Sima SVS-4D User manual

4 Input A/V Switcher
with Automatic Input Mode and Volume Stabilizer
Model SVS-4D
User Manual

Page 2
Table of Contents
WHAT’S INCLUDED......................................................................... 2
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 3
IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS........................................ 3
FRONT PANEL................................................................................... 4
REAR PANEL ..................................................................................... 5
IR REMOTE CONTROL, SRC-1...................................................... 5
TYPICAL HOOK UP ......................................................................... 6
OPERATION..................................................................................... 10
POWER ............................................................................................. 10
INPUTS.............................................................................................. 10
AUTO INPUT MODE .......................................................................... 10
VOLUME STABILIZER ACTIVE ........................................................... 11
VOLUME STABILIZATION ADJUSTMENT ............................................ 11
HOW IT WORKS ............................................................................. 12
SIMPLIFIED BLOCK DIAGRAM OF THE SVS-4D ................................. 12
AUTOMATIC INPUT SENSING............................................................. 12
VOLUME STABILIZATION .................................................................. 13
VOLUME STABILIZER INPUT / OUTPUT CURVES................................ 13
COMPOSITE TO S-VIDEO CONVERSION ............................................. 14
TROUBLE SHOOTING ................................................................... 15
TERMS............................................................................................... 15
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS .................................................. 16
LIMITED WARRANTY................................................................... 17
What’s Included
1 - SVS-4D A/V switcher unit
1 - AC power adapter, 15 vdc.
1 - Triple A/V RCA cable, 1 meter long
1 - SRC-1 IR remote control, with batteries
1 - This instruction manual
2002 by Sima Products Corp.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means without prior written permission from Sima Products Corp.

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Introduction
The Sima model SVS-4D, 4 Input Audio / Video
Switcher with Automatic Input Mode (AIM) and
Volume Stabilization has been designed for use
with home theater, DSS satellite, DVD, audio
recording equipment as well as for background
music applications.
The SVS-4D has the following features:
• Four A/V inputs to allow you to add more A/V
sources such as DVD, satellite dish, VCR,
games, etc. to your TV and home theater system.
The unit supports both stereo and digital audio,
as well as composite and S-Video.
• Dual A/V outputs to connect to your TV, your
surround sound receiver and/or a recording
VCR.
• Composite video to S-Video conversion to
simplify hook-up in systems using both
composite and S-Video.
• Digital Audio Conversion simplifies your hook-
up by providing outputs for both coaxial and
optical audio signals regardless of the source.
• Automatic Input Mode (AIM) provides
automatic switching to active input without
manual selection. Simply turn on your VCR and
the SVS-4D connects it automatically to the TV.
• Volume Stabilization circuitry to maintain
constant audio volume levels for late night
viewing or when channel surfing. It can also be
adjusted to add impact to old movies by
increasing the dynamic range.
• IR remote control to select a different input or
mode.
• Brightness control for the front panel display
allows you to dim the lights for nighttime use
(via the remote only).
Warnings
Important Safety Precautions
When using this product, basic safety precautions should always be followed to reduce the risk of fire and electric shock,
including the following:
Read and understand all instructions.
Follow all warnings and instructions marked on this product.
Unplug this product from wall outlets before cleaning. Do not use liquid or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for
cleaning.
To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose this product to rain or moisture. Do not use near a bathtub, wash
bowl, sink, or laundry tub; do not use in a wet basement or in a swimming pool.
To avoid electrical shock, do not open the case of this product.
Operate this product using only the power supply included with it or provided as an accessory. If you are not sure of
the type of power supplied to your home, consult your dealer or local power company.
Do not overload electrical outlets or extension cords as this can result in fire or electric shock.
The unit should be situated away from heat sources such as radiators, stoves, etc. The unit should be situated so that
its location or position does not interfere with its proper ventilation.

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Front Panel
Figure 1, SVS-4D front panel
Controls
1 - Power / Stand-by - Press to turn unit on or
off. The Power/Stand by light above the
switch will be on when the unit is
operational and dim when it is in the standby
mode.
2 - Inputs 1 through 4 - Press to select the
desired input. The light above the switch will
light to indicate the current active input.
3 - Auto Input Mode - Press to turn AIM on or
off. If on, the unit will scan the video inputs
and automatically turn on and select the
input to the device you turned on.
4 - Volume Stabilization Adjustment - This
controls the amount of dynamic range you
want. In the middle, at the 1:1 setting, the
input is equal to the output, so there is no
affect on the audio signal. If the knob is
rotated counter-clockwise towards the 10:1
setting, the audio will remain more constant.
This will bring up soft dialogue and reduce
loud sounds. If the knob is rotated clockwise
towards the 1:2 setting, the unit will increase
the dynamic range and make loud sounds
louder and soft sounds quieter to add impact
to music or movies.
5 - Volume Stabilizer Active - Press to turn
Volume Stabilization on or off. If active, the
light will be on and the audio will go though
the Volume Stabilization circuitry to either
increase or decrease (depending on the
setting of the Volume Stabilization
adjustment) the dynamic range of the audio.
The light will be off when the Volume
Stabilization is bypassed.

