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HDCP worries...

Z

zackzigzag

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 20, 2008
5
0
Hi Mac guys and girls,

I have a Mac Pro (4x3GHz 2007 version) which I hope to hook up to my TV (Panasonic 37 inch plasma) with a DVI-HDMI cable and an audio lead. I want to watch my movie collection on the TV.

Now, I have several DVD rips (from purchased DVDs) ripped with MacTheRipper, but also several .mkv files which I've downloaded, including some 1080p files.

Will HDCP be a problem here? From what I understand both the MacPro and the HDMI sockets on the TV support it, so what does that mean for the end user? Will it only affect "official" playback (like playing a DVD through the disc drive)? I'm hoping the TV will simply act as a second monitor for my Mac, doing everything my existing monitor does.... but this HDCP stuff is confusing and has me worried.

Any advice before I drop £50 on cables?

Many thanks,

Z.
 
A display MUST accept unencrypted video. HDCP won't even be turned on in this case.

HDCP is turned on by the device (your Mac Pro in this case) when the player (right now, iTunes for HD TV) turns it on. Only then do you even need to worry about the Mac Pro supporting it. In the future, Blu-Ray playback will also turn on HDCP (which is supported by even the GPUs in the rev A MacPro).

So yes, it will work.
 
The best way to think about HDCP is that it is a wrapper around the normal DVI/HDMI signal. The player (Upconverting DVD player, Blu-Ray/HD-DVD player, etc) turns it on or off as the content requires.

As it is called "High-Definition Content Protection", it is meant to be used on HD content, specifically. Studios/etc are not requiring it for standard definition content like DVDs (unless you upconvert them to 1080p or the like). They do require it on HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players, and DVD upconverting players, and game consoles like the 360/PS3 will turn it on when you put a HD movie in the drive (or use their HD rental service).

The specs for HDMI/DVI state that a receiver (monitor, TV, etc) must accept unencrypted content from any source, DVI ports on the display /may/ accept HDCP, and HDMI /must/ accept HDCP. If a display has both DVI and HDMI ports, it is a safe bet the DVI ports accept HDCP (HDMI uses DVI to carry the video signal, and so the logic is basically the same).

So yes, right now if it works on your Mac Pro with any ol' monitor, using a DVI->HDMI cable will give you the exact same experience on a TV. :)

Hopefully this explination is a bit clearer for other readers. When I read my first post, it seemed a little... muddled.

Right now, the only time a Mac turns on HDCP is when you go to play an HD TV show in iTunes. Nothing else has the capability to even turn on HDCP in the display driver right now. If Blu-ray support comes, that will change, obviously.
 
no worries about HDCP

hi guys,


there is a new device that can enable a non-HDCP TV/monitor to work as an HDCP compliant one.
 
johnnyhdmi said:
hi guys,


there is a new device that can enable a non-HDCP TV/monitor to work as an HDCP compliant one.
Click to expand...

I wonder where they get their decoders from. And I wonder whether Silicon Image can identify a chip and find out who they sold it to.
 
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