DOWNLOAD Harman Kardon AVR 135 (serv.man4) Service Manual ↓ Size: 1008.56 KB | Pages: 42 in PDF or view online for FREE

OPERATION 29

Important Note: When a digital surround
source (Dolby Digital, DTS) is played, the letters
SBL/SBR for the Surround Back channels will
appear only when a DTS ES DISCRETE 6.1 source
is played. Then this surround mode will be indi-
cated in the front display and on-screen display.
With all other recordings the icons for the sur-
round back speakers may light (when those
speakers have been configured) to indicate that a
signal will be fed to them (Matrix decoded with
NEO:6, LOGIC 7 or 7 CH Stereo), but no letters
inside will light as the unit will not receive an
input signal for the surround back channels.

The letters used by the Speaker/Channel Input
Indicators $ also flash to indicate when a bit-
stream 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 put into a Pause mode. 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. 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 Dolby Digital input sources
to be played back with full digital intelligibilty
while reducing the maximum peak level and
lifting the low levels 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 the Dolby
Digital mode is selected.

The Night mode may be engaged when a Dolby
Digital DVD is playing by pressing the Night
Button 

B on the remote. Next, press the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons 

D to select either the middle range or

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

⁄

/

¤

buttons

D until the message in the lower third of the
video display and the Main Information
Display ˜ reads 

D-RANGE OFF

.

The Night mode may also be selected to always
be on as soon as the Dolby Digital mode is 
activated at either level of compression using the
options in the 

DOLBY

menu. See page 19 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, and
the channel position letters inside the Speaker/
Channel Indicators $ will flash. This is normal
and does not indicate a problem with either the
AVR or the source machine. The AVR 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 will decode virtually all DVD
movies, CDs and HDTV sources, it is possible that
some future digital sources may not be compatible
with the AVR.

• Note that not all digitally encoded programs
and not all audio tracks on a DVD 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 will automatically sense the
type of digital surround encoding used, indicate it
in the Channel Input Indicators $ and adjust
to accommodate it.

• When a Dolby Digital or DTS source is playing,
you normally may not be able to select some of
the analog surround modes such as Dolby Pro
Logic II, Dolby 3 Stereo, Hall, Theater, 5CH/7CH
Stereo or Logic 7, except with specific Dolby
Digital 2.0 recordings that can be played with the
Pro Logic II modes too (see page 27).

• When a digital source is playing, it is NOT pos-
sible to make an analog recording using the
Tape

 or Video 1 or Video 2 or   record

outputs, even if the source is connected to any
digital input of the AVR only, as long as
"Surround Off" mode is selected (possible with a
PCM source only). But the analog two channel
signal, even of a Dolby Digital (not DTS) source,
the ”Downmix” to Stereo or Dolby Surround, can
be recorded by connecting its analog audio out-
puts to the appropriate analog inputs (e.g. DVD)
of the AVR. Additionally, the digital signals will be
passed through to the Digital Audio Outputs
.

In normal operation, the audio or video source
selected for listening through the AVR is sent to
the record outputs. This means that any program
you are watching or listening to may be recorded
simply by placing machines connected to the out-
puts for Tape Outputs

 or Video 1 or 2

 in the record mode.

When a digital audio recorder is connected to
any of the Digital Audio Outputs

, you are

able to record the digital signal using a CD-R,
MiniDisc or other digital recording system.
Note that all digital signals will be passed
through to both, coaxial and optical, digital 
outputs simultanously, no matter which kind of
digital input was selected.

NOTES:
• The digital outputs are active only when a digital
signal is present, and they do not convert an ana-
log input to a digital signal, or change the format
of the digital signal (e.g. Dolby Digital to PCM or
vice versa, but coaxial digital signals are converted
to optical signals and vice versa). In additon, the
digital recorder must be compatible with the
output signal. For example, the PCM digital output

from a CD player may be recorded on a CD-R or
MiniDisc, but Dolby Digital or DTS signals may not.

• To make an analog recording from a digital
source is possible, but only from a PCM source
(not Dolby Digital or DTS) and correctly only with
"Surround Off" mode (with any Surround mode
only the L/R front signals will be fed to the record
outputs).

Normal output level adjustment for the AVR is
established using the test tone, as outlined on
page 23. In some cases, however, it may be desir-
able to adjust the output levels using program
material such as a test disc, or a selection you are
familiar with. Additionally, the output level for the
subwoofer and those for the Stereo and VMAx
modes can only be adjusted using this procedure.

