman Kardon to convert the USB output of a computer to a format compatible with the AVR. Contact your Harman Kardon dealer for additional details.

Selecting a Digital Source

To utilize either digital mode you must have properly connected a digital source to the AVR. Connect the digital outputs from DVD play- ers, HDTV receivers, satellite systems or CD play- ers to the Optical or Coaxial inputs on the rear or front panel *Ó. In order to provide a 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 rear panel (e.g., connect the analog stereo audio output from a DVD to the DVD Audio inputs on the rear panel when you connect the source’s digital outputs).

To select a digital source such as DVD, first select its input using the remote or front panel Input Selector 4% as outlined in this manual in order to feed its video signal (if any) to the TV monitor and to provide its analog audio signal for recording. When the digital input associated with the input selected (e.g. “DVD”) is not selected automatically (due to the input settings made

earlier during the system configuration, see page 21), select the digital source by pressing the Digital Input Selector button GÛ and then using the ⁄/¤ buttons Eon the remote or the Selector buttons 7$ on the front panel to choose any of the OPTICAL or COAXIAL inputs, as they appear in the Upper Display Line ˜ or on-screen display.

When the digital source is playing, the AVR will automatically detect whether it is a multichannel Dolby Digital or DTS source or a HDCD, MP3 or conventional PCM signal, which is the standard output from CD players.

Note that a digital input (e.g. coaxial) remains associated with any analog input (e.g. DVD) as soon as it is selected, thus the digital input need not be re-selected each time the appropriate input choice (e.g. DVD) is made.

Digital Bitstream Indicators

When a digital source is playing, the AVR senses the type of bitstream data that is present. Using this information, the correct surround mode will automatically be selected. For example, DTS bit- streams 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 and LDs and some music DVDs or certain tracks on normal DVDs, it will allow the appropriate surround mode to be select- ed manually. Since the range of available surround modes depends on the type of digital data that is present, the AVR 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 and the input channels recorded on the disc.

When a digital source is playing, the AVR will display a variety of messages to indicate the type of bitstream received. These messages will appear shortly after an input or surround mode is changed, and will remain in the Main Infor- mation Display ˜ for about five seconds before the display returns to the normal surround mode indication.

Speaker/Channel Indicators

In addition to the Bitstream Indicators, the AVR features a set of unique channel-input indi- cators that tell you how many channels of digital information are being received and/or whether the digital signal is interrupted. (See Figure 9).

Figure 9

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 Ú in the front panel Main Information Display ˜. When a standard analog stereo or matrix surround 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 one, two, five, six or seven 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 audio tracks selected on DVD or other Dolby 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 pre- views of special material will only be recorded in

2.0audio, while the main feature is available in

5.1audio. 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.