JVC Th A55 Instructions

							Getting started
18
For VCR operations
You can operate your VCR using the remote control supplied with 
this system.
• Refer also to the instructio n manuals supplied with your VCR.
7To set the manufacturer’s code
1Slide the remote cont rol mode selector 
to VCR.
2Press and hold  FVCR.
Keep the button pressed until step 4 is finished.
3Press ENTER.
4Press number buttons (1 -9, 0) to enter 
the manufacturer’s  code (2 digits).
Examples:
For a Panasonic VCR: Press  2, then  1.
For a Philips VCR: Press  0, then  5.
5Release  FVCR.
6Try operating your VCR by pressing 
F VCR.
When your VCR turns on or off, you have entered the correct 
code.
If there is more than one cord listed for your brand, try each 
one until you enter  the correct one.
NOTE
 Manufacturers’ codes are subject to  change without notice. If they are 
changed, this remote control cannot operate the equipment.
 Set the codes again after replacing th e batteries of the remote control.
7Operation
IMPORTANT
Before using the remote c ontrol to operate a VCR; 
 Set the remote contro l mode selector to VCR.
The following buttons are available:
F VCR : Turns VCR on and off.
3  (play button): Starts playback.
7 : Stops operation.
8 : Pauses playback.
¢ : Fast forwards video tape.
4 : Rewinds video tape.
REC : Press this button together with  3 (play button) to 
start recording or together with  8 to pause 
recording.
CHANNEL +/– : Changes the TV channels on the VCR.
Manufac-
turerCode Manufac-
turerCode
JVC 01 Nokia 16
Aiwa 02, 20 Nordmende 17 – 19, 31
Bell+Howell 03, 16 Orion 20
Blaupunkt 04 Panasonic 21
CGM 03, 05, 16 Philips 05, 22
Daewoo 34 Phonola 05
Digtal 05 Saba 17 – 19, 23, 31
Fisher 03, 16 Samsung 24, 25
G.E. 06 Sanyo 03, 16
Grundig 07 Sharp 26, 27
Hitachi 08, 09 Siemens 07
Loewe 05, 10, 11 Sony 28 – 30, 35
Magnavox 04, 05 Telefunken 17 – 19, 31, 32
Mitsubishi 12 – 15 Toshiba 33
TH-A85-55[B]-04Start.fm  Page 18   Thursday, April 10, 2003  3:58 PM
 
						

							19
Basic operations
This section mainly explains operations co mmonly used when you 
enjoy this system.
• Turn on your TV and select the  correct input mode on the TV.
IMPORTANT
Before using the remote control for the following 
operation, 
 Set the remote control mode selector to  AUDIO.
7To turn the power on
On the remote control:
Press  FAUDIO.
On the center unit:
Press  F.
The STANDBY lamp goes off.
When DVD is selected as the source ( Apg. 20), the opening 
screen* appears on the TV screen.
* Opening screen
The following messages may 
appear in the message area 
depending on the status of this 
system.
 “OPEN”/“CLOSE”:
Appears when opening or 
closing the disc tray.
 “NOW READING”: Appears when the system is 
reading the disc information.
 “REGION CODE ERROR!”: Appears when the Region Code  of the DVD does not match the 
code the center unit supports.  The DVD cannot be played back.
“NO DISC”: Appears when no disc is loaded to the disc tray.
7 To turn the power off
On the remote control:
Press  FAUDIO again.
On the center unit:
Press  F again.
The STANDBY lamp lights.
NOTE
 The power supply to the subwoofer  is linked to the center unit. The 
POWER ON lamp on the subwoofer li ghts green when the power is 
turned on.
 A small amount of the power is co nsumed even when the power is 
turned off (center unit only). This is called standby mode and the 
STANDBY lamp lights in this mode . Unplug the power cord from the 
AC outlet to turn the power off completely.
 You can also turn on the system by pressing the following buttons;
OPEN/CLOSE  on the remote control or  0 on the center unitOne of the source selecting but tons on the remote control
3 on the remote control (except after pressing  FM/AM) or on the 
center unit
Source 
selecting 
buttons
Remote control
mode selector
Turning the system on/off
NOW READING
Message area
TH-A85-55[B]-05Basic.fm  Page 19   Friday, April 11, 2003  3:20 PM
 
						