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Rear Panel
Figure 2, SVS-4D rear panel
6 - S-Video inputs, 1 through 4 from the S-Video
output of your VCR, DSS or DVD devices.
7 - Composite Video inputs, 1 through 4 from
the composite video output of your VCR, DSS or
DVD devices.
8 - Left and Right audio inputs, 1 through 4
from the audio output of your VCR, DSS or
DVD devices.
9 - S-Video outputs, A and B that connects to the
input on your TV or VCR
10 - Composite Video outputs, A and B that
connects to the input on your TV or VCR
11 - Left and Right audio outputs, A and B that
connects to the audio inputs on your TV, VCR or
surround sound receiver
12 – Coaxial inputs for digital audio connect to
the coaxial output of your DVD, CD player etc.
13 – Optical inputs for digital audio connect to
the optical output of your DVD, CD player etc.
14 – Coaxial output for digital audio that
connects to the coaxial input of stereo receiver.
15 – Optical output for digital audio that
connects to the optical input of stereo receiver.
16 - 15V DC input from the AC wall power
supply
IR Remote Control, SRC-1
Fig. 3, SRC-1
All the buttons on the SRC-1 IR remote control work just like the buttons on the
front of the SVS-4D, with the exception of the DISPLAY button. See
descriptions above (under the heading “Front Panel”) for more information
POWER - Turns SVS-4D on or off.
DISPLAY - Pressing this button cycles through three levels of brightness on the
front panel lights - bright, dim or off. When the Display is set in the “off” mode,
the lights will light for a few seconds when any button is pressed.
VS ACTIVE - Toggles between the Volume Stabilizer being active or in the bypass
mode.
AUTO INPUT - Toggles between the Automatic Input Selection mode being on or
off.
INPUT 1 through 4 - Selects desired input.
Be sure to install the two AAA batteries in the SRC-1 remote before using. Slide the
cover open on the SRC-1 remote in the direction of the arrow and install the
batteries as shown inside the unit.

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Typical Hook up
This shows a overview of a typical system with the SVS-4D using 4 A/V sources, a TV and Surround
system. The outputs of up to 4 devices can feed into the inputs on the SVS-4D. It can then select one of
the devices to watch on your TV and/or listen on your receiver. Refer to the diagrams on the next few
pages for more detailed connection diagrams.
Figure 4, Overview of typical system
Step 1
Connect the AC adapter to 120 VAC and plug the DC cord into the 15 v input on the SVS-4D.
Step 2
You need to determine how you want to use your system.
If you want to watch and listen to the video sources on your TV and / or your surround sound receiver,
see figure 5 on page 8. This diagram only shows inputs 1 and 2 being used. Inputs 3 and 4 are
connected in the same manner.
If you want to be able to watch the video sources on your TV, listen on your surround sound receiver and
tape from the sources plugged into the SVS-4D, see figure 6 on page 9. This shows how to connect one
of the outputs of the SVS-4D to the Audio and Video inputs on the VCR that you will use for recording.
Note: Do not select the same input that the recording VCR is connected to (input 4 in this
diagram) while recording or loud feedback could occur.
If you only have composite video signals or only S-Video signals, then use the one type in your system.
If your TV only has composite video inputs, you must use all composite video signals into the SVS-4D as
it will not convert S-Video signals to composite video.
Note: the SVS-4D does not convert analog audio to digital audio or visa versa.
Power supply
Use the 15V DC adapter (included) to provide power for the SVS-4D.
The adapter connects to the unit as shown in the diagram at left and
plugs into a standard 120V AC wall outlet.

