54
Operating the DCR600 Receiver (Continued)
digital source is playing, the DCR600 will auto-
matically detect whether it is a multichannel
Dolby Digital, DTS source, MP3 or a conventional
PCM signal, which is the standard output from
CD players. A Bitstream Indicator Awill
light in the Main Information Display Úto
confirm that the digital signal is Dolby Digital, DTS
or PCM.
Digital Status Indicators
When a digital source is playing, the DCR600
senses the type of bitstream data that is present.
Using this information, the correct surround
mode will automatically be selected. For example,
DTS bitstreams will cause the unit to switch to
DTS decoding, and Dolby Digital bitstreams will
enable Dolby Digital decoding. When the unit
senses PCM data from CDs and LDs, it will
allow the appropriate surround sources to be
selected manually. Since the range of available
surround modes is dependent on the type of
digital data that is present, the DCR600 uses a
variety of indicators to let you know what type
of signal is present. This will help you to
understand the choice of modes.
When a digital source is playing, a Bitstream
Indicator Awill light to show which type of
signal is playing:
DOLBY D:When the DOLBY D indicator lights,
a Dolby Digital bitstream is being received.
Depending on the settings on the source player
and specific surround information and number of
channels on the disc, a number of surround
modes are possible. For discs with full 5.1
audio, only the Dolby Digital and VMAx modes
are available. When the Dolby Digital signal is
only two-channel, you may also select from the
Logic 7 Cinema/Music, Hall, Theater, Dolby
Pro Logic or Dolby 3 Stereo modes.
DTS: When the DTS indicator lights, a DTS
bitstream is being received. When the unit senses
this type of data, only the DTS mode may be used.
PCM: When the PCM indicator lights, a standard
Pulse Code Modulation, or PCM, signal is being
received. This is the type of digital audio used
by conventional compact disc and laser disc
recordings. When a PCM bitstream is present, all
modes except Dolby Digital and DTS are available.
MP3: When the MP3 indicator lights, a com-
patible MPEG 1/Layer 3 digital signal is being
received. This is the popular audio format used
by many computer programs for recording com-
pressed audio files. When an MP3 bitstream is
present, the sound will automatically be played
in the Stereo (surround off) mode. The surround
modes are not available during MP3 playback.
MP3 bitstreams can only be received from a
compatible PC sound card with an S/P-DIF
output.
In addition to the bitstream indicators, the
DCR600 features a set of unique channel-input
indicators that tell you how many channels of
digital information are being received and/or
whether the digital signal is interrupted.
These indicators are the L/C/R/LS/RS/LFE let-
ters that are inside the center boxes of the
Speaker/Channel Input Indicators Oin the
front panel Main Information Display Ú.
When a standard analog signal is in use, only
the “L” and “R” indicators will light, as analog
signals have only left and right channels,
respectively.
Digital signals, however, may have two, five or
six separate channels, depending on the
program material, the method of transmission
and the way in which it was encoded. When a
digital signal is playing, the letters in these
indicators will light in response to the specific
signal being received. It is important to note
that although Dolby Digital, for example, is
referred to as a “5.1” system, not all Dolby
Digital DVDs or programs are encoded for 5.1.
Thus, it is sometimes normal for a DVD with a
Dolby Digital soundtrack to trigger only the “L”
and “R” indicators.
NOTE: Many DVD discs are recorded with both
“5.1” and “2.0” versions of the same sound-
track. When playing a DVD, always be certain to
check the type of material on the disc. Most discs
show this information in the form of a listing or
icon on the back of the disc jacket. When a disc
does offer multiple soundtrack choices, you may
have to make some adjustments to your DVD
player (usually with the “Audio Select” button or
in a menu screen on the disc) to send a full 5.1
feed to the DCR600. It is also possible for the
type of signal feed to change during the course
of a DVD playback. In some cases, the previews
of special material will only be recorded in 2.0
audio, while the main feature is available in 5.1
audio. As long as your DVD player is set for 6-
channel output, the DCR600 will automatically
sense changes to the bitstream and channel
count and reflect them in these indicators.
The letters used by the Speaker/Channel
Input Indicators Oalso flash to indicate
when a bitstream 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 paused. 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 DCR600. 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 AC-3 input sources to be
played back with full digital intelligibility while
reducing the minimum peak level by 1/4to 1/3.
This prevents abruptly loud transitions from dis-
turbing others, without reducing the impact of
the digital source. The Night mode is available
only when Dolby Digital signals with special
data are being played.
The Night mode may be engaged when a Dolby
Digital DVD is playing by pressing the Night
Mode Button on the remote. Next, press
the ⁄/¤Buttons yto select either the
middle range or full-compression versions of the
Night mode. To turn the Night mode off, press
the ⁄/¤Buttons yuntil the message
in the lower third of the video display and the
Main Information Display Wreads
D-Range Off. When the Night mode is active,
the Night Mode Indicator Nwill also light.
IMPORTANT NOTES
ON DIGITAL PLAYBACK:
1. 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 Input Indicators Owill
flash. This is normal and does not indicate a
problem with either the DCR600 or the source
machine. The DCR600 will return to digital play-
back as soon as the data is available and when
the machine is in a standard play mode.
2. Although the DCR600 will decode virtually all
DVD movies, CDs and HDTV sources, it is possible
that some future digital sources may not be com-
patible with the DCR600.
