BDS 685S

BDS 685S

5.1-channel, 525-watt, 4K Blu-ray Disc™ System with Spotify Connect, AirPlay and Bluetooth® technology

Getting started with your BDS 685S

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Product Specifications

Power requirement
100 – 240V AC, 50/60Hz
Power consumption
<0.5W standby, 90W maximum
Total System Power
525 Watts
Signal-to-noise ratio (IHF-A)
–90dB
Frequency range
87.5MHz – 108.0MHz (US and EU)
Usable sensitivity IHF
>14dBf
Television Format
PAL
HDMI™ version
1.4b With 3-D and 30/36-bit Deep Color

Home theater comes alive with tomorrow’s wireless HD technology.

The new Harman Kardon BDS 685S is a high-performance, 5.1-channel, 525-watt, 4K Blu-ray home theater system that seamlessly spans the divide between traditional and digital media technologies. <CRLF><CRLF>Upscale your Blu-Ray discs and home theater components to magnificent 4K upscaling video resolution for your UHD TV. Or stream content wirelessly with Spotify Connect, Bluetooth®, Airplay, DLNA and built-in apps like YouTube. Featuring extensive audio and video support for all your media needs, BDS 685S is a definitive audio solution best placed at the center of tomorrow’s connected home.

The BDS 685S system is an all-in-one entertainment solution that provides the missing link between traditional media like CD, DVD, Blu-ray and radio with digital technologies like streaming audio and connected services. Upgrade your Blu-Ray discs, DVDs and source component video quality into brilliant 4K video resolution for your UHD television display.
Spotify is the world’s most popular music streaming service. If you subscribe to Spotify Premium, you can synchronize your new BDS receiver with your phone or tablet. Because Spotify is built-in to your BDS receiver, you can still take calls or use other apps – the music never quits. Try Spotify for free To try Spotify Premium free for 30 days, or to learn more about Connect, please go to spotify.com/connect
The BDS 685S delivers 525 watts of power to your 5.1-channel home theater. To ensure the most accurate, dynamic sound with enhanced clarity and realism – even at the highest listening levels – a digital power supply provides your amplifiers with the muscle needed for great sound that’s also environmentally-friendly. Unlike conventional, front-firing subwoofers, the BDS 685S’ 200-watt, 8-inch (200-millimeter) powered sub fires downward, massaging the floor with enhanced bass response.
The BDS 685S streams audio from virtually any portable device. For computers with iTunes, Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod touch devices – stream your entertainment using the system’s built-in AirPlay technology. Bluetooth® technology integrated with HARMAN TrueStream and MultiConnect lets you play music using nearly any tablet, smartphone or laptop. With MultiConnect, there’s no need to disconnect one device before streaming the next. The BDS 685S is also compliant with DLNA 1.5 for music, photos and video, providing multiple options for delivering content throughout your home network.
The BDS 685S connects to your home network without the need for a cable to your router. Easily connect to streaming services like Youtube, Spotify Connect, AirPlay, DLNA, receiver updates, and additional online BD-Live™ content for your Blu-ray Disc™ media.
Three HDMI inputs with 3D and 30/36-bit Deep Color deliver full, high-definition digital video at resolutions up to 4K with full-fidelity audio through a single cable. Experience no loss of video or audio quality from format conversion – just full-impact Hollywood excitement as its creators meant for you to experience it. BDS 685S’ Mobile High-Definition Link™ (MHL™) interface allows for high-definition audio/video content directly from your camera, phone, tablet or Roku Streaming Stick™. You can send sound from your TV to the BDS 685S without extra cables using HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC).
Enjoy multiple options for audio playback through BDS 685S’ front-panel USB port. Simply connect an iPhone, iPad, iPod or USB stick to play your favorite music-tracks through your home entertainment receiver. Or play back a full complement of video and image formats from compatible USB drives, including MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MP3, WMA and JPEG.
The new HARMAN EzSet/EQ™ III auto-calibration process adjusts BDS 685S' volume levels, speaker-distance/delay-time settings and equalization with high precision. This lets you fine-tune your speaker system’s audio performance for different room-specific acoustics. The auto-calibration system also features an easy-to-follow menu display and a plug-in microphone to help optimize sound quality for any given environment.
The BDS 685S features easy ways to control and navigate your home theater. Command your home theater with a programmable infrared (IR) remote control or with the Harman Kardon Remote app for iOS® or Android products. The user interface features a high-resolution on-screen display that ushers you with ease through system set-up and basic operation. Quickly navigate your music or online services with high-res album artwork and metadata.

FAQs & How-Tos

3 results
  • This is because a 4K TV will force the BDS into 4K resolution (upsampling), because this gives the best picture quality, being the highest resolution possible. However, there is no such thing as a 3D 4K movie. All 3D discs are full HD (1080p), but cannot be reproduced in 4K, because 4K resolution cannot be combined with 3D. The solution is to enter the setup menu of the BDS, selecting normal full HD resolution in the picture settings menu. Now 3D movies will be shown correctly on the 4K TV.
  • The correct button is the POP-UP button, located in the upper left corner of the upper big, square button. This will work as return button.
  • All of the surround mode functions in our devices work in different ways, and some might be useful in certain situations. Here is a list of each mode, explained with more details. HVS surround mode: Is the abbreviation for HARMAN Virtual Surround. It will process the signal to simulate a surround effect from a stereo source. DSP Bypass: Surround Off (DSP or Analog Bypass) = 2 CH STEREO. When this mode is selected, the BDS will pass the analog source material directly through to the front left and right speakers, bypassing the digital processing circuitry. Stereo mode: Turns off all surround processing and plays a pure two-channel signal or a downmix of a multichannel signal. The signal is digitized and bass management settings are applied, making it appropriate when a subwoofer is used. Pulse-code modulation (PCM): This method is used to digitally represent sampled analog signals, and two channels (stereo) is the most common format. PCM Stereo is what standard Audio CDs always use. Dynamic Range Control: This setting makes the loud and quiet parts of a movie or music sound closer to the same volume (a process known as compression). Compression lets you turn up the volume so you can hear the quiet parts without the loud parts disturbing other people. NOTE: This feature works only with Dolby Digital programs that have been specially encoded. Three settings are available: •• Off: Never applies compression. Use this setting when the volume may be as loud as you desire. •• On: Always applies compression. Use this setting when you want the volume to be as quiet as possible without making it difficult to hear spoken dialogue. •• Auto: Applies compression based on information encoded within the Dolby Digital bit-stream. The receiver will selectively apply compression only during the most dynamic parts of the soundtrack.

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