JVC Th M303 Instructions

							18
Basic operations
IMPORTANT
Before using the remote control for the following 
operation; 
• Set the remote control mode selector to AUDIO.On the remote control:
Press FAUDIO.
On the center unit:
Press F.
When DVD is selected as the source (Apg. 19), the following 
messages will appear on the TV screen.
NOTE
 The STANDBY lamp turns on when the power is turned off and turns 
off when the power is turned on.
 The power supply to the subwoofer is linked to the center unit. The 
POWER ON lamp on the subwoofer lights green when the power is 
turned on.
 A small amount of the power is consumed 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;
One of 0 buttons on the center unit
One of the source selecting buttons on the remote controlOne of the DISC (1-5) 3 buttons or 3 on the center unit.
You can use the same buttons on the remote control except after 
pressing FM/AM.
The buttons on the remote control are used to explain most of the 
operations in this manual. You can use the buttons on the center 
unit same as on the remote control for operations unless 
otherwise noted.
The buttons described below are used on 
pages 18 to 21.
Source
selecting
buttons
Remote control 
mode selector
Cursor
(3/2/Y/5)/
ENTER
Turning the system on/off
 “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 VIDEO does not 
match the code the system supports. The disc cannot be 
played back.
 “NO DISC”:
Appears when no disc is loaded.
 “CANNOT PLAY THIS DISC”:
Appears when unplayable disc is loaded.
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							Basic operations
19
On the remote control:
Press one of the source selecting buttons 
(DVD, FM/AM, VCR or DBS).
DV D: To play back a disc (DVD VIDEO, VCD etc.). (Apg. 22)
FM/AM: To tune in an FM or AM station. (Apg. 42)
Each time you press the button, the band alternates 
between FM and AM.
VCR: To select the source from a component connected to the 
VCR IN jacks and AUDIO IN (VCR) jacks. (Apg. 15)
DBS: To select the source from a component connected to the 
DIGITAL IN (DBS) jack. (Apg. 15)
On the center unit:
Press SOURCE repeatedly until the source 
name you want appears on the display 
window.
NOTE
 When AM, FM or DBS is selected as the source, the system does not 
output video signals.
 It may take time to change the source.
CAUTION
 Always set the volume to minimum level before starting any source.
If the volume is set at its high level, the sudden blast of sound could 
permanently damage your hearing and/or blow out the speakers.
On the remote control:
Press AUDIO VOL + or –.
On the center unit:
Turn VOLUME.
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.
While connecting a pair of headphones to the PHONES jack on the 
center unit, the system automatically cancels the surround mode 
(Apg. 26) currently selected, deactivates the speakers, turn the 
subwoofer’s power off, and activates the headphone mode. 
“HEADPHONE” appears on the display window.
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 from the headphones.
 Multi-channel signals are down-mixed and output from the 
headphones.
 (DVD AUDIO) When the disc prohibits down-mixing, only the 
front left and right channels are output from the headphones. In 
this case, “L/R ONLY” appears on the display window for a few 
seconds.
Press MUTING.
To restore the sound
Perform one on the following:
 Press MUTING again.
 Press AUDIO VOL +/– (or turn VOLUME on the center unit).
Press DIMMER.
Each time you press the button, the brightness level changes.
Selecting the source to 
play
Adjusting the volume 
[VOLUME]
Listening with headphones 
(not supplied)
Turning off the sound 
temporarily [MUTING]
Adjusting the brightness 
of the indications 
[DIMMER]
See page 18 for button locations.
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							Basic operations
20
The system turns off automatically when the specified period of 
time has passed.
Press SLEEP.
Each time you press the button, the shut-off time changes.
Example:
To check the remaining time
Press  SLEEP  once.
To change the  remaining time
Press  SLEEP  repeatedly.
To cancel
Press  SLEEP  repeatedly until “S LEEP OFF” appears.
 Turning off the power also cancels the Sleep Timer.
Press S.WFR +/– to adjust the subwoofer.
Press CENTER +/– to  adjust the center 
speaker.
Press SURR.-L +/– to  adjust the surround 
left speaker.
Press SURR.-R +/– to  adjust the surround 
right speaker.
NOTE
 You can also make adjustments by using the setup menu shown on the 
TV screen. ( Apg. 39)
 The adjustments take  effect for all sources.