To adjust the output levels using program materi-
al, first select the surround mode for which you
want to trim the speakers (see NOTE below), start
your program material source and set the 
reference volume for the front left and front right
channels using the Volume Control

).

Once the reference level has been set, press the
Channel Select button 

CÙ and note that

FRONT L LEVEL

will appear in the Main

Information Display ˜. To change the level,
first press the Set button 

F @, and then use

the Selector buttons 7 or the 

⁄

¤

buttons

D to raise or lower the level. DO NOT use the
volume control, as this will alter the reference
setting.

Once the change has been made, press the Set
button 

F @ and then press the Selector but-

tons 7 or the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons 

D to select the

next output channel location that you wish to
adjust. To adjust the subwoofer level, press the
Selector buttons 7 or the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons 

D

until 

WOOFER LEVEL

appears in the Main

Information Display ˜ or on-screen display
(only available if the subwoofer is turned on).

Press the Set button 

F @ when the name of

the desired channel appears in the Main
Information Display ˜ and on-screen 
display, and follow the instructions shown above
to adjust the level.

30 OPERATION

Repeat the procedure as needed until all chan-
nels requiring adjustment have been set. When
all adjustments have been made and no further
adjustments are made for five seconds, the 
AVR will return to normal operation.

The channel output may also be adjusted using
the full-OSD on-screen menu system. First, set the
volume to a comfortable listening level using the
Volume Control ı

). Then, press the OSD

button 

L to bring up the 

MASTER MENU

(Figure 1). Press the 

¤

Button 

D four times

until the on-screen 

›

cursor is next to the

CHANNEL ADJUST

line. Press the Set

Button 

F to activate the 

CHANNEL

ADJUST

menu (Figure 10).

When the menu appears, the internal test tone
will be turned off. This will allow you to use your
external test disc or other source material as the
test signal. Then, use the 

⁄

/

¤

D to

select the channels to be adjusted. At each 
channel position use the 

‹

/

›

E&

to change the output level.
Remember, when you are using a disc with test
signal (e.g. pink noise) or an external signal
generator as the source, the goal is to have the
output level at each channel be equal when
heard at the listening position, with any surround
mode selected. When your test source is a normal
disc with music signals, you may adjust the level
for each channel and surround mode as you pre-
fer, e.g. you may lower the center channel level
when you find it to be too high or increase the
level of the rears when you find it to be too low
with specific surround modes.

If you wish to reset all the levels to their original
factory default of 0dB offset, press the 

⁄

/

¤

D so that the on-screen cursor is next

to the 

CHANNEL RESET

line and press the

‹

/

›

E& so that the word ON is

highlighted. After the levels are reset, resume the
procedure outlined above to reset the levels to
the desired settings. When all adjustments are
done, press the 

⁄

/

¤

D to move the

on-screen 

➞ cursor so that it is next to 

BACK

T O MASTER MENU

and then press the Set

F if you wish to go back to the main

menu to make other adjustments. If you have no
other adjustments to make, press the OSD
Button

L to exit the menu system.

NOTE: The output levels may be separately
trimmed for each digital and analog surround mode.
If you wish to have different trim levels for a specific
mode, select that mode and then follow the instruc-
tions in the steps shown above.

With Stereo and Vmax modes the adjustment
procedure described above is the only way to trim
the output level, e.g. to match the Stereo or Vmax
level with other modes.

This product is equipped with a memory backup
system that preserves tuner presets and system
configuration information if the unit is turned off
completely, accidentally unplugged or subjected
to a power outage. This memory will last for
approximately two weeks, after which time all
information must be reentered.

ADVANCED FEATURES 31

The AVR 135 is equipped with a number of ad-
vanced features that add extra flexibility to the
unit’s operation. While it is not necessary to use
these features to operate the unit, they provide
additional options that you may wish to use.

In normal operation, the front-panel displays and
indicators remain on at full brightness, although
you may also dim them or turn them off as
shown on page 31. As an additional option, you
may also set the AVR so that the displays are on
whenever a button is pressed on the front panel
or remote, but then fade out after a set period of
time.

To set the front-panel displays to the Fade mode,
press the OSD Button

L to bring the Master

Menu to the screen. Press the 

⁄

/

¤

D so that the ➞ cursor is pointed to

the 

ADVANCED

line, and press the Set

F to enter the 

ADVANCED

SELECT

menu (Figure 11).

