Harman-Kardon AVR 520 owner manual 29OPERATION, Digital Audio Playback, Dolby Digital, Operation

Operation

as Dolby Surround, DTS Stereo or UltraStereo® 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 sur- round 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 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 addi- tion, a growing number of made-for-television programs, sports broadcasts, radio dramas and music CDs are also recorded in surround sound. You may view a list of these programs at the Dolby Laboratories Web site at www.dolby.com.

Even when a program is not listed as carrying intentional surround information, you may find that the 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 pres- ent in all stereo recordings. However, for stereo, but not surround programs, we suggest that you experiment with the other modes.

Surround modes are selected using either the front panel controls or the remote. To select a surround mode from the front panel, press the Surround Mode Selector 9 to scroll up or down through the list of available modes. To select a surround mode using the remote, first determine which of the surround mode cate- gories you wish to choose from and press the button corresponding to that category: Dolby Modes w, DTS Surround x from digital sources, DTS Neo:6 30 from analog sources, Logic 7 y, DSP k modes or Stereo 29 .

As you press any of the Mode Select Buttons wxy 29 30 (except the Surround Mode Selector k as noted below) the sur- round mode name will scroll across the Main Information Display Y. Let the mode scroll so that you read the mode’s name, but if you wish to select another mode in that category, press the button again before the mode name scrolls off to the left of the Main Information Display Y or on-screen display.

To select from the DSP modes (Hall 1, Hall 2, Theater, VMAx Near or VMAx Far), first press the Surround Mode Selector k. Next,

press the ⁄/ ¤ Buttons n to scroll through the list of available modes.

An individual mode indicator will also light up DEGIJKLMN. As the surround modes change, a green LED will light next to the current mode in the Surround Mode Indicators ˘list on the front panel.

Note that the Dolby Digital 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 520 will automatically select and switch to the correct mode, regardless of the mode that has been previously selected. For more informa- tion on selecting digital sources, see the follow- ing section of this manual.

To listen to a program in traditional two-chan- nel stereo, using the front left and front right speakers only (plus the subwoofer, if installed and configured), press the Stereo Button 29 until SURR OFF appears in the Main Information Display Y.

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 fre- quency range (20Hz to 20kHz) and offers dra- matically improved dynamic range and significant improvements to signal-to-noise ratios. In addi- tion, 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 satel- lite broadcasts and it is a part of the new high- definition television (HDTV) system.

Note that an optional, external RF demodulator is required to use the AVR 520 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 digi- tal output of the demodulator to the Optical or Coaxial Inputs 31 32 *Ó of the AVR

520.No demodulator is required for use with DVD players or DTS-encoded laser discs.

DTS

DTS is another digital audio system that is capable of delivering 5.1 or 6.1 discrete or matrix soundfield reproduction. Although both DTS and Dolby Digital are digital, they use dif- ferent 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 discs. You may use any LD or CD player equipped with a digital output to play DTS-encoded discs with the AVR 520. All that is required is to connect the player’s out- put to either the Optical or Coaxial Input on the rear panel 31 32 or front panel *Ó.

In order to listen to DVDs encoded with DTS sound tracks, the DVD player must be compati- ble with the DTS signal as indicated by a DTS logo on the player’s front panel. Note that early DVD players may not be able to play DTS- encoded DVDs. This does not indicate a prob- lem with the AVR 520, as some players cannot pass the DTS signal through to the digital out- puts. If you are in doubt as to the capability of your DVD player to handle DTS discs, consult the player’s owner’s manual.

Selecting a Digital Source

To utilize either digital mode, you must have properly connected a digital source to the AVR 520. Connect the digital outputs from DVD players, HDTV receivers, satellite systems or CD players to the Optical or Coaxial Inputs 31 32 *Ó. In order to provide a backup signal and a source for analog stereo recording, the analog outputs provided on digi- tal source equipment should also be connected to their appropriate inputs on the AVR 520 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).

If you have not already configured an input for a digital source using the on-screen menus as shown on page 21, first select the input using the remote or front panel controls as outlined in this manual. Next, select the digital source by pressing the Digital Select Button qÛ and then using the ⁄/¤ Buttons

non 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 Y display indicator BF or on-screen display. When the digital source is playing, the

29OPERATION