 You cannot make this adjustment when FM or AM is selected as the  source.
Press TREBLE +/–.
NOTE
 The adjustments take  effect for all sources.
The system can be accommodated to your TV’s scan mode.
NOTE
To use the system in PROGRESSIVE mode, it is required that the 
center unit is connected to the TV 
by using a component video cord 
(not supplied). ( Apg. 14)
7 While DVD is selected as  the source and stopped
1Press and hold SCAN MODE for 
2 seconds.
“INTERLACE” or “PROGRESSI VE” appears on the display 
window.
2Press Cursor  3/2  to select the desired 
mode.
 INTERLACE: Select this when your TV supports the 
interlaced video input only.
 PROGRESSIVE: Select this wh en your TV equipped with 
component jacks supports the progressive 
video input.
You can get better picture qua lity in PROGRESSIVE mode 
than in INTERLACE mode.
3Press ENTER while  the selected mode 
is displayed.
When “PROGRESSIVE” is selected, the PROGRESSIVE 
indicator lights on the display window.
NOTE
 Although the picture may be distorted when you press  ENTER, this 
is not a malfunction of the system.
 “INTERLACE” is select ed at your purchase.
Sleep Timer [SLEEP]
Adjusting the output level 
of the subwoofer and 
center/surround speakers 
[SUBWFR, CENTER, 
SURR L/R]
Adjusting the treble 
sound [TREBLE]
SLEEP 60mi n
minutes
Changing the scan mode
 There are some progressive TVs and High-Definition TVs that are 
not fully compatible with this sy stem, resulting in an unnatural 
picture when playing back a DVD VIDEO in the progressive scan 
mode. In such a case, change the scan mode to “INTERLACE”.
To check the compatibility of yo ur TV, contact your local JVC 
customer service center.
 All JVC progressive TVs and  High-Definition TVs are fully 
compatible with this system.
See page 18 for button locations.
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							Basic operations
21
NOTE
• When you change the positioning of the speakers or listener, or 
replace the supplied speakers with other ones, perform Smart 
Surround Setup again.
7While DVD is selected as the source and stopped
1Take your position where you listen to 
the sound.
2Press and hold SMART S.SETUP.
“SETTING UP” flashes on the display window.
3Press ENTER, press Cursor Y/5 to 
select the distance between the front 
speakers and the listening position, 
then press ENTER.
4Press Cursor Y/5 to select START, 
then press ENTER.
5Clap your hands over your head once.
6Make sure that “COMPLETED !” 
appears on the TV screen, then press 
SMART S.SETUP.
The system detects your clapping sound through the satellite 
speakers, then automatically makes the best settings for each 
speaker. “COMPLETED !” appears on the TV screen when 
Smart Surround Setup completes.When “FAILED !” appears on the TV screen
The system could not detect the clapping sound correctly. In such a 
case, follow the instructions that appears on the TV screen.
 When the system detects the clapping sound as “FAILED !” three 
times, set the distance (DISTANCE) and the output level 
(LEVEL) manually (Apg. 39).
To cancel
Press SMART S.SETUP.
NOTE
 You need to set the subwoofer’s output level (LEVEL) manually. 
(Apg. 20 or 39)
 In step 2, “SW ERROR” appears on the display window if the center 
unit and the powered subwoofer are not connected correctly by using 
the supplied system cord.
Optimizing the speaker 
settings [Smart Surround 
Setup]
See page 18 for button locations.
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							22
Playback
• The icon such as   shows the types of discs the operation is 
available for.
IMPORTANT
Before using the remote control for the 
following operation; 
1 Set the remote control mode selector to 
AUDIO.
2Press DV D.1Press the desired 
DISC (1-5) 0 on the 
center unit.
 The system turns on and the 
disc tray comes out.
2Place a disc.
3Press DISC (1-5).
For MP3/WMA disc
The file control display (Apg. 30) appears on the TV screen.
For JPEG disc
Each file (still pictures) is shown on the TV screen for about 3 
seconds (slide-show). When stopping playback, the file control 
display (Apg. 30) appears on the TV screen.
For MPEG4 disc
Pressing TOP MENU or MENU shows the file control display 
(Apg. 30) on the TV screen during playback.
7To pause playback
Press 8.
To return to playback, press 3 (play button).
7To stop
Press 7.
