AVR 200 (serv.man7) - Harman Kardon Audio User Guide / Operation Manual. Page 21

20 OPERATION

One of the most important features of the
AVR 200RDS is its ability to reproduce a full
multichannel surround-sound field from digital
sources, analog matrix surround-encoded pro-
grams and standard stereo programs. In all, a
total of six listening modes is available on the
AVR 200RDS.

Selection of a surround mode is based on per-
sonal taste, as well as the type of program
source material being used. For example,
motion pictures or TV programs bearing the
logo of one of the major surround-encoding
processes, such as Dolby Surround, DTS Stereo
or UltraStereo,† should be played in either the
Dolby 3 Stereo or Dolby Pro Logic modes,
depending on whether rear speakers are
installed or not.

NOTE: Once a program has been encoded with
surround information, it retains the surround
matrix as long as the program is broadcast in
stereo. Thus, movies with surround sound will
carry surround information when they are
broadcast via conventional TV stations, cable,
pay TV and satellite transmission. In addition, a
growing number of made-for-television pro-
grams, 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.

When a program is not listed as carrying inten-
tional surround information, you may find that
the Pro Logic or Dolby 3 Stereo modes often
deliver enveloping surround presentations
through the use of the natural information pres-
ent in all stereo recordings. However, for stereo
but non-surround programs and for mono pro-
grams, we suggest that you try the Hall or The-
ater modes.

Surround modes are selected using either the
front-panel controls or the remote. To select a
surround mode from the front panel, simply
press the button that corresponds to the desired
mode Ó Ô  Ò Ú. To select a surround
mode using the remote, press the Surround
Mode Selectors

. As you press the buttons,

the Surround mode name will appear in the
Main Information Display N, and an
individual mode indicator will also light up A
B C D E.

Note that Dolby Digital may only be selected
when a digital input is in use. For more informa-
tion on selecting digital sources, see the follow-
ing section of this manual.

To listen to a program in traditional two-channel
stereo, using the front-left and front-right speak-
ers only (plus the subwoofer if installed and con-
figured), press the Surround Off button Ù on
the front panel or the Surround Mode buttons
on the remote 

until SURR OFF

appears in the Main Information Display N.

Digital audio is a major advancement over past
systems. It delivers five discrete channels: left
front, center, right front, left surround and right
surround. Each channel is full range and offers
dramatically improved dynamic range and sig-
nificant improvements to signal-to-noise ratios.
In addition, both of the digital systems have the
capability to deliver an additional channel that
is specifically devoted to low-frequency informa-
tion. This is the “.1” channel referred to when
you see these systems described as “5.1”. The
bass channel is totally separate but since it is
intentionally bandwidth limited, sound design-
ers have given it that unique designation.

Dolby Digital (originally known as AC-3

®

) is

available on DVD and LD discs and now on digi-
tal TV receivers too and provisionary is also a
part of the coming high-definition television
(HDTV) system.

Note that an optional, external RF demodulator
is required to use the AVR 200RDS 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 digital
output of the demodulator to the the Optical or
Coaxial inputs fi› of the AVR 200RDS.

To utilize the Dolby Digital mode you must have 
a digital source properly connected to the 
AVR 200RDS. Connect the digital outputs from
DVD players, HDTV receivers and CD players to
the Optical or Coaxial inputs on the rear panel
fi›. In order to provide a backup signal and a
source for analog stereo recording, the analog
outputs provided on digital source equipment
should also be connected to their appropriate
inputs on the AVR 200RDS rear panel (e.g., con-
nect the analog stereo audio output from a DVD
to the DVD inputs § on the rear panel when
you connect the source’s digital outputs).

When playing a digital source such as DVD, first
select its analog input (DVD) using the remote or
front-panel controls too feed its video signal to
the TV monitor and to provide its analog audio
signal for recording. Next, select the digital input
connected with the DVD player by pressing the
Digital Input Selector button u ¯ and

then using the 

‹

›

buttons r on the remote

or the Selector buttons 34 on the front panel
to choose either of the OPTICAL or
COAXIAL

inputs, as they appear in the

Main Information Display N. Press the Set
button t ˘ to enter the desired choice.
Note, that a digital input (e.g. coaxial) remains
combined with any analog input (e.g. DVD) as
soon as it was selected, thus the digital input
needs not to be re-selected each time the appro-
priate input choice (e.g. DVD) is made.

Digital Status
When the digital source is playing, the
AVR 200RDS will automatically detect whether
it is a multichannel Dolby Digital source or a
conventional PCM signal, which is the standard
output from CD players. With Dolby Digital
sources the AVR 200RDS will automatically
switch to the Dolby Digital mode and no other
mode is selectable, except the channel mode 2/0
is decoded, see below. It is important to note,
however, that not all Dolby Digital sources are
encoded with the full complement of five chan-
nels plus LFE. When a Dolby Digital source is
playing, the Main Information Display N
will change to show the input source name (e.g.
DVD), followed by a numeric key indicating the
type and number of channels being decoded, for
example as follows:

3/2.1:

This message appears when a

full complement of Dolby Digital signals is
present: 3 front channels (left, center and
right), 2 surround channels (surround left
and surround right) and “.1” channel, which
is the dedicated Low Frequency Effects (LFE)
channel.

3/1:

This message indicates the system

is decoding a signal with left-front, center
and right-front channels and a single mono
surround channel.

2/0:

This message indicates that the sys-

tem is decoding a traditional two-channel
signal. This code is used frequently with
Dolby Digital DVDs, particulary with the non-
original languages. As these two channels
may contain Pro Logic surround informa-
tions, the AVR 200RDS switches automati-
cally to Pro Logic mode, but you can switch
to the Dolby Digital mode manually to listen
to the pure left and right front channels only
without any surround effect.

1/0:

This is a monaural signal that plays

through the center-channel speaker only.
There is no sound at the front-left, front-
right or surround speakers.