REAR-PANEL Connections

AM and FM Antenna Terminals: Connect the included AM and FM antennas to their respective terminals for radio reception.

XM Antenna Jack: Plug in an XM Connect and Play or Mini Tuner antenna module here. The XM antenna module is purchased separately, and should specify that it is for home use with an XM Ready® product. You will need to subscribe to the XM service, which is available sepa- rately, and activate the service for your antenna module. (XM service

is not available in Alaska and Hawaii.)

Front, Center and Surround Speaker Outputs: Use two- conductor speaker wire to connect each set of terminals to the correct speaker. Remember to observe the correct polarity (positive and negative connections). Always connect the positive lead to the colored terminal on the receiver and the red terminal on the speaker. Connect the negative lead to the black terminal on both the receiver and the speaker. See the Connections section for more information on connecting your speakers.

Surround Back/Zone 2 Speaker Outputs: These speaker outputs are used for the surround back channels in a 7.1-channel home theater, or may be reassigned to a remote room for multizone operation. When these outputs are reassigned for multizone operation, only a

5.1-channel configuration will be available in the main listening room. Use the on-screen menu system to configure these channels as desired.

As with the other speaker outputs, remember to observe proper polarity by connecting the positive and negative output terminals to the corre- sponding terminals on each speaker.

Subwoofer Output: If you have a powered subwoofer with a line-level input, connect it to this jack.

Preamp Outputs: Connect these jacks to an external amplifier if more power is desired.

The Surround Back/Zone 2 Preamp Outputs may be used with an external amplifier to power the surround back channels, or to power the remote zone of a multizone system. Use the on-screen menu system to configure these channels as desired.

Remote Infrared (IR) Input and Output: When the remote IR receiver on the front panel is blocked, such as when the AVR is placed inside a cabinet, connect an optional IR receiver to the Remote IR Input jack for use with the remote control. The Remote IR Output may be connected to the Remote IR Input of a compatible product to enable remote control through the AVR. This is particularly useful in multizone applications to control a source device from the remote room (when used with the Zone 2 IR Input). When several source devices are used, connect them in “daisy chain” fashion.

Zone 2 Infrared (IR) Input: Connect a remote IR receiver located in the remote zone of a multizone system to this jack to control the AVR (and any source devices connected to the Remote IR Output) from the remote zone.

Composite and S-Video 1, 2 and 3 Video Inputs: These jacks may be used to connect your video-capable source components (e.g., VCR, DVD player, cable TV box) to the receiver. Use only one type

of video connection for each source. These inputs are assignable, which means they may be paired with any analog or digital audio inputs. This will be explained in more detail in subsequent sections of this manual.

NOTE: The Video 2 inputs are associated with a set of outputs. Consider connecting a video recorder here.

Composite and S-Video 2 Outputs: Connect one of these analog video outputs to the composite or S-video inputs of a recording device. A signal is available at these outputs whenever an analog video source is playing. HDMI and component video signals are not available for recording.

Composite and S-Video Monitor Outputs: If any of your sources use composite or S-video connections, connect one or both of these monitor outputs to the corresponding inputs on your television or video display. If your video display is equipped with HDMI or component video inputs, these connections are unnecessary. Connect the HDMI Monitor Output (if available, otherwise use the Component Video Monitor Output) to your TV, and the AVR 254 will convert the composite or S-video source signal to the correct format for a single video cable connection to the TV.

HDMI Inputs and Output: HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a connection for transmitting digital audio and video signals between devices. With the AVR 254’s powerful processor, you may connect up to three HDMI-equipped source devices to the HDMI inputs using a single-cable connection, while benefiting from superior digital audio and video performance. If your video display is not HDMI-compatible, connect the device to one of the analog video inputs, then pair it with an analog or digital audio input.

If your video display has an HDMI input, make just the HDMI video con- nection to your display; the AVR 254 will automatically transcode analog video signals to the HDMI format, upscaling to as high as 1080p.

Analog 1 – 5: Connect the left and right analog audio outputs of a source device to any of these inputs. These inputs are assignable, which means they may be paired with any video inputs, as explained in subsequent sections of this manual.

NOTES:

•The Analog 3 through 5 connectors physically line up below the Video 1 through 3 (composite and S-video) connectors. For convenience, consider using Analog 3 with Video 1, Analog 4 with Video 2 and Analog 5 with Video 3, if appropriate for your system.

•The Analog 1 and 2 connectors don’t physically line up with any analog video inputs. Consider using them for audio-only devices, such as a CD player or cassette tape deck.

•The Analog 2 and 4 inputs are each associated with a set of outputs. Consider using the Analog 2 connectors for an audio recorder, and the Analog 4 connectors for a video recorder (along with the Video 2 connectors).

•You may optionally connect a source to both an analog and digital audio input. This is useful for making recordings, for multizone applications or simply as a backup.