Harman Kardon AVR 135 Service Manual Download Page 18

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one surround back speaker to it. It will automatically
combine the left and right surround back channel
information, and output it through the single surround
back speaker, if you have configured that speaker
using the

SPEAKER SETUP

menu (Figure 6

on page 18).

When a standard analog signal is in use, only the “L”
and “R” indicators will light, as analog signals have
only left and right channels.

Digital signals, however, may have two, five, six or
seven channels, depending on the program material,
the method of transmission and the way in which it
was encoded. When a digital signal is playing, the let-
ters in these indicators 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 pro-
grams are encoded for 5.1. Thus, it is sometimes nor-
mal for a DVD with a Dolby Digital soundtrack to trig-
ger 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 135. It is also possible for the type of
signal 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. The AVR 135
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

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 playback has
stopped due to the absence of a digital signal and not
through any fault of the AVR 135. This is normal, and
the digital playback will resume once the playback is
started again.

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

on the remote. Next, press the

⁄

Buttons

to select either the middle range or

full compression versions of the Night mode. To turn
the Night mode off, press the

⁄

Buttons

until the message in the lower third of the video dis-
play 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

menu. See page 17 for information on

using the menus to set this option.

IMPORTANT NOTES ON DIGITAL PLAYBACK:

• When the digital playback source is stopped, or

in a pause, fast-forward or chapter-search mode,
the digital audio data will momentarily stop, the
channel position letters inside the

Speaker/

Channel Input Indicators

will flash, and the

UNLOCK

message will appear in the

Lower

Display Line

. This is normal and does not indi-

cate a problem with either the AVR 135 or the
source machine. The AVR 135 will return to digital
playback as soon as the data is available and when
the machine is in a standard play mode.

• Although the AVR 135 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 135.

• Not all digitally encoded programs contain full 5.1-

or 6.1-channel audio. Consult the program guide
that accompanies the DVD or laser disc to deter-
mine which type of audio has been recorded on the
disc. The AVR 135 will automatically sense the type
of digital surround encoding used and adjust to
accommodate it.

• When some digital sources are playing, you may not

be able to select some of the analog surround
modes such as Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby 3, Stereo,
Hall, Theater or Logic 7.

• When a Dolby Digital or DTS source is playing,

it is not possible to make an analog recording using
the

Tape Outputs

and

Video 1 Audio Outputs

. However, the digital signals will be passed

through to the

Digital Audio Outputs

ﬂ‡

PCM Audio Playback

PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) is the noncompressed
digital audio system used for compact discs and laser
discs. The digital circuits in the AVR 135 are capable of
high-quality digital-to-analog decoding, and they may
be connected directly to the digital audio output of your
CD or LD player.

Connections may be made to either the rear-panel

Optical

Coaxial Inputs

·c

or the front-panel

Digital Inputs

To listen to a PCM digital source, first select the input for
the desired source (e.g., CD). Next press the

Digital

Select Button

and then use the

⁄

Buttons

on the remote, or the

‹

›

Selector

Buttons

)

on the front panel, until the desired choice

appears in the

Upper Display Line

During PCM playback, you may select any Surround
mode except Dolby Digital or DTS.

Tuner Operation

The AVR 135’s tuner is capable of tuning AM, FM and
FM Stereo broadcast stations. Stations may be tuned
manually, or they may be stored as favorite station pre-
sets and recalled from a 30-position memory.

Station Selection

1. Press the

AM/FM Tuner Select Button

the remote to select the tuner as an input. The
tuner may be selected from the front panel by
either pressing the

Input Source Selector

until the tuner is active or by pressing the

Tuner

Band Selector

2. Press the

AM/FM Tuner Select Button

Tuner Band Selector

again to switch between