Operation
To select a surround mode using the remote control, press the button for the major surround mode group that includes the mode you wish to choose from: Dolby M, DTS Surround N,
DTS Neo:6 , Logic 7 O, Stereo or DSP Surround A. The first press of the but- ton will show the current mode from that group if it is already in use, or the first available mode if you are currently using another mode. To cycle through the available modes in that group press the button again until the desired mode appears in the Main Information Display Ò and the on-screen display.
To select from the DSP modes (Hall 1, Hall 2, Theater) press the Surround Mode Selector
Arepeatedly to scroll through the list of avail- able modes.
As the surround modes change, a blue LED will light next to the current mode in the Surround Mode Indicators ( list on the front panel.
Note that the Dolby Digital or DTS modes may only be selected when a digital input is in use. In addition, when a digital source is present, the AVR will automatically select and switch to the correct mode (Dolby Digital or DTS), regardless of the mode that has been previously selected. For more information on selecting digital sources, see the following section of this manual.
When the 6-Channel/8-Channel direct inputs are in use there is no surround processing, as these inputs take the analog output signals from an optional, external DVD-Audio or SACD player, or another source device and carry them straight through to the volume control.
To listen to a program in traditional two-channel stereo, using the front left and front right speakers only (plus the subwoofer, if installed and configured), press the Stereo Button
5until SURR OFF appears in the Main Information Display Ò.
Digital Audio Playback
Digital audio is a major advancement over older analog surround processing systems such as Dolby Pro Logic. It delivers five, six or seven discrete channels: left front, center, right front, left surround and right surround and with DTS ES (see below) even surround back (with left and right). Each channel reproduces full frequency range (20Hz to 20kHz) and offers dramatically improved dynamic range and significant improvements to signal-to-noise ratios. In addition, digital systems have the capability to deliver an additional channel that is specifically devoted to low-frequency information. This is the “.1” channel referred to when you see these systems described as “5.1,” “6.1” or “7.1”.
The bass channel is separate from the other channels, but since it is intentionally bandwidth-
limited, sound designers have given it that unique designation.
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital (originally known as AC-3®) is a standard part of DVD, and is available on specially encoded LD discs and satellite broadcasts and it is a part of the new high- definition television (HDTV) system.
Note that an optional, external RF demodulator is required to use the AVR to listen to the Dolby Digital sound tracks available on laser discs.
Connect the RF output of the LD player to the demodulator and then connect the digital output of the demodulator to the Optical or Coaxial inputs *Ó of the AVR.
No demodulator is required for use with DVD players or DTS-encoded laser discs.
DTS
DTS is another digital audio system that is capa- ble of delivering 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 audio. Although both DTS and Dolby Digital are digital, they use different methods of encoding the signals, and thus they require different decoding circuits to convert the digital signals back to analog.
DTS-encoded sound tracks are available on select DVD and LD discs, as well as on special audio-only DTS CDs. You may use any LD, DVD or CD player equipped with a digital output to play DTS-encoded special audio-only CDs with the AVR, but DTS-LDs can be played on LD play- ers and DTS-DVDs on DVD players only. All that is required is to connect the player’s digital out- put to either the Optical or Coaxial input on the rear panel or front panel *Ó.
In order to listen to DVDs encoded with DTS sound tracks, the DVD player must be compati- ble with the DTS signal as indicated by a DTS logo on the player’s front panel. Note that early DVD players may not be able to play DTS- encoded DVDs. This does not indicate a problem with the AVR, as some players cannot pass the DTS signal through to the digital outputs. If you are in doubt as to the capability of your DVD player to handle DTS DVDs, consult the player’s owner’s manual.
Please note that some DVD players are shipped with their output set for Dolby Digital only. To insure that DTS data is being sent to the AVR, please check the setup menu system on your DVD player to make certain that DTS data out- put is enabled.
PCM Audio Playback
PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) is the non- com- pressed digital audio system used for compact discs, Non-Dolby Digital/DTS Laserdiscs and some special PCM encoded DVDs. The digital cir- cuits in the AVR are capable of high quality digi- tal-to-analog decoding, and they may be con- nected directly to the digital audio output of your CD/DVD or LD player (LD only for PCM or DTS programs, for Dolby Digital laser discs an RF adapter is needed, see ”Dolby Digital” above).
Connections may be made to either the Optical or Coaxial inputs on the rear panel or the front panel Digital Inputs *Ó.
To listen to a PCM digital source, first select the input for the desired source (e.g., CD) to feed its video signal (if any) to the TV monitor and to provide its analog audio signal for recording. Next press the Digital Select button Û G and then use the ⁄ / ¤ buttons D on the remote, or the Selector buttons 7 on the front panel, until the desired choice appears in the Main Information Display Ò, then press the Set button @ F to confirm the choice.
During PCM playback the unit automatically will turn to the default surround mode or to the LOGIC 7 mode but you also may select any surround mode except Dolby Digital or DTS.
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 players, HDTV receivers, satellite systems or CD players 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 digi- tal 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 man- ual in order to feed its video signal (if any) to the TV monitor and to provide its analog audio sig- nal for recording. When the digital input associ- ated 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 press- ing the Digital Input Selector button G Û and then using the ⁄/¤ buttons D on 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 Main Information Display Ò or on-screen display.
