23 OPERATION
Operation
(continued from page 21)
desired mode (ÓÔÒÚ .To
select a surround mode using the remote, press
the Surround Mode Selectorf, and then
press the
⁄
/
¤
buttons h to change the
mode. As you press the buttons, the Surround
mode name will appear in the Main
Information Display U, and an individual
mode indicator will also light up F G H I
J K .
Note that the Dolby Digital or DTS modes may
only be selected when a digital input is in use.
For more information on selecting digital sources,
see the following 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, or follow the instructions
shown above for using the remote until SURR
OFF appears in the Main Information
Display U.When the AVR 300’s surround cir-
cuits are turned off, and it is in the Stereo mode,
the SURR OFF indicator K will illuminate
in the Information Display
35
.
Digital Audio Playback
Digital audio such as Dolby Digital and DTS are 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 significant improve-
ments 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 descibed as “5.1”. The bass channel is
totally separate but since it is intentionally band-
width limited, sound designers have given it that
unique designation.
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital (originally known as AC-3
®
) is avail-
able on DVD and LD discs and is a part of the
new high-definition television (HDTV) system.
Note that an optional, external RF demodulator
is required to use the AVR 300 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 deof the AVR 300. No
demodulator is required for use with DTS-
encoded laser discs.
DTS
DTS is another digital audio system that is
capable of delivering 5.1 audio. Although both
DTS and Dolby Digital are digital, they use dif-
ferent methods of encoding the signals, and
thus they require different decoding circuits to
convert the digital signals back to analog.
DTS-encoded sound tracks are available on
select DVD and LD discs, as well as on special
audio-only DTS discs. You may use any LD or
CD player equipped with a digital output to
play DTS-encoded discs with the AVR 300. All
that is required is to connect the player’s output
to either the Optical or Coaxial input on the
rear panel de.
In order to listen to DVDs encoded with DTS
sound tracks, the DVD player must be compati-
ble with the DTS signal as indicated by a DTS
logo on the player’s front panel. Note that early
DVD players may not be able to play DTS-
encoded DVDs. This does not indicate a prob-
lem with the AVR 300, as some players cannot
pass the DTS signal through to the digital out-
puts. If you are in doubt as to the capability of
your DVD player to handle DTS discs, consult
the player’s owner’s manual.
Selecting a Digital Source
To utilize either digital mode you must have
a digital source properly connected to the
AVR 300. Connect the digital outputs from DVD
players, HDTV receivers and CD players to the
Optical or Coaxial inputs on the rear panel
de. 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 300 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 ¯ and then
using the
⁄
/
¤
buttons h on the remote or
the Selector buttons
34
on the front panel to
choose either of the two OPTICAL or
COAXIAL inputs, as they appear in the
Main Information Display U or on-screen
display. Press the Set button i˘to enter
the desired choice. When the digital source is
playing, the AVR 300 will automatically detect
whether it is a multichannel Dolby Digital or
DTS source, or a conventional PCM signal,
which is the standard output from CD players.
An indicator will light in the Information
Display to confirm the digital signal is Dolby
Digital F or PCM E and if the source is
COAX
A or
OPTICAL
C.
Digital Status
When a digital source is playing, the AVR 300
will automatically switch to the proper surround
mode. It is important to note, however, that not
all Dolby Digital or DTS sources are encoded
with the full complement of five channels plus
LFE. When a digital source is playing, the Main
Information Display U or on-screen display
will change to show the input source and
digital type (OPTICAL or COAX). When a
source with digital encoding is playing, the
input source name will appear in the
Information Display or on-screen display, fol-
lowed 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.
The current status of the AVR may also be
obtained by pressing the OSD Button q
until the Full-OSD appears on your video
display’s screen.
Night Mode
A special feature of Dolby Digital is the Night
mode, which enables specially encoded input