With the 

ADVANCED SELECT

menu on

your video display, press the 

⁄

/

¤

D so that the ➞ cursor is pointed to

the 

VFD FADE TIME OUT

line. Next, press

the 

‹

/

›

E& so that

the amount of time that you wish the displays to
fade out after a button is pressed is shown.

Once this time is set and the unit returned to nor-
mal operation, the displays will remain on for the
time period selected whenever a button is
pressed on the front panel or remote. After that
time they will gradually fade out, with the excep-
tion of the lighting surrounding the Standby/On
Switch 3, which remains on to remind you that
the AVR is turned on. Note that if the displays
have been turned completely off using the Dim
Button, as shown on page 31, the Fade function
will not operate.

If you wish to make adjustments to other items
on the 

ADVANCED SELECT

menu, press

the 

⁄

/

¤

D to place the

➞ cursor next to the desired item, or place the

➞ cursor next to the 

BACK T O MASTER

MENU

line and press the Set Button

F to

make an adjustment to another menu. If you
have completed all adjustments, press the OSD
Button

L to exit the menu system.

The AVR’s front panel Main Information
Display ˜ is set at a default brightness level
that is sufficient for viewing in a normally lit
room. However, in some home theater installa-
tions, you may wish to occasionally lower the
brightness of the display, or turn it off completely.

To change the display brightness setting for a
specific listening session, you will need to make
an adjustment in the 

ADVANCED SELECT

menu. To start the adjustment, press the OSD
button 

L to bring the 

MASTER MENU

to

the screen. Press the 

⁄

Button 

D, until the on-

screen 

➞ cursor is next to the 

ADVANCED

line. Press the Set Button 

F to enter the

ADVANCED SELECT

menu (Figure 11).

To change the brightness setting, at the

ADVANCED SELECT

menu, make 

certain that the on-screen 

➞ cursor is next to the

VFD

line, and press the 

›

& until the

desired brightness level is highlighted in the
video display. When 

FULL

is shown, the display

is at its normal brightness. When 

HALF

is

shown, the display is at half the normal bright-
ness level. When 

OFF

is shown, all of the in-

dicators in the Main Information Display ˜
will go dark.

The brightness of the front-panel display may
also be adjusted by pressing the Dim Button
,, as described on page 11.
If you wish to make other adjustments in the
menu, press the 

⁄

/

¤

Buttons 

D until the on-

screen 

➞ cursor is next to the desired setting or

the 

BACK T O MASTER MENU

line and

press the Set button 

F. If you have no other

adjustments to make, press the OSD Button 

L

to exit the menu system.

Once the desired brightness level is selected, it
will remain in effect until it is changed again or
until the unit is turned off.

As is the case with most audio/video receivers,
when the AVR is turned on, it will always return
to the volume setting in effect when the unit was
turned off. However, you may prefer to always
have the AVR turn on at a specific setting, regard-
less of what was last in use when the unit was
turned off. To change the default condition so
that the same volume level is always used at
turn-on, you will need to make an adjustment in
the 

ADVANCED SELECT

menu. To start the

adjustment, press the OSD button 

L to bring

the 

MASTER MENU

(Figure 1) to the screen.

Press the 

⁄

button 

D, until the on-screen ➞

cursor is next to the 

ADVANCED

line. Press

the Set button 

F to enter the 

ADVANCED

SELECT

menu (Figure 11).

At the 

ADVANCED SELECT

menu make

certain that the on-screen 

➞ cursor is next to the

VOLUME DEFAULT

line by pressing the

⁄

/

¤

buttons 

D as needed. Next, press the 

›

button 

& so that the word 

O N

is shown in the

video display. Next, press the 

¤

button 

D once

so that the on-screen 

›

cursor is next to the

DEFAULT VOL SET

line. To set the desired

turn-on volume, press the 

‹

/

›

buttons 

E&

or hold them pressed until the desired volume
level is shown on the 

DEFAULT VOL SET

line. Note that this setting may NOT be made
with the regular volume controls.

NOTE: Since the setting for the turn-on volume
cannot be heard while the setting is being made,
you may wish to determine the setting before
making the adjustment. To do this, listen to any
source and adjust the volume to the desired level
using the regular volume controls 

). When the

desired volume level to be used at turn-on is
reached, make a note of the setting as it appears
in the lower third of the video screen or in the
Main Information Display ˜.
A typical volume level will appear as a negative
number such as -25dB. When making the 
adjustment, use the 

‹

/

›

buttons 

E& to

enter this setting.

Unlike some of the other adjustments in this
menu, the turn-on volume default will remain in
effect even when the unit is turned off
completely, unless it is changed or turned off in
this menu.

