Harman-Kardon AVR 435 - Manual (Page 36)

(e.g., a Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 source with Logic
7/7 or Dolby Pro Logic IIx post-processing) are allow-
able, others (e.g. A Dolby Digital 5.1 source with DTS
Neo:6) are not. If you wish to add surround back
channels to a 2.0 or 5.1 source we recommend that
you experiment with the various options to see which
may be available and which are best suited to your
taste and listening environment.
It is always a good idea to check the readout for the
channel data to make certain that it matches the audio
logo information shown on the back of a DVD pack-
age. In some cases, you will see an indication for
“2/0/0” even when the disc contains a full 5.1, or
3/2/.1, signal. When this happens, check the audio
output settings for your DVD player or the audio menu
selections for the specific disc being played to make
certain that the player is sending the correct signal
to the AVR.
PCM Playback
PCM is the abbreviation for Pulse Code Modulation,
the digital signal format used for standard CD play-
back, and other non-Dolby Digital and non-DTS digital
sources such as Mini-Disc. When a
PCM signal is
detected, the Lower Display Line $ will briefly
show a message with the letters PCM, in addition to a
readout of the sampling frequency of the digital signal.
In most cases, this will be PCM 44.1kHz or
PCM 48kHz, though in the case of specially
mastered, high-resolution audio discs, you will see a
PCM 96kHz indication. Note that the sampling
rate displayed is that of the incoming digital signal, and
not the upsampled rate that may be applied to PCM
sources when Dolby Pro Logic or Pro Logic II pro-
cessing is applied, as shown on page 21.
During PCM playback, you may select any surround
mode except one of the Dolby Digital or DTS/DTS-ES
modes.
Speaker/Channel Indicators
In addition to the bitstream indicators, the AVR 435
features a set of unique channel-input indicators that
tell you how many channels of digital information are
being received and/or whether the digital signal is
interrupted (Figure 21).
Figure 21
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 two chan-
nel PCM or 2.0 Dolby Digital material. When a 5.1
signal is being received the L/C/R/SL/SR indicators
will light, with the LFE indication also being shown
when an LFE signal is present. All seven indicators,
including the SBL/SBR letters will light for a 7.1 sig-
nal, and a horizontal line is shown to connect the
SBL/SBR indicators when a 6.1 source is in use.
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 435. 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 435
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 435. 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
2.0 digital source you will see empty speaker position
boxes, which indicates that the speaker is active and
will receiver 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 when a Dolby
Digital DVD is playing by pressing the Night Mode
Button
T on the remote. Next, press the ⁄ / ¤
Navigation Button o to select either the middle
range or full compression versions of the Night
mode. To turn the Night mode off, press the
⁄ / ¤
Navigation Button o until the message in the
lower third of the video display and in the Lower
Display Line $ reads
D-RANGE OFF.
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 23 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 even 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 435 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 435.
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AVR 435 (SW II) OM 11/18/05 9:20 AM Page 36