Harman-Kardon DVD 38 manual Audio Connections

There are different types of audio and video connections used to connect the DVD 38 to your receiver or processor and video display. To make it easier to keep them all straight, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA®) has established a color-coding standard. Table 1 may be helpful to you as a reference while you set up your system.

Table 1 – Connection Color Guide

Audio Connections

LeftRight

Front (FL/FR)

CONNECTIONS

should not connect coaxial digital audio outputs to analog inputs or vice versa. See Figure 1.

Coaxial digital	Coaxial
audio cable

Figure 1 – Coaxial Digital Audio

Optical digital audio connectors are normally covered by a shutter to protect them from dust. The shutter opens as the cable is inserted. See Figure 2.

Center (C)

Surround (SL/SR)

Optical digital

Optical

Subwoofer (SUB)

Digital Audio Connections

Coaxial

OpticalInput Output

Video Connections

Component Y Pb Pr

Composite

S-Video

HDMI™ Connections

HDMI

Types of Connections

This section will briefly review different types of cables and connections that you may use to set up your system.

Audio and video signals originate in what are known as “source devices,” including a DVD/CD player such as the DVD 38.

Separate connections are required for the audio and video portions of the signal unless an HDMI connection is used (see below). The types of connections used depend upon what’s available on your receiver, and for video signals, the capabilities of your video display.

Audio Connections

There are two formats for audio connections: digital and analog. Digital audio signals are required for listening to sources encoded with digital surround modes, such as Dolby Digital and DTS. There are two types of digital audio connections commonly used: coaxial and optical. Either type of digital audio connection may be used, but never both simultane- ously. However, it’s okay to make both analog and digital audio connec- tions at the same time to the same source.

NOTE: The DVD 38 outputs digital audio signals through the HDMI connection. If your receiver/processor or video display is capable of processing the audio portion of the HDMI signal, then you will not need to make a separate digital audio connec- tion. However, as explained in the Analog Audio section below, you may still need to make the analog audio connections. If your receiver/processor is only capable of switching HDMI signals, use HDMI for your video connection only and connect either the DVD 38’s coaxial or optical digital audio output to the corresponding input on your receiver.

Digital Audio

Coaxial digital audio jacks are usually color-coded in orange. Although they look similar to analog jacks, they should not be confused, and you

audio cable

Figure 2 – Optical Digital Audio

Due to the nature of digital signals as binary bits, they aren’t subject to signal degradation the way analog signals are. Therefore, the quality of coaxial and optical digital audio connections should be the same, although it is important to limit the length of the cable. Whichever type of connection you choose, Harman Kardon recommends that you always select the highest quality cables available within your budget.

Analog Audio

Analog connections require two cables, one for the left channel (white) and one for the right channel (red). See Figure 3. These two cables are often attached to each other for most of their length. Most devices that have digital audio jacks also have analog audio jacks. We recommend that you always connect the DVD 38’s 2-Channel Analog Audio Outputs to your receiver/processor, or to your TV if you are not using a receiver. There are four reasons to use analog audio connections, even if you are using one of the digital audio connections:

1.To make recordings. Most DVDs are protected from digital copying and only analog copies are permitted. Please make sure to comply with all copyright laws when making recordings for personal use.

2.In a multiroom system. Many receivers and processors require sources used in multiroom systems to output analog audio signals.

3.When connecting the DVD 38 directly to a TV. The TV may not have digital audio inputs.

4.When playing high-resolution 96kHz PCM audio discs. If your receiver is not capable of processing 96kHz audio, you may need to use the analog audio connection.

NOTE: The DVD 38 is capable of downmixing multichannel materials and outputting a two-channel downmix. However, make sure to adjust the Bass Management setting in the Audio Setup menu to Stereo.

Analog audio	L
cable (RCA)	R

Figure 3 – Analog Audio

Multichannel analog connections are used with high-resolution DVD- Audio discs, where the copy-protected digital content is decoded inside the DVD 38. These connections are required for playing DVD-Audio discs, unless the disc also carries two-channel PCM and 5.1-channel

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