Harman-Kardon AVR 310 - Manual (Page 28)

28 OPERATION
Operation
source is playing, the AVR 310 will automat-
ically detect whether it is a multichannel Dolby
Digital, DTS source, MP3 or a conventional
PCM signal, which is the standard output from
CD players. A Bitstream Indicator A will
light in the Main Information Display Û to
confirm that the digital signal is Dolby Digital,
DTS or PCM.
Digital Status Indicators
When a digital source is playing, the AVR 310
senses the type of bitstream data that is pres-
ent. Using this information, the correct sur-
round mode will automatically be selected. For
example, DTS bitstreams will cause the unit to
switch to DTS decoding, and Dolby Digital bit-
streams will enable Dolby Digital decoding.
When the unit senses PCM data from CDs and
LDs, it will allow the appropriate surround
sources to be selected manually. Since the
range of available surround modes is depen-
dant on the type of digital data that is present,
the AVR 310 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.
When a digital source is playing, a Bitstream
Indicator A will light to show which type of
signal is playing:
DOLBY D: When the DOLBY D indicator
lights, a Dolby Digital bitstream is being
received. Depending on the settings on the
source player and specific surround information
and number of channels on the disc, a number
of surround modes are possible. For discs with
full 5.1 audio, only the Dolby Digital and VMAx
modes are available. When the Dolby Digital
signal is only two-channel, you may also select
from the Logic 7 Cinema/Music, Hall, Theater,
Dolby Pro Logic or Dolby 3 Stereo modes.
DTS: When the DTS indicator lights, a DTS
bitstream is being received. When the unit
senses this type of data, only the DTS mode
may be used.
PCM: When the PCM indicator lights, a stan-
dard Pulse Code Modulation, or PCM, signal is
being received. This is the type of digital audio
used by conventional compact disc and laser
disc recordings. When a PCM bitstream is pres-
ent, all modes except Dolby Digital and DTS are
available.
MP3: When the MP3 indicator lights, a com-
patible MPEG 1/Layer 3 digital signal is being
received. This is the popular audio format used
by many computer programs for recording com-
pressed audio files. When an MP3 bitstream is
present, the sound will automatically be played
in the stereo (surround off) mode. The surround
modes are not available during MP3 playback.
In addition to the bitstream indicators, the
AVR 310 features a set of unique channel-input
indicators that tell you how many channels of
digital information are being received and/or if
the digital signal is interrupted.
These indicators are the L/C/R/LS/RS/LFE letters
that are inside the center boxes of the
Speaker/Channel Input Indicators Q in
the front panel Main Information Display
Û. When a standard analog signal is in use,
only the “L” and “R” indicators will light, as
analog signals have only left and right chan-
nels, respectively.
Digital signals, however, may have two, five or
six separate channels, depending on the pro-
gram material, the method of transmission and
the way in which it was encoded. When a digi-
tal signal is playing, the letters in these indica-
tors 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 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 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 adjust-
ments 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 310. It is also possible for the type of sig-
nal 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.
As long as your DVD player is set for 6-channel
output, the AVR 310 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 Q also 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 play-
back has stopped due to the absence of a
digital signal and not through any fault of the
AVR 310. This is normal, and the digital play-
back will resume once the playback is started
again.
Night Mode
A special feature of Dolby Digital is the Night
mode, which enables AC-3 input sources to be
played back with full digital intelligibilty while
reducing the minimum peak level by
1 / 4 to 1 / 3 .
This prevents abruptly loud transitions from dis-
turbing 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 when a Dolby
Digital DVD is playing by pressing the Night
Mode Button l on the remote. Next, press
the
⁄ / ¤ buttons n to select either the mid-
dle range or full compression versions of the
Night mode. To turn the Night mode off, press
the
⁄ / ¤ buttons n until the message in the
lower third of the video display and the Main
Information Display Y reads D-Range
Off. When the Night mode is active, the
Night Mode Indicator O will also illumi-
nate.
The Night mode may also be selected to always
be on at either level of compression using the
options in the Surround Setup Menu. See page
21 for information on using the menus to set
this option.
IMPORTANT NOTES ON
DIGITAL PLAYBACK:
1. When the digital playback source is stopped,
or in a pause, fast forward or chapter search
mode, the digital audio data will momentarily
stop, and the channel position letters inside the
Speaker/Channel Input Indicators Q will
flash. This is normal and does not indicate a
problem with either the AVR 310 or the source
machine. The AVR 310 will return to digital
playback as soon as the data is available and
when the machine is in a standard play mode.
2. Although the AVR 310 will decode virtually all
DVD movies, CDs and HDTV sources, it is possible