Operation
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 4G. 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 inputs on the rear panel when you connect the source’s digital outputs).
When playing a digital source such as DVD, first select its input using the remote or front panel controls 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 appropriate with the DVD player is not selected automatically (due to the input settings made earlier during the system configuration, see page 14), select the digital source by pressing the Digital Input
Selector button and then using the K/L
buttons on the remote to choose any of the OPTICAL (OPT) or COAXIAL (COAX) inputs, as they appear in the Main Information Display F. When the digital source is playing, the AVR will automatically detect whether it is a multichannel Dolby Digital, DTS source or a conventional PCM signal, which is the standard output from CD players.
Digital Status 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 selected 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 Information Display F for about five seconds before the display returns to the normal surround mode indication.
Surround Mode Types
For Dolby Digital and DTS sources, a three digit indication will appear, showing the number of channels present in the data. An example of this type of display is 3/2/.1.
The first number indicates how many discrete front channel signals are present.
•A 3 tells you that separate front left, center and front right signals are available. This will be displayed for Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 programs.
•A 2 tells you that separate front left and right signals are available, but there is no discrete center channel signal. This will be displayed for Dolby Digital bit streams that have stereo program material.
•A 1 tells you that there is only a mono channel available in the Dolby Digital bitstream.
The middle number indicates how many discrete surround channel signals are present.
•A 2 tells you that separate surround left and right signals are available. This will be displayed for Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 programs.
•A 1 tells you that there is only a single, surround encoded surround channel. This will appear for Dolby Digital bit streams that have matrix encoding.
•A 0 indicates that there is no surround channel information. This will be displayed for two- channel stereo programs.
The last number indicates if there is a discrete Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel. This is the “.1” in the common abbreviation of “5.1” sound and it is a special channel that contains only bass frequencies.
•A .1 tells you that an LFE channel is present. This will be displayed for Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 programs, as available.
•A 0 indicates that there is no LFE channel information available. However, even when there is no dedicated LFE channel, low frequency sound will be present at the subwoofer output when the speaker configuration is set to show the presence of subwoofer.
An UNLOCK message may appear in the Lower Display Line F. This is your indication that the digital audio data stream has been inter- rupted or is no longer present. When that occurs, the unit’s digital signal processor has no signal to lock onto, and is thus “unlocked.” You may see this message when a DVD is first started until the stream is playing and the processor determines which mode to apply; or any time the data stream is stopped or paused, such as when the menus of some discs are displayed or when the player is switching between the different sections of a disc. You may also see the message when a satellite receiver, cable set-top or HDTV tuner is in use if the digital audio is temporarily interrupted when channels are changed or when a cable box switches from a channel with a digital data stream to a channel with analog audio only. The UNLOCK message is normal, and does not indicate any problem with your receiver. Rather, it tells you that the incoming data has simply been paused or is not present for a variety of possible reasons.
When Dolby Digital 3/2/.1 or DTS 3/2/.1 signals are being played, the AVR will automatically switch to the proper surround mode, and no other processing may be selected. When a Dolby Digital signal with a 3/1/0 or 2/0/0 signal is detected you may select any of the Dolby surround modes.
It is always a good idea to check the readout for the channel data to make certain that it matches the audio logo information shown on the back of a DVD package. In some cases you will see indication for “2/0/0” even when the disc contains a full 5.1, or 3/2/.1 signal. When this happens, check the audio output settings for your DVD player or the audio menu selections for the specific disc being played to make certain that the player is sending the correct signal to the AVR.
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 if the digital signal is interrupted.
ENGLISH
