Harman-Kardon AVR 240 Surround Mode Types, PCM Audio Playback, Selecting a Digital Source

Operation

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 players and DTS-DVDs on DVD players only. All that is required is to connect the player’s digital output 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 compatible with the DTS signal as indicated by a DTS logo on the player’s front panel. Note that early DVD play- ers 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 output 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 circuits in the AVR are capable of high quality digital-to-ana- log decoding, and they may be connected 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 pro- vide 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.

34OPERATION

Selecting a Digital Source

To utilize either digital mode you must have prop- erly 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 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 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 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 associated with the input selected (e.g. “DVD”) is not selected automatically (due to the input settings made earlier during the system configuration, see page 17), select the digital source by pressing 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.

When the digital source is playing, the AVR will automatically detect whether it is a multichannel Dolby Digital or DTS source or a conventional PCM signal, which is the standard output from CD players.

Note that a digital input (e.g. coaxial) remains associated with any analog input (e.g. DVD) as soon as it is selected, thus the digital input need not be re-selected each time the appropriate input choice (e.g. DVD) is made.

Digital Bitstream 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 select- ed 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 Informa- tion Display Ò 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 dis- played for Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 pro- grams.

•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 pro- gram 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, sur- round 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 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.

•The information in the right side of the display will tell you if the digital audio data contains a special flag signal that will automatically activate the appropriate 6.1 or 7.1 mode. This will be shown as EX-ON or EX-OFF for Dolby Digital bitstreams and ES-ON or ES-OFF for DTS bitstreams.