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ADVANCED FEATURES / MULTIROOM 37

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
occasionally prefer to turn these displays off for a
particular 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 4550.

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

ADVANCED

SELECT

menu (Figure 11). 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.

At the 

ADVANCED SELECT

menu make

certain that the on-screen 

›

cursor is next to the

S E M I O S D

line by pressing the 

⁄

/

¤

but-

tons 

D as needed. Next, press the 

›

button

& so that the word OFF is highlighted in the
video display.

Note that this setting is temporary and will
remain active only until it is changed or until the
AVR 4550 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 4550 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 inactivity 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

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).

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.

The AVR 4550 is fully equipped to operate as the
control center for a complete multiroom system
that is capable of sending one source to a sec-
ond zone in the house while separate source is
listened to in the main room. In addition to pro-
viding for control over the selection of the
remote source and its volume, the AVR 4550
offers a comprehensive range of options for
powering the speakers in the second zone.

• Using the line-level Multiroom Audio
Outputs

, the selected source may be fed to

optional, external power amplifiers that may be
matched to the specifics of the installation.

• When the main room system is configured for
5.1 operation, the Surround Back Left/Right
amplifier channels may be used to power the
remote zone so that no additional amplifiers are
required.

• Using built-in A-BUS Ready technology, option-
al A-BUS modules may be connected to the AVR
4550 via a single Category Five wire, so that
remote zone speakers may be powered directly
from the module or keypad without the need for
additional power, IR sensor or volume control
wires to be run to the second zone.

In addition, the AVR 4550 includes a remote IR
sensor input so that remote control commands
from the Zone II remote included with the unit
may be transmitted to the unit, while standard IR
input/output jacks allow the remote zone’s com-
mands to be sent to compatible IR-controlled
source devices.

Installation
Although simple remote room systems may be
installed by the average do-it-yourself hobbyist,
the complexity of your multizone/multiroom sys-
tem involves running wires inside of walls where
the services of a specially trained installer may
be required. Regardless of who does the work,
please remember that local building codes may
govern in-wall electrical work, including proper
specification of any wiring used and the way in
which it is connected. You are responsible for
making certain that all Multiroom installation
work is done properly and in compliance with all
applicable codes and regulations.

For standard installations, follow the instructions
shown on page 18 for the connection of speaker
wire and IR remote wiring to the AVR 4550.

For installations where the Surround Back
Left/Right amplifier channels are used to power
the remote zone, make certain that the system is
configured for that type of operation, as shown
on page 36.

For installations where A-BUS modules are used,
follow the instructions provided with the A-BUS
remote modules or keypads.

38 ADVANCED FEATURES / MULTIROOM

Additional information will also be made avail-
able through the Harman Kardon Web Site at
www.harmankardon.com.

RS-232 Control
The AVR 4550 is rare among A/V receivers in
that it provides the capability for full remote
control from compatible computers or special-
ized remote control systems. RS-232 program-
ming requires specialized programming knowl-
edge and for that reason we recommend that it
only be done by qualified installers.

For more information on using the RS-232 port
for remote control, visit the Harman Kardon 
Web site at www.harmankardon.com or contact
our customer service department.

Multiroom Setup
Once the audio and IR link connections have
been made, the AVR 4550 needs to be con-
figured for multiroom operation using the steps
below. Press the OSD button 

L to bring the

M A S T E R M E N U

(Figure 1) to the screen.

Press the 

⁄

button 

D twice, until the on-

screen 

›

cursor is next to the 

MULTI-

ROOM

line. Press the Set button 

F to enter

the 

MULTI-ROOM

menu (Figure 12).

When the 

MULTI-ROOM

menu appears, the

on-screen 

›

cursor will be at the 

MULTI-

ROOM

line. Since this line is used to turn the

system on and off, do not make an adjustment
here unless you wish to turn the system on at
this time. To turn the system on, press the 

›

but-

ton 

& so that 

O N

is highlighted. If you do not

wish to turn the system on at this time or to pro-
ceed to the next step, press the 

¤

Button 

D

once so that the 

›

on-screen cursor is next to

the 

MULTI I N

line.

