HDCP: A Necessary Evil In HDTV

[Wayde]

Are you thinking of buying a new LCD monitor or a used plasma TV? If so, there’s something you need to watch out for – and that something is HDCP. What is HDCP?

HDCP stands for High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection. In short, it’s a method of Digital Rights Management (DRM) used to protect digital audio and video signals that are generally sent over DVI and HDMI cables.
The importance of HDCP has been downplayed until recently, because almost no content providers (this would include HD cable, HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray) have content protection enabled. These providers however, can enable HDCP protection at any time. This is something that you as consumers must pay attention to in order to safe-guard your equipment investments.
Why now? With high-definition content becoming more popular, it’s just a matter of time before the studios start protecting their media. HDCP is their chosen mechanism and it is part of the specifications for both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. Both formats currently don’t have HDCP protection enabled so as not to hinder adoption. When they'll start protecting their media is something no one knows.
If HDCP is used and you don’t have compatible devices one of two things can happen:

• Nothing – you get a blank screen or an error message
• Automatic degradation – that’s right; your beautiful high-def picture and sound can be downgraded to standard TV quality or some other lower-than-optimal quality

LCDs and Plasmas

Anyone thinking of purchasing a brand new plasma or LCD television has little to worry about. All plasma and LCD TVs with HDMI connectors are HDCP compliant. With DVI connectors things aren’t so simple.
Just about any current plasma and LCD television with a DVI connector is HDCP compliant. Notice the emphasis on “current” and “television”.
With DVI-connected displays many of the older units were not HDCP compliant. This is either because the standard did not yet exist when the set was designed or the manufacturer didn’t consider support for the standard important at that time. Be wary if purchasing used gear. If the display is one to two years old there is a small chance that the set is not HDCP compliant. Older sets have a much higher chance of not being compliant. Make sure to do your homework if you’re considering buying used inventory.
“Televisions” was also emphasized because of LCD monitors (for computers). With the low cost of wide-screen LCD monitors it has become popular to purchase one for use as a low-cost display. Be wary because, even today, the number of manufacturers releasing HDCP compliant LCD monitors can be counted on one hand. I don’t know of a single HDCP compliant LCD monitor sold before this year.
Tip of the Iceberg

Let me briefly mention that HDCP isn’t just part of your display – it’s part of any digital device used in conjunction with HDCP content.
In order to watch an HDCP encrypted movie in full quality on a Blu-Ray device you need a Blu-Ray player that’s HDCP compliant (all are) and a TV that’s HDCP compliant.
If you’re running digital audio into your receiver, that receiver will also need to be HDCP compliant. Quality buffs using dedicated video scalers also need to ensure those devices are HDCP compliant. The same goes for home theater PC users – your video card needs to be HDCP compliant.
Yes, that’s right; anything the digital data touches has to be HDCP compliant or you face an undesirable outcome.
In the Digital Realm Only

So if the digital signal is so protected why not convert it into analog? After all, an analog component video cable can handle full resolution 1080i high-definition signals!
Well, HDCP has the “analog hole” covered as well. When an HDCP encrypted signal is converted from digital to analog, the analog output is treated as a non-HDCP compliant device… so your signal will automatically be downgraded, or potentially even discarded.
Conclusion

The folks in charge of HDCP have their bases covered. It’s only a matter of time before it comes into use so you also have to have your bases covered as well. As soon as the switch is flipped any non-HDCP compliant device is more-or-less an expensive door-stop.
-- Stan
Stan is the lead designer and founder of Binary Metal. Binary Metal is a leading-edge designer of control and automation software for homes, home theaters, and computer-based media systems.


More...

[Pinhead-227]

Good thing about using the PC as a media center; software like Slysoft's AnyDVD HD eliminates the HDCP headache.

[thewire]

For some reason my HDCP comapatable scaler which was made before HDCP was even a mandate, does not work with HDCP in an analog signal, and my display is analog so I needed a solution. Apparantly as it left the output it wanted to be HDCP compatable during the sync from RGB to RGBHV transcoding and the scaler would not do that handshake except for digital input - output (over DVI I think), so I had to get an external device to do so. To get it to work I have to keep turning off and on the source and the HDCP compatable transcoder for around 15 minutes before it would sync the correct conversion. Now that it did it works turning them off or on, but if I use any other conversion other than component pass through (for DVD), or RGB for non protected disc or HDCP media to my RGB input on the scaler for pass though I have to start all over again after I adjust the switches. For DVD with macrovision I then need to convert the signal from RGYB to RGBHV in my scaler because of the DVD Macrovision. The scaler sends an upconverted resolution of 720P that I usually use.

[Mike P.]

In Canada we have a satellite system called Star Choice, I have 2 of their HD STB's. Their latest firmware upgrade has made them HDCP compliant. The result is the STB's can no longer be connected to a receiver and then the TV, the receiver must now be bypassed due to no signal getting through. Star Choice support says it's because the receivers are not HDCP compliant. I always took it for granted that they were. It seems like we're going backwards instead of forwards.

[Bent]

Mike, I have had conversations with Starchoice's marketing group as well as their product development team. They have come clean, and confirmed it is an insurmountable hardware issue on their part. They were convinced that firmware revision F6 would alleviate, no - actually eliminate the HDMI connectivity issues with supposedly compatible AVR's with a few minor software tweaks. THey said they tried and have exhausted the 505's and 530 platform's capabilities and are accelerating the release of the replacement HDCP compatible receiver.

Their suggestion to me was to have all affected subscribers I know of voice their displeasure.
(BTW, you can by-pass the customer service caller que by dialling 1-888-782-7408. It takes you direct to the tech supt. dept.

[Mike P.]

Ben, thanks for the information, I'll pass this along to the many concerned Star Choice users on the S.C forum.

[bluejay]

Good thing about using the PC as a media center; software like Slysoft's AnyDVD HD eliminates the HDCP headache.

Where can I find out about using a PC for our media center? I am very tired of HDCP. You know some people just bought a Motorola box from Star Choice, and they will not trust them ever again. Remember they worked fine until a force download made them "try to be compliant".

[Bent]

johnny, you have replied to a number of threads on various forums with vague reference to that link.
I have to respectfully ask, who are you, and what is it that makes you qualified to be an authority on such?

I don't wish to sound like a wet blanket, but I honestly can't think of any other way to convey my thoughts.

PM me if you don't wish to respond directly. I am merely an HT enthusiast, I'm not by any means a government official nor a Hollywood movie exec.


------------
Moderator comments: FYI, the referenced post with the obfuscated url was moved to the forum graveyard pending review.