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If you have a combination of standard composite video (RCA type jacks) and S-Video (mini-din jacks)
on your equipment you can only feed one or the other but not both to any given input to the SVS-4D.
In this case you have several options.
 Option A: For ease of use, the SVS-4D has a composite to S-Video converter. You can feed a
combination of composite and S-Video to the SVS-4D and feed only a S-Video signal to your TV.
This lets you use just one S-Video input on your TV and all sources will automatically be displayed
there.
 Option B: If your TV has 2 video inputs that supports both composite video and S-Video inputs, you
can feed both the composite and S-Video outputs from the SVS-4D to your TV. You will have to
select the correct video input on your TV, composite or S-Video. This will give you the best picture
quality. Note that this only works if the composite video and S-Video inputs are two separate inputs
on your TV. Otherwise the picture may be blank, black and white or have lines and streaks.
Fill in the chart below to help you organize and remember what devices are connected to the inputs and
outputs. Save for future reference.
Inputs From (VCR, DSS, etc.) Composite Standard L&R
(analog)
audio
Digital
audio
#1
#2
#3
#4
Outputs To (TV, Receiver, etc.) Composite Standard L&R
audio
(analog)
Digital
audio
A
B
Remember both the A and B outputs are identical. The SVS-4D has buffers to prevent one output from
loading the other output for best system performance.
Note: Most systems have a VHF/UHF cable from an antenna or cable company going
into the VCR and then a VHF/UHF cable between the VCR and TV. This is OK but
you still must connect the A/V cables as shown in figures 5 and 6. Having both the
VHF/UHF cable and the A/V cable would allow you to record a program off of the
cable on your VCR (cable input) while watching a different program/movie from
another device (DVD) via the SVS-4D on your TV via the A/V input.
Don’t forget, you must select the TV’s A/V input (also call video input or line input on
some TV brands) not channel 3 or 4 to view the output of the SVS-4D.

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Typical Hook Up #1
Figure 5 below shows a hook-up showing only two input sources. Be sure you use either S-Video or
composite video inputs, but not both on the same input. The one SVS-4D output goes to the TV so you
can watch and listen on your TV. The second output (audio only) goes to the stereo receiver so you can
listen to music or surround sound audio using your stereo receiver.
Figure 5, Hook-up in typical system
Note 1: Use of the S-video output requires TV to have S-video input.
Note 2:Connect L&R audio output to hear audio from TV set with stereo receiver off.
Note: Remember to always connect the outputs on your VCR/DSS/DVD/etc. to the inputs on the SVS-4D.
Likewise, connect the outputs on the SVS-4D to the inputs on the TV/VCR/Receiver/etc..
Note: If you have one or more devices that are not stereo and have a single audio output, you have two
options. 1) Use a “Y” adapter (available from any electronics store) to split the mono signal into two signals
to feed both the Left and Right inputs on the SVS-4D. 2) Use just the left connector for the audio of that
source.

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Typical Hook Up #2
Figure 6 below shows a system with 3 sources. It also illustrates using the dual outputs to record on a VCR,
watch the video on the TV and listen to the sound on a surround system. As shown below, you can record
inputs 1, 2 or 3 (not 4 as you would be trying to record to itself) and record video and audio on the recording
VCR from the selected source.
Figure 6, SVS-4D with recording VCR
Note: Remember to select the A/V or AUX input on the recording VCR to record the output of the SVS-4D.
Note: It is advisable to turn auto input selection off to avoid the SVS-4D from selecting input #4 and getting
feedback.
Note: If you are using a source with s-video then you must use an s-video connection to the recording VCR
and to the television.

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Operation
When AC power is first applied, all outputs will be muted and all the lights will come on for 1 second
and then go out. The Power / Stand-by light will be lit dim red. The Auto Input and Volume
Stabilization modes will be active as default. When the unit detects an active video input (composite or
S-Video), the Power / Standby light will turn on full and the active input will be selected.
Power
As long as AC power is not lost, the previous status (last selected input, Volume Stabilizer mode and
AIM status) will be resumed when Power / Stand-by is pushed. If AC power was lost, the unit will
default with input #1 selected, Volume Stabilization on and AIM on.
Inputs
Pushing an input button on either the front panel or on the IR remote, will cause the current input and
associated LED to go off and the new input to come on. If the Auto Input Mode is on, the selected input
will over ride the current input until another input is selected or another input is automatically detected.
Auto Input Mode
If the Auto Input Mode (AIM) is active, the unit will select a video signal from the video inputs. If a
second input becomes active, the SVS-4D will automatically change to the new input. If you want to go
to another A/V source, simply select the input using the front panel button or the remote. If you don’t
want the SVS-4D to automatically select an active input, turn the AIM mode off. Please note when you
activate AIM, it scans the inputs when the SVS-4D is on or in the stand-by mode.
When the unit is in the standby mode, the
Power/Standby light will be dim and all
other lights will be off
When a video device is turned on, like a
VCR on Input #1, the Power/Standby light
will become bright, the input corresponding
to the device will turn on.
If a second device is turned on (say the DVD
player on input #2) the # 2 light will
illuminate and it will be selected and fed to
your TV
If the second device is turned off, after about
5 seconds, input #1 will be selected.
If both devices are turned off, after about 5
seconds, the SVS-4D will turn off and go
into standby mode waiting for an input.
Note: If an input goes off and back on in less than 5 seconds, the SVS-4D may not sense
the input change so no input change may occur.