At the 

MULTI I N

line, press the 

‹

/

›

buttons

E& until the desired Audio/Video input to
the multi-room system appears in the highlight-
ed video. When the selection has been made,
press the 

¤

button 

D once so that the 

›

on-

screen cursor is next to the 

MULTI VOL

line.

At the 

MULTI VOL

line, press the 

‹

/

›

but-

tons 

E& or hold them pressed until the

desired volume level for the multi-room system
is entered. DO NOT use the regular volume con-
trol knobs for this setting. When all settings for
the multiroom setup have been made, press the

¤

buttons 

D once so that the on-screen 

›

cursor is next to 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.

Multiroom Operation
When operating the AVR 4550 from a remote
room location where an IR sensor link has been
connected to the AVR 4550’s rear panel
Multiroom IR Input

, you may use either

the Main remote control or the Zone II remote.
To turn on the multiroom feed, press any of the
Input Selector buttons on the Zone II remote
∫ç∂ or the Main remote

456.

Press the AVR Selector

5∫ to turn the

unit on to the last source, or any of the other
Selector buttons to turn on to a specific source.

As long as an IR feed to the AVR 4550 has been
established from the remote room, using any of
the buttons on either remote will control the
remote location volume 

)î, change the

tuner frequency 

Kè, change the tuner 

preset 

"© or mute the output ,˚.

If the Remote IR Output jack 

 on the 

AVR 4550 is connected to an IR Input jack on
compatible Harman Kardon audio components
such as CD, DVD or cassette players, the trans-
port functions of those machines may also be 
controlled using the Transport Controls
PɃ©˙∆ on either remote 
control.

To turn the system off from the remote room,
press the Power-Off button 

0å.

Remember that the AVR 4550 may be turned on
or off from the remote room regardless of the 
system’s operation or status in the main room.

NOTE: When the tuner is selected as the source
for the remote zone, any change to the frequen-
cy or preset will also change the station being
listened to in the main room, if the tuner is in
use there. Similarly, if someone in the main room
changes the station, the change will also impact
the remote room.

To activate the feed to the remote room, press
the Multiroom button

( on the remote.

Next, press the Set button 

F. Press the 

⁄

¤

buttons 

D to turn the multiroom feed on or

off. When the multiroom system is on, the Multi
indicator D will light in the Main Information
Display ˜, and the Main Information
Display ˜ or OSD will display 

MULTI O N

.

Press the Set button 

F twice to enter the set-

ting.

When the multiroom system is turned on, the
input selected using the Multiroom Menu will be
fed to the Multiroom Output jacks 

 on the

rear panel as well as the A-BUS Jack 

.

The volume will be as set in the same menu,
although it may also be adjusted using an
optional IR sensor and the Zone II remote in the
remote location or on the optional audio power
amplifier connected to the Multiroom Output
jacks 

.

Once the multiroom system is turned on, it will
remain on even if the AVR 4550 is placed in the
Standby mode in the main room by pressing the
Power Off Button

0 or the System Power

Control 2 on the front panel. To turn off the
multiroom system from the main listening room,
when the AVR is on press the Multiroom but-
ton 

( and then the Set button F. Press the

⁄

¤

buttons 

D so that the Multi indicator

D in the Main Information Display ˜ goes
out, and the Main Information Display ˜ or
OSD will display 

MULTI OFF

.

Even when the AVR is turned off (to Standby
mode) and the multiroom system is turned off
too, the multiroom system may be turned on at
any time by pressing the Multiroom button
(, or any of the Selector buttons ∫ç
∂ in the remote room.

      *   M U L T I - R O O M   *

M U L T I - R O O M :

O F F

  O N

M U L T I   I N     : F M   P R E S E T   0 1

M U L T I   V O L   : 2 2 5 d B  

B A C K   T O   M A S T E R   M E N U

TUNER OPERATION  39

The AVR 4550’s tuner is capable of tuning AM,
FM and FM Stereo broadcast stations and receiv-
ing RDS data. Stations may be tuned manually, or
they may be stored as favorite station presets and
recalled from a 30 position memory.