							Basic operations
20
On the remote control:
Press one of the source selecting buttons 
(DVD, FM/AM, AUX or TV SOUND).
DV D : To play back a disc  (DVD, Video CD etc.). 
( A pg. 23, 25)
FM/AM : To tune in an FM or AM (MW) station. ( Apg. 27)
Each time you press the button, the band alternates 
between FM and AM (MW).
AUX : To select the source from  a component connected to 
the AUX IN jacks or DIGITAL IN jack. ( Apg. 14)
Each time you press the button, the source alternates 
between “AUX” and “AUX DIGITAL”.
TV SOUND : To select the TV (that outputs sound signals) 
connected to the AV (SCART) connector. ( Apg. 8)
On the center unit:
Press SOURCE repeatedl y until the source 
name you want appear s on the display 
window.
Each time you press the button, the source changes as follows;
]  DVD  ] AM  ] FM  ] AUX  ] AUX DIGITAL  ] TV 
SOUND  ] (back to the beginning)
The selected source name  appears on the display window.
Example: When “AUX” is selected. 
NOTE
 When a source except DVD is select ed, this system does not output 
video signals.
CAUTION
 Always set the volume to minimum level before starting any source.
If the volume is set at its high le vel, the sudden blast of sound could 
permanently damage your hearing and/or blow out the speakers.
You can adjust the volume level within the range from “0” 
(minimum) to “70” (maximum).
On the remote control:
Press AUDIO VOL + or –.
 Press  + to increase volume.
 Press  – to decrease volume.
On the center unit:
Press VOLUME + or –.
 Press  + to increase volume.
 Press  – to decrease volume.
The volume level appears on the display window.
CAUTION
Be sure to turn down the volume;
 Before connecting or putting on  headphones as high volume may 
damage both the headphones and your hearing.
 Before disconnecting headphones as  high volume may be suddenly 
output from the speakers.
Connect a pair of headphones to  the PHONES jack on the center 
unit. This cancels the surround mode ( Apg. 35) currently selected, 
deactivates the speakers, turns the subwoofer’s power off, and 
activates the headphone mode. “HEADPHONE” appears on the 
display window.
 Disconnecting a pair of he adphones from the PHONES jack 
cancels the headphone mode and  activates the speakers at the 
previously selected surround mode.
Headphone mode
When using the headphones, the  following signals are output 
regardless of your speaker setting;
 For 2 channel sources, the front  left and right channel signals are 
output directly from the le ft and right headphones.
 For multi-channel sources, the  front left and right, center and 
surround channel signals are down-mixed and then output from 
the headphones.
You can enjoy the down-mixed  multi-channel sound source using 
the headphones.
On the remote control:
Press MUTING.
“MUTING” appears on the displa y window and the sound turns off.
To restore the sound
Press  MUTING  again.
 Pressing  AU D IO VO L + / –  (or VOLUME +/–  on the center unit) 
also restores the sound.
Selecting the source to 
play
Adjusting the volumeListening with headphones
Turning off the sound 
temporarily
LPCM
TH-A85-55[B]-05Basic.fm  Page 20  Thursday, April 10, 2003  3:59 PM
 
						

							Basic operations
21
IMPORTANT
Before using the remote control for the following 
operation, 
 Set the remote control mode selector to AUDIO
.You can dim the indications on the display window and the 
illumination lamp level on the center unit.
On the remote control:
Press DIMMER.
Each time you press the button, the brightness level changes as 
follows;

 OFF  DIMMER1  DIMMER2  (back to the 
beginning)
 OFF: Returns to the normal level.
 DIMMER1: Dims the display window and the illumination 
lamp.
 DIMMER2: Dims the display window more than DIMMER1 
and turns off the illumination lamp.
Using the Sleep Timer, you can fall asleep while listening to music 
and know the system will turn off by itself rather than play all night.
On the remote control:
Press SLEEP.
Each time you press the button, the shut-off time changes as 
follows;

 0min (cancelled)  10min (minutes)  20min  30min 
 60min  90min  120min  150min  (back to the 
beginning)
To check the remaining time until the shut-off time
Press SLEEP
 once.
 The remaining time until the shut-off time appears on the display 
window for a while.
To change the remaining time until the shut-off time
Press SLEEP
 repeatedly.
 Each time you press the button, the shut-off time changes.
To cancel the Sleep Timer
Press SLEEP
 repeatedly until “0min” appears on the display 
window.
 Turning off the power also cancels the Sleep Timer.
NOTE
 When DVD is selected as the source to play, the system can also turn 
off automatically if playback is not restarted within the length of time 
you have specified (Auto Standby function). (A
pg. 55)
 When both the Sleep Timer and Auto Standby function are activated, 
if the shut-off time set by the Auto Standby function comes earlier 
than the one set by the Sleep Timer, the Auto Standby function 
controls shut-off time.
Remote control
mode selector
Adjusting the brightness
Using the Sleep Timer
TH-A85-55[B].book  Page 21  Friday, March 28, 2003  12:01 PM
 