If you wish to make other adjustments in the
menu, press the 

⁄

/

¤

Buttons 

D until the on-

screen 

➞ cursor is next to the desired setting or

the 

BACK T O MASTER MENU

line and

press the Set button 

F. If you have no other

adjustments to make, press the OSD Button 

L

to exit the menu system.

The semi-OSD system places one line messages
at the lower third of the video display screen
whenever the Volume, Input Source, Surround
mode or tuner frequency of any of the configura-
tion settings are changed. The semi-OSD system
is helpful in that enables you to have feedback
on any control changes or remote commands
using the video display when it is difficult to view
the front-panel displays. However, you may occa-
sionally prefer to turn these displays off for a par-
ticular listening session. You may also want to
adjust the length of time the displays remain on
the screen. Both of those options are possible
with the AVR.

To turn off the semi-OSD system, you will need to
make an adjustment in the 

ADVANCED

SELECT

menu (Figure 11). To start the adjust-

ment, press the OSD button 

L to bring the

MASTER MENU

to the screen.

32 ADVANCED FEATURES

Press the 

⁄

Button 

D, until the on-screen ➞

cursor is next to the 

ADVANCED

line. Press

the Set Button 

F to enter the 

ADVANCED

SELECT

menu.

At the 

ADVANCED SELECT

menu make

certain that the on-screen 

➞ cursor is next to the

SEMI OSD

line by pressing the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons

D as needed. Next, press the 

›

button 

& so

that the word 

OFF

is shown in the video dis-

play.

Note that this setting is temporary and will
remain active only until it is changed or until the
AVR is turned off. Once the unit is turned off, the
semi-OSD displays will remain activated, even if
they were switched off for the previous listening
session.

To change the length of time that the semi-OSD
displays remain on the screen, go to the

ADVANCED SELECT

Menu as outlined

earlier, and press the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons 

D as need-

ed, until the on-screen 

➞ cursor is next to the

SEMI-OSD TIME OUT

line. Next, press

the 

‹

/

›

Buttons 

E& until the desired time

in seconds is displayed. Note that unlike most of
the other options in this menu, this is a perma-
nent setting change, and the time-out entry will
remain in effect until it is changed, even when
the unit is turned off.

If you wish to make other adjustments in the
menu, press the 

⁄

/

¤

Buttons 

D until the on-

screen 

➞ cursor is next to the desired setting or

the 

BACK T O MASTER MENU

line and

press the Set button 

F. If you have no other

adjustments to make, press the OSD Button 

L

to exit the menu system.

The 

FULL OSD

menu system is used to

simplify the setup and adjustment of the AVR
using a series of on-screen menus. The factory
default setting for these menus leaves them on
the screen for 20 seconds after a period of inac-
tivity before they disappear from the screen or
Time Out. This Time Out is a safety measure to
prevent the menu text from burning into the CRTs
in your monitor or projector, which might happen
if they were left on indefinitely. However, some
viewers may prefer a slightly longer or shorter
period before the Time Out display.

To change the Full-OSD Time Out, you will need
to make an adjustment in the 

ADVANCED

SELECT

menu (Figure 11). To start the adjust-

ment, press the OSD button 

L to bring the

MASTER MENU

to the screen. Press the 

⁄

button 

D, until the on-screen ➞ cursor is next

to the 

ADVANCED

line. Press the Set Button

F to enter the 

ADVANCED SELECT

menu (Figure 11).

At the 

ADVANCED SELECT

menu make

certain that the on-screen 

➞ cursor is next to the

FULL OSD TIME OUT

line by pressing the

⁄

/

¤

Buttons 

D as needed. Next, press the

‹

/

›

buttons 

E& until the desired time is

displayed in seconds. Note that unlike most of
the other options in this menu, this is a perma-
nent setting change, and the time-out entry will
remain in effect until it is changed, even when
the unit is turned off.

If you wish to make other adjustments in the
menu, press the 

⁄

/

¤

Buttons 

D until the 

on-screen 

➞ cursor is next to the desired setting

or the 

BACK T O MASTER MENU

line and

press the Set button 

F. If you have no other

adjustments to make, press the OSD Button 

L

to exit the menu system.

If you wish to make other adjustments, press the

⁄

/

¤

D until the on-screen ➞ cursor

is next to the desired setting or the 

RETURN

T O MASTER MENU

line and press the Set

Button 

F. If you have no other adjustments to

make, press the OSD Button

L to exit the

menu system.