1. Press the AM/FM Tuner Select button 

6

on 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 ! at any time.

2. Press the AM/FM Tuner Select button 

6

or Tuner Band Selector ! again to switch
between AM and FM so that the desired 
frequency band is selected.

3. Press the Tuner Mode button 

I on the

remote or hold the Band Selector ! on the
front panel pressed for 3 seconds to select 
manual or automatic tuning.

When the AUTO indicator J is illuminated in the
Main Information Display ˜ the tuner will
only stop at those stations that have a strong
enough signal to be received with acceptable
quality.

When the AUTO indicator J is not illuminated,
the tuner is in a manual mode and will stop at
each frequency increment in the selected band.

4. To select stations press any Tuning button )
K. When the AUTO indicator J is 
illuminated, press the button to cause the tuner
to search for the next highest or lowest frequen-
cy station that has an acceptable signal or hold
the button pressed to tune fastly and release it
to start the auto search. In the Auto mode the
tuner will play each station in stereo or mono
mode, just as the program is transmitted. If the
AUTO indicator J is not illuminated, tap the
Tuning button )

K to advance one 

frequency increment at a time, or press and hold
it to locate a specific station. When the TUNED
indicator I illuminates, the station is properly
tuned and should be heard with clarity.

5. Stations may also be tuned directly by press-
ing the Direct button 

J, and then pressing

the Numeric Keys

H that correspond to the

station’s frequency. Note that for entering num-
bers higher than 100 you need to enter only the
"1" rather than "10", the first "0" will be
added automatically. The desired station will
automatically be tuned after the latest number is
entered. If you press an incorrect button while
entering a direct frequency, press the Clear
button 

# to start over.

NOTE: When the FM reception of a stereo
station is weak, audio quality will be increased
by switching to Mono mode by pressing the
Tuner Mode button 

I on the remote or hold-

ing the Band Selector ! on the front panel
pressed for 3 seconds until the STEREO H and
AUTO J indicators go out.

Preset Tuning
Using the remote, up to 30 stations may be
stored in the AVR 4550’s memory for easy recall
using the front panel controls or the remote.

To enter a station into the memory, first tune the
station using the steps outlined above. Then:

1. Press the Memory button 

$ on the

remote. Note that MEMORY indicator G will
illuminate and flash in the Main Information
Display ˜.

2. Within five seconds, press the Numeric 
Keys

H corresponding to the location where

you wish to store this station’s frequency. Once
entered, the preset number will appear in the
Main Information Display ˜.

3. Repeat the process after tuning any additional
stations to be preset.

Recalling Preset Stations
• To manually select a station previously entered
in the preset memory, press the Numeric Keys
H that correspond to the desired station’s
memory location.

• To manually tune through the list of stored
preset stations one by one, press the Preset
Stations Selector buttons #

" on the

front panel or remote.

40 TUNER OPERATION

The AVR 4550 is equipped with RDS (Radio Data
System), which brings a wide range of informa-
tion to FM radio. Now in use in many countries,
RDS is a system for transmitting station call signs
or network information, a description of station
program type, text messages about the station or
specifics of a musical selection, and the correct
time.

As more FM stations become equipped with RDS
capabilities, the AVR 4550 will serve as an easy-
to-use center for both information and entertain-
ment. This section will help you take maximum
advantage of the RDS system.

RDS Tuning
When an FM station is tuned in and it contains
RDS data, the RDS Indicator G will illuminate,
after some time also the indicators for all other
RDS services received (see below), and the 
AVR 4550 will automatically display the station’s
call sign or other program service in the Main
Information Display ˜.

RDS Display Options
The RDS system is capable of transmitting a
wide variety of information in addition to the
initial station call sign that appears when a
station is first tuned. In normal RDS operation
the display will indicate the station name,
broadcast network or call letters. Pressing the
RDS button ^

! enables you to cycle

through the various data types in the following
sequence:

• The station’s call letters (with some private
stations other information too).

• The station’s frequency.

