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34 OPERATION
Operation
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital (originally known as AC-3
®
) is
a standard part of DVD, and is available on
specially encoded LD discs and satellite broadcasts
and it is a part of the new high-definition television
(HDTV) system.
Dolby Digital Surround EX
Dolby Digital Surround EX is an enhanced encod-
ing that was developed to provide the sound
mixer greater opportunities for the placement of
sounds to the rear as well as the sides of the lis-
tener,while THX Surround EX processing is the
decoding scheme to correctly decode a Dolby
Digital Surround EX encoded movie. For more
info on Dolby Digital and Surround EX formats
see table on page 30.
Note that an optional, external RF demodulator
is required to use the AVR 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 Optical or Coaxial
inputs
UV*Ó
of the AVR. No demodulator
is required for use with DVD players or DTS-
encoded laser discs.
DTS
DTS is another digital audio system that is capa-
ble of delivering 5.1 channel audio or 6.1 matrix
or discrete channel sound (DTS ES, for more info
see table page 30).Although both DTS and
Dolby Digital are digital, they use different meth-
ods 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 CDs.You may use any LD, DVD or CD
player equipped with a digital output to play
DTS-encoded special audio-only CDs with the
AVR, but DTS-LDs can be played on LD players
and DTS-DVDs on DVD players only.All that is
required is to connect the player’s digital output
to either the Optical or Coaxial input on the
rear panel
UV
or front panel
*Ó
.
In order to listen to DVDs encoded with DTS
sound tracks, the DVD player must be compatible
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 problem with the
AVR, as some players cannot pass the DTS signal
through to the digital outputs. If you are in doubt
as to the capability of your DVD player to handle
DTS DVDs, consult the player’s owner’s manual.
Please note that some DVD players are shipped
with their output set for Dolby Digital only.To
insure that DTS data is being sent to the AVR,
please check the setup menu system on your
DVD player to make certain that DTS data output
is enabled.
PCM Audio Playback
PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) is the non- com-
pressed digital audio system used for compact
discs, Non-Dolby Digital/DTS Laserdiscs and some
special PCM encoded DVDs. It is also the format
used as an output by audio transcoders such as
the Harman Kardon DAL 150.The digital circuits
in the AVR are capable of high quality digital-to-
analog decoding, and they may be connected
directly to the digital audio output of your
CD/DVD or LD player (LD only for PCM or DTS
programs, for Dolby Digital laser discs an RF
adapter is needed, see ”Dolby Digital” above).
Connections may be made to either the Optical
or Coaxial inputs
UV
on the rear panel or the
front panel Digital Inputs
*Ó
.
To listen to a PCM digital source,first select the
input for the desired source (e.g., CD) to feed its
video signal (if any) to the TV monitor and to
provide its analog audio signal for recording.
Next press the Digital Select button
Û
G
and then use the
⁄
/
¤
buttons
D
on the
remote, or the Selector buttons
7$
on the
front panel, until the desired choice appears in the
Main Information Display
ˆ
, then press the
Set button
F
to confirm the choice.
When a PCM source is playing, the green LED
will light next to the DIGITAL indication in the
Surround Mode/Bitstream Indicators
¯
.
During PCM playback you may select any sur-
round mode except Dolby Digital or DTS.When
an HDCD encoded disc is being played (see
below) and the CD player is connected to the
AVR via a digital connection, select Surround Off
as the Surround mode to enjoy the benefits of
the HDCD process.
HDCD
HDCD, which stands for High Definition
Compatible Digital
®
, is a sophisticated process
that enables the AVR to deliver outstanding digi-
tal-to-analog decoding of PCM signals from any
DVD or CD player,connected to a digital input on
the AVR even when normal, non-HDCD-compati-
ble players are used (only a digital output is
needed).
When a CD with the HDCD recording is played,
the AVR is able to take advantage of the special
recording process that is used in the creation of
HDCD disc.The special circuitry enables audio
with extraordinary fidelity, stunning resolution
and the highest possible overall quality.
As long as a digital input and the pure Stereo
mode (Surround Off) are selected, the AVR will
automatically sense that it is an HDCD recording
and the green LED next to the letters HDCD will
light on the front panel to remind you that an
HDCD disc is playing.
It is important to note that the HDCD process is
completely compatible with standard recordings.
Indeed, the high-quality digital-to-analog
circuitry that is part of HDCD and the HDCD
decoder chip, replacing the monolithic digital
filters used in conventional DACs, will enable
enhanced performance also with normal,
non-HDCD encoded program material.
MP3 Audio Playback
The AVR 8500 is one of the few A/V receivers to
provide on-board decoding for the MP3 audio
format used on specific computer audio files. By
offering MP3 decoding, the AVR is able to deliver
more precise conversion of the digital signals to
an analog output, along with the benefits of lis-
tening to MP3 audio through the AVR’s high cur-
rent amplifier and the speakers from your sur-
round system, rather than the smaller speakers
and low powered amplifiers typically used with
computers.
To take advantage of the AVR’s MP3 capabilities,
simply connect the digital (SPDIF) output of a
computer sound card able to feed the MP3 for-
mat to its digital output, to either the rear panel
Digital Inputs
UV
or the front panel Digital
Inputs
*Ó
.When the digital MP3 signal is
received, the green LED next to the MP3 indica-
tion in the Surround Mode Indicators
¯
,
will light and the audio will begin playing.
NOTES:
• The AVR is only capable of playing signals in
the MP3 (MPEG 1/Layer 3) format. It is not com-
patible with other computer audio codecs.
• The MP 3 DSP mode found in the new
AVR requires an MP3 SPDIF stream. Presently,
only a few units provide this but in the coming
generations of motherboards and operating sys-
tem updates this will follow, since SPDIF is the
standard for audio & video hardware.
,HDCD
®
,High Definition Compatible Digital
®
and Pacific Microsonics
™
are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Pacific Microsonics,Inc.,in the United
States and/or other countries.HDCD System manufactured under license from Pacific Microsonics, Inc.