OPTICAL or COAXIAL inputs, as they appear in the Upper Display Line ˜ or on-screen display. When the digital source is playing, the
AVR 230 will automatically detect which type of digital data stream is being decoded and display that infor- mation in the Upper Display Line ˜.
Digital Bitstream Indications
When a digital source is playing, the AVR 230 senses the type of bitstream data that is present. Using this information, the correct surround mode will automati- cally be selected. For example, DTS bitstreams 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 or LDs, you may select any of the standard surround modes, such as Dolby Pro Logic II or Logic 7. Since the range of available surround modes is dependent on the type of digital data that is present, the AVR 230 uses a variety of indicators and messages to let you know what type of signal is present. These messages will appear shortly after an input or surround mode is changed, and they will remain in the Lower Display Line ¯ for about five seconds before that portion of the display returns to the normal surround mode indication.
Surround Mode Types
For Dolby Digital and DTS sources, a three digit indi- cation 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 bitstreams 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 sur- round 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 bitstreams 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 whether there is a discrete low-frequency effects (LFE) channel. This is the “.1” in the common abbreviation of “5.1” sound and 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 infor- mation 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.
When Dolby Digital 3/2/.1 or DTS 3/2/.1 signals are being played, the AVR will automatically switch 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 pack- age. In some cases you will see indication for “2/0/0” even when the disc contains a full 5.1, or 3/2/.1 sig- nal. When this happens, check the audio output set- tings 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.
PCM Playback Indications
PCM is the abbreviation for Pulse Code Modulation, which is the type of digital signal used for standard CD playback and other non-Dolby Digital and non-DTS digital sources such as Mini-Disc. When a PCM signal is detected, the Lower Display Line ¯ will briefly show a message with the letters PCM, in addition to a readout of the sampling frequency of the digital signal.
In most cases this will be 48kHz, though in the case of specially mastered, high-resolution audio discs you will see a 96kHz indication.
Again, remember that some 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 230. It is also pos- sible 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 2.0 audio, while the main feature is available in 5.1 audio.
OPERATION
As long as your DVD player is set for 6-channel out- put, the AVR 230 will automatically sense changes to the bitstream and channel count and reflect them in these indicators.
Speaker/Channel Indicators
In addition to the bitstream indicators, the AVR 230 features a set of unique channel-input indicators 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 ˆ on the front panel. When a standard analog 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 two, five, six or seven 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 let- ters 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 pro- grams are encoded for 5.1. Thus, it is sometimes nor- mal for a DVD with a Dolby Digital soundtrack to trig- ger only the “L” and “R” indicators.
NOTE: Many DVD discs are recorded with both “5.1” and “2.0” versions of the same soundtrack. 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 230. It is also possible for the type of signal feed to change during the course of a DVD playback. In some cases, the previews of special material will only be recorded in 2.0 audio, while the main feature is available in 5.1 audio. The AVR 230 will automatically sense changes to the bitstream and channel count and reflect them in these indicators.
The letters used by the Speaker/Channel Input Indicators ˆ also flash to indicate when a bitstream