• The Program Type (PTY) as shown in the list
below. The PTY Indicator P will illuminate
when this data is being received.

NOTE: Many stations do not transmit a specific
PTY. The display will show 

NONE

, when such a

station is selected and PTY is active.

• A “text” message (Radiotext, RT) containing
special information from the broadcast station.
Note that this message may scroll across the
display to permit messages longer than the eight
positions in the display. Depending on signal
quality, it may take up to 30 seconds for the text
message to appear; in that time, the word

TEXT

will flash in the Information Display

when RT is selected. The RT Indicator R will
illuminate when text data is being received and
ready to be displayed.

• The current time of day (CT). Note that it may
take up to two minutes for the time to appear,
in that time the word 

TIME

will flash in the

information display when CT is selected. The

C T

Indicator O will illuminate when time

data is being received. Please note that the
accuracy of the time data is dependent on the
radio station, not the AVR 4550.

Some RDS stations may not include some of
these additional features. If the data required
for the selected mode is not being transmitted,
the Main Information Display ˜ will show
a 

N O TYPE

,

N O TEXT

or 

N O TIME

message after the individual time out.

In any FM mode the RDS function requires a
strong enough signal for proper operation. If
you receive a partial message, or any of the
RDS, PTY, CT or RT Indicators Q P O N
going on and off, try slowly adjusting the
antenna or tune to another stronger 
RDS station.

Program Search (PTY)
An important feature of RDS is its capability of
encoding broadcasts with Program Type (PTY)
codes that indicate the type of material being
broadcast. The following list shows the
abbreviations used to indicate each PTY, along
with an explanation of the PTY:

• (RDS ONLY)

• (TRAFFIC)

• NEWS: News

• AFFAIRS: Current Affairs

• INFO: Infomation

• SPORT: Sports

• EDUCATE: Educational

• DRAMA: Drama

• CULTURE: Culture

• SCIENCE: Sciencek

• VARIED: Varied Speech Programs

• POPM: Popular Music

• ROCKM: Rock Music

• M.O.R.M.: Middle-of-the-Road Music

• LIGHTM: Classical Music

• CLASSICS: Serious Classical Music

• OTHERM: Other Music

• WEATHER: Weather Information

• FINANCE: Financial Programs

• CHILDREN: Children’s Programs

• SOCIAL A: Social Affairs Programs

• RELIGION: Religious Broadcasts

• PHONE IN: Phone-In Programs

• TRAVEL: Travel and Touring

• LEISURE: Leisure and Hobby

• JAZZ: Jazz Music

• COUNTRY: Country Music

• NATIONAL: National Music

• OLDIES: Oldies Music

• FOLK M: Folk Music

• DOCUMENT: Documentary Programs

• TEST: Emergency Test

• ALARM: Emergency Broadcast Information

You may search for a specific Program Type (PTY)
by following these steps:

1. Press the RDS button ^

! until the 

current PTY is shown in the Main Information
Display ˜.

2. While the PTY is shown, press the Preset
Up/Down button #

" or hold them pressed

to scroll through the list of available PTY types,
as shown above starting with the PTY currently
received. To simply search for the next station
transmitting any RDS data, use the Preset
Up/Down button #

" until 

RDS ONLY

appears in the display.

3. Press any of the Tuning Up/Down buttons
)

K, the tuner begins to scan the FM band

upwards or downwards for the first station that
has RDS data that matches the desired 
selection, and acceptable signal strength for
quality reception.

4. While the PTY Indicator P flashes in the
display, the tuner will make up to one complete
scan of the entire FM band for the next station
that matches the desired PTY type and has
acceptable reception quality. If no such station
is found, the display will read 

NONE

for some

seconds and the tuner will return to the last FM
station in use before the search.

NOTE: Some stations transmit constant traffic
information. To identify as traffic station, they
transmit a specific traffic code constantly, which
causes the TA Indicator M to light in the 
display. These stations can be found by selecting

TRAFFIC

, the option in front of 

NEWS

in

the list. The AVR 4550 RDS will find the next
appropriate station, even if it is not broadcasting
traffic information when the search is made.