7On-screen guide icons
During DVD VIDEO playback, the following 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.
 : the disc cannot accept an operation you have tried to do.
The buttons described below are used on pages 22 to 25.
Remote control 
mode selector (play button)
Number buttons
Disc lamps
(TH-M606/TH-M603/TH-M505/
TH-M501 only)
Basic playback
Label side upWhen placing an 8 cm 
(3 inches) disc
Continued on next page
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							Playback
23
NOTE
• Up to 5 discs can be loaded.
 You can also start playback by pressing 3 (play button) or DVD.
 The system plays back available discs sequentially until you stop 
playback or until the disc loaded on the DISC 5 tray reaches to the 
end.
 (For JPEG) The system cannot accept operations even though you 
press any buttons before the entire picture appears on the TV screen.
 If you do not want the on-screen guide icons to appear, see page 40.
7Playback information on the display window
DVD VIDEO
Example:
When a DVD VIDEO encoded with Dolby Digital 5.1ch is played 
DVD AUDIO
 
VCD/SVCD/CD
Example:
When a CD is played back 
*1VCD indication appears for VCD/SVCD.
NOTE
 When a VCD or SVCD with PBC function is played, the elapsed 
playing time does not appear, but “PBC” appears.
MP3/WMA disc
Example:
When an MP3 disc is played back
*2WMA indicator lights for WMA disc.
JPEG disc
MPEG4 disc
NOTE
 You can change the time information mode (except for MP3/WMA/
JPEG/MPEG4). (Apg. 28)
 You can also check the playback information on the TV screen. 
(Apg. 27)
C10:02:31
DVD T 1 C 1
Signal and speaker indicators (Apg. 27) Chapter numberElapsed playing time
(hour:minute:second)
Surround mode and digital signal format (Apg. 26)
Title number
Pressing FL DISPLAY
Chapter number
T11:23:45
DVDA G1 T 1
Track number Elapsed playing time
(hour:minute:second)
Group numberSignal and speaker indicators
Pressing FL DISPLAY
Track number
CD 1 1 0 : 3 1
Track number
Elapsed playing time (minute:second)Signal and speaker
indicators
*1
TR123 12 : 34
MP3 G12T123
Track number
Elapsed playing time (minute:second)
(during playback only)
Group number
Track number
Pressing FL DISPLAY
Signal and speaker
indicators
MP3 indicator
*2
*2
JPG G12F123
Group number File number
G12T123
TR123 10 : 31
AS F
Signal and speaker indicators Elapsed playing time (minute:second)
(during playback only)
Track number Track number
Group number
Pressing FL DISPLAY
See page 22 for button locations.
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							Playback
24
7Disc information on the display window
The disc indicators on the display  window show the current status 
of the corresponding disc tray.
Example:
When the discs are loaded to disc trays 1, 2 and 5, and the disc in the 
disc tray 5 is selected.
About the disc lamps (For TH-M606/TH-M603/TH-M505/
TH-M501)
The disc lamps on the center unit al so show the disc status. Only 
the disc lamp currently selected lights.
7 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 39.
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 in the same title.
 This feature may not work for some discs.
7 During playback
On the remote 
control:
Press  y or 1 .
Each time you press the button, the search speed changes ( M2, 
M 5, M 10,  M20,  M60).
To return to normal speed playback
Press  3 (play button).
On the remote control and the center unit:
Press and hold  x or 4 .
Continuously pressing  x or 4  increases the fast-forward/
reverse search speed ( M5 →  M 20).
NOTE
 The operation with  x or 4  above is available for a disc other 
than MPEG4 disc.
 When a DVD VIDEO, VCD, SVCD, or MPEG4 disc is played back,  no sound comes out during fast -forward/reverse search.
 When a DVD AUDIO or CD is played back, sound is intermittent and  low during fast-forward/reverse search.
 This feature may not work for some discs.
7 Using  x/4  buttons
7For DVD VIDEO (chapter): 
During playback
For VCD/SVCD (track): 
During playback without PBC function
For DVD AUDIO/CD/MP3/WMA/JPE G/MPEG4 (track/file): 
During playback or while stopped
Press  x or 4  repeatedly.
NOTE
 When playing back an MP3/JPEG disc, you can make operations 
using the file control display. ( Apg. 30)
 This feature may not work for some discs.
