Harman-Kardon AVR 135 owner manual Digital Audio Playback, Operation

grams bearing the logo of one of the major surround- encoding processes, such as Dolby Surround or DTS Stereo, may be played in either the Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II Cinema, DTS Neo:6 Cinema, or Logic 7 Cinema surround modes depending on the source material.

NOTE: Once a program has been encoded with matrix surround information, it retains the surround information as long as the program is broadcast in stereo. Thus, movies with surround sound may be decoded via any of the analog surround modes such as Dolby Pro Logic II Cinema, Logic 7 Cinema or DTS Neo:6 Cinema, when they are broadcast via conventional TV stations, cable, pay-TV and satellite transmission. In addition, a growing number of made-for-television programs, sports broad- casts, radio dramas and music CDs are also recorded in surround sound.

Even when a program is not listed as carrying inten- tional surround information, you may find that the Dolby Pro Logic II, Logic 7 Enhanced or DTS Neo:6, VMAx and the Hall or Theater modes often deliver enveloping surround presentations through the use of the natural information present in all stereo recordings.

Surround modes may be changed at any time by using either the front panel or remote control. Any changes made to the surround mode will be retained in the AVR’s menu, even after the AVR is placed in Standby mode. To select a new surround mode from the front panel, first press the Surround Mode Group Selector Button 7 until a mode from the desired major surround mode group such as Dolby, DTS or Logic 7 is selected. Next, press the Surround Mode Selector Button 8 to choose the specific individual surround mode.

To select a surround mode using the remote, press the button for the major surround mode group that includes the mode you wish to choose from: Dolby w, DTS Surround x, DTS Neo:6 29 , Logic 7 y, Stereo 28 or DSP Surround k. The first press of the button will show the current mode from that group. To cycle through the available modes in that group, press the button again until the desired mode appears in the Lower Display Line ¯, the on-screen display and in the Surround Mode Indicators ˘.

As the surround modes change, the choice will be displayed in the on-screen display, in the Lower Display Line ¯ and in the Surround Mode Indicators ˘.

The Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX and DTS 5.1, DTS-ES Matrix and DTS-ES Discrete modes may only be selected when a digital input is in use. In addition,

when a digital source is present, the AVR 135 will automatically select and switch to the correct mode, regardless of the mode that has been previously selected. For more information on selecting digital sources, see the Digital Audio Playback section below.

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, exter- nal DVD-Audio or SACD player, or another source device and carry them straight through to the volume control without any further digital processing.

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 28 until SURR OFF appears in the Lower Display Line ¯, or press the Surround Mode Group Selector 7until the Stereo modes appear in the on-screen display and Lower Display Line ¯. Next, press the Surround Mode Select Button 8 until SURROUND OFF appears in the on-screen display and Lower Display Line ¯.

Digital Audio Playback

Digital audio is a major advancement over older analog surround processing systems such as Dolby Pro Logic. It delivers five discrete channels: left front, center, right front, left surround and right surround. Each channel reproduces full frequency range (20Hz to 20kHz) and offers dramatically improved dynamic range and signifi- cant 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 is a standard part of DVD, and is available on specially encoded LD discs and satellite broadcasts and it is a part of the high-definition television (HDTV) system.

An optional, external RF demodulator is required to use the AVR 135 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 *(·c of the AVR 135. No demodulator is required for use with DVD players or DTS-encoded laser discs.

OPERATION

DTS

DTS is another digital audio system that is capable of delivering 5.1 or 6.1 discrete or matrix sound field reproduction. Although both DTS and Dolby Digital are digital, they use different methods of encoding the sig- nals, and thus they require different decoding circuits to convert the digital signals back to analog.

DTS-encoded soundtracks are available on select DVD and LD discs, as well as on special audio-only DTS discs. You may use any LD or CD player equipped with a digital output to play DTS-encoded discs with the AVR 135. All that is required is to connect the player’s output to either an Optical or Coaxial Input on the rear panel ·c or front panel *(.

In order to listen to DVDs encoded with DTS sound- tracks, the DVD player must be compatible with the DTS signal as indicated by a DTS logo on the player’s front panel. Early DVD players may not be able to play DTS-encoded DVDs. This does not indicate a problem with the AVR 135, 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 discs, consult the player’s owner’s manual.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Many DVD players have a default setting that does not pass through the DTS data, even though the machine is capable of doing so. If your DVD player has the “DTS Digital Out” logo but does not trigger DTS playback in the AVR 135, change the player's settings in the “Audio” or “Bitstream” configu- ration menu so that DTS playback is enabled. The method for doing this will vary with each player. In some cases, the proper menu choice will be “Original,” while in others it will be “DTS.” Consult the owner's manual for your player to find the specific information to find the proper setting.

Selecting a Digital Source

To utilize either digital mode, you must have properly connected a digital source to the AVR 135. Connect the digital outputs from DVD players, HDTV receivers, satellite systems or CD players to the Optical or Coaxial Inputs *(·c. 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 135 rear panel (e.g., connect the analog stereo audio output from a DVD to the DVD Audio Inputs h on the rear panel when you connect the source’s digital outputs).

If you have not already configured an input for a digital source using the on-screen menus as shown on page 16, first select the input using the remote or front- panel controls as outlined in this manual. Next, select

(Continued on p. 25)

OPERATION 23