OPERATION
for “A/V Receiver,” “Compatible Device,” “Audio Receiver” and “Human Interface Device.” When all messages have appeared and then cleared the screen, you are almost ready to begin.
Before selecting the USB input, first make certain that one of the media players listed above has been opened on the computer. Then you may select the USB input in any of the following ways:
•To select USB as a source from the front panel, press the Input Source Selector Button 7 until USB appears as the input name in the Upper Display Line # and in the
•To select USB as the input using the main remote press the Input Selector 4with DMP printed on the button twice.
•To select USB as the input using the ZR 10 remote, press the USB Input Selector ∂.
When the USB input is selected and the AVR 445 is connected to a compatible computer with one of the media players mentioned above open, you may then use either remote’s transport controls to start and stop playback, as well as move to the next track. Activity of the Transport buttons may vary from one media player to another, but at the very least you will be able to use the Play and Stop buttons.
Once playback is started, the audio from a USB source is treated the same as any other
Speaker/Channel Indicators
In addition to the bitstream indicators, the AVR 445 features a set of unique
LFE
Figure 22
The letters inside the boxes tell you which channels are receiving an input signal. Since conventional ana- log audio is only two channels, the “L” and “R” letters will light with any analog source. When a digital source is in use, you will see letters displayed that correspond to the number of channels in the incoming data
stream, which may be just the L and R for
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 programs are encoded for 5.1. Thus, it is sometimes normal for a DVD with a Dolby Digital soundtrack to trigger 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 445. It is also possible for the type of signal feed to change during the course of a DVD’s 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 445 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 @ will flash to indicate when a bitstream has been interrupted. This will happen when a digital input source is selected before the playback starts, or when a digital source such as a DVD is paused. The flashing indicators remind you that the playback has stopped due to the absence of a digital signal and not through any fault of the AVR 445. This is normal, and the digital playback will resume once the playback is started again.
The boxes around the channel indication letters are used to show which speakers are configured in your system. A small box around the letter indicates that a “Small” speaker has been assigned to that position, while a larger, double box indicates a “Large” speaker assignment.
Note that in some cases, such as an analog stereo or
2.0digital sources you will see empty speaker posi- tion boxes, which indicates that the speaker is active and will receive sound, but that there is no discrete signal for that channel. In other cases you may see letters with no speaker boxes. This indicates that there is a discrete signal for that channel, but due to the mode in use (e.g., Dolby VS with a 5.1 source) there is no signal being sent to the channel.
Night Mode
A special feature of Dolby Digital is the Night mode, which enables specially encoded Dolby Digital input sources to be played back with full digital intelligibility while reducing the minimum peak level by 1/4 to 1/3. This prevents abruptly loud transitions from disturbing others, without reducing the impact of the digital source. The Night mode is available only when Dolby Digital signals with special data are being played.
The Night mode may be engaged at any time when
a Dolby Digital source is playing by pressing the Night Mode Button T. Each press of the button will change the Night mode setting, as shown in the lower third of the
The Night mode may also be selected to always be on at either level of compression using the options in the DOLBY SURROUND menu. See page 25 for information on using the menus to set this option.
IMPORTANT NOTES ON DIGITAL PLAYBACK:
•When playing DVDs, please note that even when you have selected a specific digital audio format for play- back, an individual disc may change formats or the number of available channels during playback. For example, even if you select a DTS mode for the movie, you may see Dolby Digital in use when the trailers, menus or copyright warnings are playing. This is not a fault with either the AVR or your DVD player, as both are responding to the way the disc was created.
•When viewing digital television signals, note that the number of audio channels available may vary during the course of a program, depending on the content. For example, while a sports event may have 5.1 sound, the commercials or local station content may be in 2.0. In addition, not all local stations are currently equipped for carrying the 5.1 digital audio signals. This may mean that even though the actual program is produced with 5.1, it may be transmitted in a 2.0 configuration in some areas. Your AVR will automatically change to react to the proper type of audio stream if it is changed by the broadcast station.
•Although the AVR 445 will decode virtually all current DVD movies, CDs and HDTV sources, it is possible that some future digital sources may not be compati- ble with the AVR 445.
•Not all digitally encoded programs contain full 5.1- or