						

							Basic operations
22
You can adjust the output level within the range from –10 to 10.
On the remote control:
Press S.WFR +/–.
NOTE
 You can also make adjustments using the choice menu shown on the TV screen. ( Apg. 54)
 The adjustments on a source take effect for the other sources.
You can adjust each  enhancement level from the front speakers 
within the range from –10 to 10.
On the remote control:
Press BASS +/– for bass sound.
Press TREBLE +/– for treble sound.
NOTE
 You can also make adjustments using the choice menu shown on the 
TV screen. ( Apg. 53)
 The adjustments on a source take effect for the other sources.
 You can adjust bass/treble enhancement level only for front left/right 
channel. However, the supplied speakers cannot add the effective 
change to the bass sound because of their cutoff frequency even if the 
bass sound adjustment is made. ( Apg. 54)
To change the bass enhancement leve l more efficiently, adjust the 
output level of the subwoofer. ( A “Adjusting the output level of the 
subwoofer”)
(When you change the front speakers  to the larger ones and select 
“LARGE” for the front speakers in the SIZE sub-menu ( Apg. 54), 
the effective adjustment of bass  sound is also possible by pressing 
BASS +/– .)
When you play a disc (or software ) encoded with Dolby Digital or 
DTS Digital Surround, the foll owing symptoms may occur;
 Sound does not come out at the beginning of playback.
 Noise comes out while searchi ng for or skipping chapters or 
tracks.
In these cases, change the decode  mode to “DOLBY D” (for Dolby 
Digital) or “DTS” (for DTS Digital Surround).
7 When DVD or AUX DIGITAL is selected as the source
On the remote control:
Press DECODE to  select the decode mode.
The current decode mode a ppears on the display window.
Example: When “AUTO/PCM” is selected.
Each time you press the button,  the decode mode changes as 
follows;
]  AUTO/PCM  ] DOLBY D  ] DTS  ] (back to the 
beginning)
 AUTO/PCM: Normally select this. The system automatically  detects the incoming signals.
 DOLBY D: Select this if the symptoms above occur when  playing a disc (or software) encoded with Dolby 
Digital.
 DTS: Select this if the symptoms above occur when  playing a disc (or software) encoded with DTS 
Digital Surround.
NOTE
 When “DOLBY D” or “DTS” is selected, if a signal encoded with 
another digital format comes in, you cannot listen to the sound. (The 
G DIGITAL or  C indicator flashes.)
 Changing the source returns the decode mode to “AUTO/PCM”  automatically.
Adjusting the output level 
of the subwoofer
Adjusting the bass/treble 
sound Changing the decode 
mode
TH-A85-55[B]-05Basic.fm  Page 22  Thursday, April 10, 2003  4:00 PM
 
						

							23
Playback
This section explains basic operations of DVD player.
For more details about DVD player operations, see pages 37 to 49.
•  shows the types of discs the operation is 
available for.
 Turn on your TV and select the correct input mode on the TV.
IMPORTANT
Before using the remote control for the following 
operation; 
1 Set the remote control mode selector to 
AUDIO.
2Press DV D.
7To load a disc
1Press 0 on the center unit or OPEN/
CLOSE on the remote control to open 
the disc tray.
The system turns on and the disc tray comes out.
2Place a disc on the disc tray.
7To start playback
3Press 3 (play button).
The system starts playback after closing the disc tray.
You can use the same buttons on the center unit for operations 
unless otherwise noted.
When loading an MP3 disc
The MP3 control display (Apg. 40) appears on the TV screen and 
playback starts from the first track in the first group after pressing 
3 (play button) in step 3. When all tracks in a group have been 
played, the system starts playback of tracks in the next group.
When loading a JPEG disc
The slide-show* playback starts from the first file in the first group 
after pressing 3 (play button) in step 3. When stopping playback of 
a JPEG disc, the JPEG control display (Apg. 41) appears on the 
TV screen.
* Slide-show
Each file (still picture) is shown on the TV screen for about 3 
seconds, then changed to the next file one after another 
automatically. When all files in a group have been played, the 
system starts playback of files in the next group.
7To pause playback
Press 8.
To return to normal playback, press 3 (play button).
7To stop playback
Press 7.
To remove a disc
Press 0 on the center unit or OPEN/CLOSE on the remote 
control. 
Remote control
mode selector
(play button)
Basic playback
With the label side up
When placing an 8 cm disc
TH-A85-55[B]-05Basic.fm  Page 23  Wednesday, April 2, 2003  1:03 PM
 