One Touch Replay
Currently loaded disc number Currently selected 
disc number
Fast-forward/fast-reverse 
search
Skip to the beginning of a 
desired selection
Continued on next page
See page 22 for button locations.
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25
7Using number buttons on the remote control
7For DVD VIDEO (title, chapter):
While stopped, the title number is selected.
During playback, the chapter number is selected.
For DVD AUDIO (track): 
During playback or while stopped
For VCD/SVCD (track): 
During playback without PBC function
For CD/MP3/WMA/JPEG/MPEG4 (track/file): 
During playback or while stopped
Press number buttons (0-10, +10) to select 
the desired number.
• For details on using the number buttons, see “How to use the 
number buttons” below.
7During playback or while 
stopped
1Press TITLE/
GROUP.
“_ _” or “_” is shown in the title/group display area in the 
display window.
Example:
During DVD VIDEO playback
2While the display window shows “_ _” 
or “_”, use number buttons (0-10, +10) 
to enter the desired title or group 
number.
The system starts playback from the first chapter/track/file of 
the selected title/group.
 For details on using the number buttons, see “How to use the 
number buttons” above.
NOTE
 This feature may not work for some discs.
Some DVD AUDIOs have a special group called “bonus 
group” whose contents are not open to the public. The 
bonus group is always assigned to the last group of a disc. 
To play back a bonus group, you have to enter the specific “key 
number” (a password). The way of getting the key number depends 
on the disc. After getting the key number, you can play back the 
bonus group by following the procedure below.
7While the BONUS indicator lights up on the display window
1Select the bonus group.
For selecting the group, see “Locating a desired title/group 
using number buttons” described above.
The key number entry indication appears.
On the TV
On the display window
2Press number buttons (0-9) to enter the 
key number, then press ENTER.
When you enter the correct key number, playback starts and 
the BONUS indicator goes off.
 If you enter the wrong number, reenter the correct number.
To clear the key number entry
Perform whichever one of the following:
 Press 7.
 Open the disc tray.
 Turn off the system.
NOTE
 In Random Playback, tracks in the bonus group are not played back.
How to use the number buttons
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.
Or press +10 four times, then 0.
Locating a desired title/
group using number 
buttons
T__
1:23:45
Playing back a bonus 
group
KEY____
See page 22 for button locations.
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							26
Advanced operations
• The icon such as   shows the types of discs the operation is 
available for.
IMPORTANT
Before using the remote control for the following 
operation;
1 Set the remote control mode selector to 
AUDIO.
2Press DV D.
 There are exceptions in the operation mentioned above. In such a 
case, follow each instruction.7Auto Surround (AUTO SURR)
Used to reproduce the sound as it is recorded without any 
conversion (downmixing or simulation, etc.). For example, a 
multichannel source is automatically reproduced in multichannel 
audio.
7Dolby Surround
Dolby Pro Logic II*1
Dolby Pro Logic II has a newly developed multichannel playback 
format to decode all 2 channel sources — stereo source and Dolby 
Surround encoded source — into a 5.1 channel.
Dolby Pro Logic II has two modes — Movie mode and Music 
mode:
• Pro Logic II Movie (PL II MOVIE)
Suitable for reproduction of Dolby Surround encoded sources 
bearing the mark  .
 Pro Logic II Music (PL II MUSIC)
Suitable for reproduction of any 2 channel stereo music sources.
Dolby Digital*
1
Used to reproduce multichannel soundtracks of the software 
encoded with Dolby Digital ( ).
7DTS Digital Surround*2
Used to reproduce multichannel soundtracks of the software 
encoded with DTS Digital Surround ( ).
DTS Digital Surround (DTS) is another discrete multichannel 
digital audio format available on CD and DVD software.
The buttons described below are used on pages 26 to 37.
Cursor
(3/2/Y/5)/
ENTER
Number buttons (play button)
Remote control 
mode selector
Using the surround mode
Available Surround modes for each input signal
The B marks show available surround modes.
  
ModeSurround 
offAuto 
SurroundDolby SurroundDTS Digital 
SurroundLinear 
PCMPacked 
PCMDSP
SignalSURR OFFAUTO 
SURRPL II 
MOVIE*3PL II 
MUSIC*3Dolby 
DigitalDTS LPCM PPCMALL 
CH 
ST.
