20
OPERATION
Operation
3. Within five seconds the AVR will return to
normal operation and the unit will now
turn on at the same volume level that was
in effect when the unit was turned off.
Surround-Mode Selection
One of the most important features of the
AVR 100 is its ability to reproduce a full multi-
channel 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 100.
Selection of a surround mode is based on
personal 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,
†
may be played in either the Dolby Digital or
Dolby Pro Logic modes, depending on the source
material.
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 broad-
cast via conventional TV stations, cable, pay TV
and satellite transmission. In addition, a growing
number of made-for-television programs, 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, we suggest that you
try the Hall or Theater 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
configured), press the
Surround Off
button
Ù
on the front panel until
SURR OFF
appears
in the
Main Information Display
N
or the
surround mode buttons on the remote
.
Dolby Digital Playback
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 signifi-
cant 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 information.
This is the “.1” channel referred to when you see
these systems described as “5.1”. The bass chan-
nel is totally separate but since it is intentionally
bandwidth limited, sound designers have given it
that unique designation.
Dolby Digital (originally known as AC-3
®
) is avail-
able on DVD and LD discs and is also a part of
the new high-definition television (HDTV) system.
Note that an optional, external RF demodulator
is required to use the AVR 100 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 100.
Selecting a Digital Source
To utilize either digital mode you must have
a digital source properly connected to the
AVR 100. 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 ana-
log outputs provided on digital source equip-
ment should also be connected to their appro-
priate inputs on the AVR 100 rear panel (e.g.,
connect 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 the input using the remote or front-panel
controls as outlined in this manual. Next, select
the digital source by pressing the appropriate
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
or on-screen display. Press the
Set
button
t
˘
to enter the desired choice. When the digi-
tal source is playing, the AVR 100 will automat-
ically detect whether it is a multichannel Dolby
Digital source or a conventional PCM signal,
which is the standard output from CD players.
Digital Status
When a digital source is playing, the AVR 100
will automatically switch to the proper surround
mode. It is important to note, however, that not
all Dolby Digital sources are encoded with the
full complement of five channels plus LFE.
When a digital source is playing, the
Main
Information Display
N
will change to show
the input source and digital type (
OPTICAL
or
COAX
). When a source with digital encod-
ing is playing, the input source name will
appear in the Information Display or on-screen
display, followed by a numeric key indicating
the type and number of channels being
decoded, 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 standard Dolby Pro Logic sig-
nal 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
stereo signal and that no center, surround
or LFE signals are present.
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.
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