						

							Playback
24
NOTE
• You can check playback information on the display window and the TV screen. ( Apg. 37)
 Some tracks on an MP3 disc may be  skipped or may not be played 
back normally.
 When you play back a JPEG disc , press buttons after the whole 
picture appears on the TV screen. The system cannot accept 
operations even though you press  buttons while showing a picture.
 Some files on a JPEG disc ma y be played back distortedly.
 If a black screen continuously appe ars in the slide-show playback, the 
file currently being played may be a non-baseline JPEG file. In this 
case, select a playable file (a base line JPEG file). For example, press 
7  or  MENU  to open the JPEG control display, etc. Note that it may 
take a long time to select another file.
7 Resume Playback (DVD/Video CD/SVCD only)
When Resume Playback is set to “ON” ( Apg. 55) and you stop 
playback by the following operati ons, the position where playback 
has been stopped is stored. (T he RESUME indicator lights.)
 Turning off the power ( Apg. 19)
 Pressing  7
 Changing the source ( Apg. 20)
To start playback from the stored position
(The RESUME indicator goes off.)
 Press  3 (play button) on the remote control or the center unit.
 Select DVD as the source again if you changed the source.
To clear the stored position
Press  7 again or open the disc tray. 
 When the stored position has been  cleared, playback starts from 
the beginning of the disc.
7 To prevent screen burn-out with the screen saver
A TV screen may burn out if a stat ic picture is displayed for a long 
time. To prevent this, the system automatically dims the screen if a 
static picture is displayed for ov er 5 minutes (the screen saver 
function).
 Pressing any button will cancel the screen saver function.
 If you do not want to use the sc reen saver function, see page 53.
7On-screen guide icons
During DVD playback, the followi ng guide icons may appear for a 
while on the TV screen;
 : appears at the beginning  of a scene containing multi-
subtitle languages.
 : appears at the beginning of  a scene containing multi-audio 
languages.
 : appears at the beginning of  a scene containing multi-angle 
views.
  (Play),   (Pause),   /   (Fast forward/
fast-reverse),   /   (Slow-motion forward/
reverse): appears when you perform each operation.
 If “ B” appears on the TV screen when  pressing a button, the disc 
cannot accept an operation you have tried to do or information 
required for that operation is not recorded to the disc.
NOTE
 In some cases, without showing “ B”, operations will not be accepted.
 If you do not want the on-screen guide icons to appear, see page 55.
7 Playback information on the display window
DVD
Example: When a DVD encoded with  Dolby Digital 5.1ch is played 
Video CD/SVCD/Audio CD
Example: When a Video CD is played back 
NOTE
 When a Video CD or SVCD with PB C function is played, the elapsed 
playing time does not appear, but “PBC” appears.
MP3 disc
JPEG disc
Signal and speaker indicators
Chapter number
Elapsed playing time
(hour:minute:second)
Surround mode and digital signal format Title number
Each time FL DISPLAY  is pressed, the indications 
alternate betwee n those shown above and below.
Chapter number
Track number
Elapsed playing time (minute:second) Signal and speaker
indicators
Track number
Elapsed playing time (minute:second)(during playback only)
Group number Track number
Each time  FL DISPLAY  is pressed, the indications 
alternate between those  shown above and below.
Signal and speaker
indicators
MP3 indicator
Group number File number
Continued on next page
TH-A85-55[B]-05Basic.fm  Page 24  Wednesday, April 16, 2003  6:32 PM
 
						

							Playback
25
NOTE
• You can change the time information mode. (Apg. 38)
 You can also check the playback information on the TV screen.  (A pg. 37)
7 Tray lock
You can lock the tray and prohibit the unwanted disc ejection by 
children.
On the center unit ONLY:
While the system is turned off
Press and hold  7, then press  0.
 The system turns on and “LOCKED” appears on the display 
window.
 If you try to eject a disc, “LOCKE D” appears and indicates that 
the tray is locked.
To unlock the tray
When the system is turned off, press and hold  7, then press  0.
 The system turns on and “UNL OCKED” appears on the display 
window.
IMPORTANT
Before using the remote control for the following 
operation; 
1 Set the remote control mode selector to  AUDIO .
2 Press  DV D.
One Touch Replay
You can move back the pla yback position by 10 seconds 
from the current position.
7 During playback
On the remote control:
Press .
NOTE
 This function works between chapters in the same title.
 This function may not work for some DVDs.
Playback features
Number 
buttons
(play button)
Remote control
mode selector
TH-A85-55[B]-05Basic.fm  Page 25   Friday, April 11, 2003  3:22 PM
 