*3
Dolby Digital
(Multichannel)BB——B————
Dolby Digital
(2 channel)BBBB—— ——B
DTS Digital 
Surround
(Multichannel)BB———B———
DTS Digital 
Surround
(2 channel)BBBB—— ——B
Analog (VCR) or 
Linear/Packed 
PCM 
(2 channel)
BBBB—— ——B
Linear/Packed 
PCM 
(Multichannel)BB——— —BB—
*1Manufactured under 
license from Dolby 
Laboratories. “Dolby”, 
“Pro Logic”, “MLP 
Lossless”, and the 
double-D symbol are 
trademarks of Dolby 
Laboratories.
*2“DTS” and “DTS 
Digital Surround” are 
registered trademarks 
of Digital Theater 
Systems, Inc.
*3You can select these 
modes by pressing 
SURROUND. 
(Apg. 27)
Continued on next page
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27
7All Channel Stereo (DSP)
All Channel Stereo (ALL CH ST.) mode can reproduce a larger 
stereo sound field using all the connected (and activated) speakers.
All Channel Stereo can be used while reproducing 2 channel stereo 
source.
7Indicators on the display window
Digital signal format indicators
PPCM: Lights when DVD AUDIO packed PCM signals 
comes in.
LPCM: Lights when Linear PCM signal comes in.
GD: Lights when Dolby Digital signals come in.
C: Lights when DTS Digital (Surround) signals 
come in.
No indication: No digital signal indicator lights when analog 
signals come in.
Dolby Surround/DSP mode indicators
GPLII: Lights when Dolby Pro Logic II mode is activated.
DSP: Lights when All Channel Stereo mode is activated.
Source signal indicators, etc.
Light to indicate the incoming signals.
a: Lights when the left channel signal comes 
in.
b: Lights when the center channel signal comes in.
c: Lights when the right channel signal comes in.
d: Lights when the LFE channel signal comes in.
g: Lights when the surround left channel signal comes in.
i: Lights when the surround right channel signal comes in.
h: Lights when the monaural surround channel signal or 2 
channel Dolby Surround signal comes in.
SW : Always lights.
The channel with “ ” shows that the corresponding speakers are 
reproducing the channels’ sound.
If the channels’ sound decoded into 5.1 channel is reproduced, only 
“ ” lights.
Selecting the surround mode
The system is set up to automatically select the optimal surround 
mode for input signal from digital multichannel software.
When playing back 2 channel source, you can select the desired 
surround mode manually.
IMPORTANT
Before using the remote control for the following 
operation; 
 Set the remote control mode selector to AUDIO.
7When playing back digital multichannel software 
(except during SURR OFF mode)
The appropriate multichannel surround mode (Dolby Digital, DTS 
Digital Surround or Linear/Packed PCM) is automatically selected.
7When playing back 2 channel source
You can select either mode of Dolby Pro Logic II (PL II MOVIE/
PL II MUSIC) or the DSP (ALL CH ST.) mode.
Press SURROUND repeatedly to select the 
desired mode.
The surround mode is turned on and the current surround mode 
appears on the display window. 
Each time you press the button, the surround mode changes.
For details on each mode, see page 26.
To turn off the surround mode
Press SURROUND repeatedly until SURR 
OFF appears on the display window.
Storing adjustments — auto memory
When you turn the power off, the system memorizes the current 
surround mode. The memorized mode is automatically recalled 
when you turn the power on.
NOTE
 When FM or AM is selected as the source, you cannot select any 
surround mode.
 Note that the surround mode takes no effect on MPEG4 playback.
 For a down-mixing prohibited DVD AUDIO disc, the system 
continues to output multi-channel signals with “MULTI CH” shown 
on the display window even if the surround mode is turned off during 
playback. On the other hand, the system outputs only the front left and 
front right channel signals with “LR ONLY” shown on the display 
window when you start playback with the surround mode having been 
set to “SURR OFF”.
You can check disc information and you can use some functions 
using the on-screen bar.
Showing the on-screen bar
7Whenever a disc is 
loaded
Press ON SCREEN.
Each time you press the button, the on-screen bar changes as 
follows on the TV screen.
Example:
During DVD VIDEO playback
 The currently selected item shows green.
Normal stereo sound All Channel Stereo
Using the on-screen bar
OFF
(The on-screen bar disappears)
(back to the beginning)
See page 26 for button locations.
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