						

							Playback
26
Fast-forward/fast-reverse search
You can search for a particular point 
while playing a disc. 
7During playback
On the remote control:
Press ¡/1.
Each time you press the button, the search speed changes as 
follows;
Forward:
Reverse:
*  and   are only available for DVD.
To return to normal speed playback
Press 3 (play button).
On the remote control and the center unit:
Press and hold ¢/4.
Continuously pressing ¢/4 increases the fast-forward/reverse 
search speed as follows;
To return to normal speed playback
Release the button.
NOTE
• When a DVD, Video CD or SVCD is played back, no sound comes 
out during fast-forward/reverse search.
 When an Audio CD is played back, sound is intermittent and low 
during fast-forward/reverse search.
 This function may not work for some DVDs.
Locating the beginning of a desired 
selection
You can locate the 
beginning of a 
chapter, track or file.
7For DVD (chapter): During playback
For Video CD/SVCD (track): During playback without PBC 
function
For Audio CD/MP3/JPEG (track/file): During playback or while 
stopped
To skip chapters, tracks or files forward
Press ¢ as many times as required.
To skip to the beginning of the current chapter, track or 
file
Press 4 once.
To skip chapters, tracks or files backward
Press 4 as many times as required.
NOTE
 This function may not work for some DVDs.
 When playing a Video CD or SVCD with the PBC function, ¢ and 
4 may be used for the operations of menu-driven playback. 
(Apg. 4, 39)
 When playing back an MP3/JPEG disc, you can make operations 
using the MP3/JPEG control display. (Apg. 40, 41)
Locating a desired selection using number 
buttons
You can locate the 
desired title, chapter, 
track or file by 
selecting its number.
7For DVD (title, chapter):
While stopped (the title number is selected.)
During playback (the chapter number is selected.)
For Video CD/SVCD (track): During playback without PBC 
function
For Audio CD/MP3/JPEG (track/file): During playback or while 
stopped
On the remote control:
Press number buttons (1-10, +10) to select 
the desired title, chapter or track number.
Examples:
To select 3: Press 3.
To select 14: Press +10, then 4.
To select 24: Press +10 twice, then 4.
To select 40: Press +10 three times, then 10.
The specified title, chapter, track or file number appears on the 
display window and playback begins from that location.
NOTE
 While playing a DVD, if a menu is shown on the TV screen, number 
buttons may be used for selecting an item in the menu. (Apg. 38)
 While playing a Video CD or SVCD with the PBC function, if a menu 
is shown on the TV screen, number buttons are used for selecting an 
item in the menu. (Apg. 39)
*
*
/
TH-A85-55[B]-05Basic.fm  Page 26  Wednesday, April 2, 2003  1:06 PM
 
						

							27
Tuner operations
You can browse through all the stations or use the preset function to 
go immediately to a particular station.
IMPORTANT
Before using the remote control for the following 
operation; 
1 Set the remote control mode selector to 
AUDIO.
2Press FM/AM.On the remote control:
1Press FM/AM repeatedly to select the 
band.
Each time you press the button, the band alternates between 
FM and AM (MW).
The selected band appears on the display window, then the last 
received station appears.
Example: When AM is selected
2Press TUNINGª or TUNING· 
repeatedly until you find the frequency 
you want.
When you hold down the button until the system starts 
searching for stations and then release it, the system stops 
searching automatically when a station of sufficient signal 
strength is tuned in to.
•TUNINGª: Increases frequency.
TUNING·: Decreases frequency.
NOTE
 When a station of sufficient signal strength is tuned in, the TUNED 
indicator lights on the display window.
 When an FM stereo program is received, the ST indicator lights on the 
display window.
Once a station is assigned to a channel number, the station can be 
quickly tuned in. You can preset 30 FM and 15 AM (MW) stations.
7To preset the stations
NOTE
Before you start operation; There is a time limit when doing the following steps. If the setting is 
cancelled before you finish, start from step 2 again.
1Tune in the station you want to preset.
 For the detailed procedure, see “Manual tuning”.
 If you want to store the FM reception mode for an FM 
station, select the reception mode you want. See “Selecting 
the FM reception mode” (Apg. 28).
Number buttons Remote control
mode selector
Manual tuning
Preset tuning
After a few seconds
TH-A85-55[B]-06Tuner.fm  Page 27  Wednesday, April 2, 2003  1:08 PM