HDCP Support - Will your video card by able to play HD video???

My fellow notebook and gaming enthusiasts:

I have just recently got knee deep in the fiasco that is HDCP compatiblity.

I have a Clevo D900K (Sager 9750) with a 7800 Go GTX. I also am sporting the WUXGA (1920x1200) display. However, I have just discovered that the video card within does not seem to fully support HDCP... also the new 7900 Go GTX (on the new notebooks) do not truly support HDCP as well.

What is HDCP?? Why is this important you ask??

HDCP stands for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection and is an Intel-initiated program that was developed with Silicon Image. This content protection system is mandatory for high-definition playback of HD-DVD or Blu-Ray discs. If you want to watch movies at 1980x1080, your system will need to support HDCP. If you don’t have HDCP support, you’ll only get a quarter of the resolution. A 75% loss in pixel density is a pretty big deal – Wouldn’t you be angry if your car was advertised as doing 16 mpg, and you only got 4 mpg? Or if you bought a 2 GHz CPU and found out that it only ran at 500 MHz?

What does this have to do with us??

With any NVIDIA GeForce 7 series video card you will be able to have Blu-Ray and HD-DVD hardware acceleration and filtering for the best image quality using software players from Cyberlink, PowerDVD, WinDVD and Nero ShowTime. The other major component to all of this is HDCP support. NVIDIA states that to obtain the full “PureVideo HD experience” you need a GeForce 7 series card with PureVideo HD and HDCP support on the video card. If the video card does not have HDCP then your video will play at only a quarter of the original size. However, you will still benefit from the PureVideo HD hardware acceleration and image quality filters.

One video card that currently does have all the necessary HDCP hardware is the new GeForce 7950 GX2. Once the PureVideo HD driver is released this will provide you with the complete PureVideo HD experience. Also currently available is the MSI NX7600 GT-VT2D256E-HD (GeForce 7600 GT) video card with full HDCP support. Currently that is all that is available on the NV side, but NVIDIA states that more will be coming. So keep in mind that with your current GeForce 7 series video card you will get PureVideo HD acceleration capabilities with a new driver and new DVD player, but you won’t get full size HD resolutions with Blu-Ray or HD-DVD unless you have a video card with HDCP.

For ATI users:
none of the Built-by-ATI Radeons support HDCP. If you've just spent $1000 on a pair of Radeon X1900 XT graphics cards expecting to be able to playback HD-DVD or Blu-Ray movies at 1920x1080 resolution in the future, you've just wasted your money.

Conclusion...
This affect notebook GPUs as well. So for those that were thinking of upgrading their optical drives to HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, think again.
A list of GPUs supporting HDCP.... none really (except the two listed above), even though for years HDCP support was supposedly boasted on ATI and nVidia cards.

Turns out that we were all deceived.

-Gophn

 

*Update* from HardOCP - We have some new information hot off the line from NVIDIA that some exceptions do exist that allow full screen video on the PC. If you are running through the analog input (VGA and component) movies will play at full resolution as long as it is not protected by the Image Constraint Token (ICT). If you are running from the DVI or HDMI inputs you need HDCP.

ICT (which is built into the Advanced Access Copy System copy protection) will automatically reduce the quality of the image produced by a high-definition video disc player to 540 lines of vertical resolution when the player is connected to an analog display. Currently, most studios aren’t using ICT. But when studios do enable ICT in their high definition movies, users without HDCP graphics cards can still watch the movie in reduced resolution if they have an analog display. The movie will play, but not in high definition.

Also, laptops do not require HDCP since their built in LCDs are digitally incorporated into the whole system. The external connection does however need to conform to the same conditions of plugging in desktop PC displays.
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NOTE: Toshiba HD-DVD Notebook (with 7600 Go GPU) its not HDCP ready, but can playback 1080p... it does not need it.

Another Argument (for Desktops): The problem is that HDCP compatibility is controlled by an inter-industry consortium of giant consumer electronics companies and Hollywood studios.
This means that any of you who decide to build a PC from scratch with an expensive high end video card, will be angry to see the content on your HD discs being "locked out" by HDCP. Only systems designed from the ground up by OEMs (such as members of the consortium) will be able to gain access to these videos.

-Gophn

 

Hmmm, so if I'm reading this right, I'll be able to watch HD movies if I have a blueray or HD-DVD drive in my laptop at full resolution because HDCP isn't a requirement for that in laptop computers, right? Just won't necissarily be able to through an external connection such as a USB drive or the like.

I'm curious to see how this newest media-war pans out. It's kinda like watching beta vs vhs again. I don't know much at all about blueray vs HD-DVD...pro's con's etc...but I do know that I would enjoy watching movies at the true native resolution of my notebooks lcd.

 

ATI got in trouble a while ago for advertising that some of their cards had HDCP and didn't really support it - right now, only versions of the X1600 do:
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=2203

Thanks for the explanations, everybody can learn something from that.

Chaz

 

It seems that HDMI connectors and DVI (HDCP supported) connectors are going to be the standard for True HD playback.

The Playstation 3 has Blu-Ray and is going to use HDMI for the 1080p playback and gaming, so without the HDCP support, its gona seem to be a waste.

The other sad thing, is that "supposed" High-Def TV's are mostly not going to be HCDP compliant. So don't throw away your money on a new TV yet, wait for another year or two until the technology turns over. Only certain DLP TVs at this time actually support HDCP, but the list is alluding me at this time.

Game on ppl,

-Gophn

 

Gophn,

Thanks for the valuable info! I was planning to wait for 1080p to become more available before buying a new tv, but now I know to wait for 1080p AND HDCP. You saved me from rushing in too early on a new set later this year! Thanks!

As for blu-ray vs. HD-DVD...I say let them kill each other first and then buy whatever wins in the end--by then the price for their players should be reasonable (hopefully). But the blu-ray technology seems to be more advanced from what I've read.

 

glad i was of help to sum1.

-Gophn

 

List of 1080p TV's:
- Samsung HL-R5678W 56" DLP
- Samsung HL-R6178W 61" DLP
- Samsung HL-R6768W 67" DLP
- Toshiba 56MX195 56" DLP
- Toshiba 72HM195 72" DLP
- Mitsubishi 73" WD-73727 DLP
- JVC HD-61FH96 HD-ILA 61" LCD Rear Projection
- Westinghouse LVM-42W2 42" LCD Flat Panel
- Sony KDS-R50XBR1 50" & 60" Rear Projection

NOTE: although these model all have 1920 x 1080p resolutions with DVI and HDMI connections, them being fully HDCP compliant have yet to be confirmed.


That's about all that I can muster at this moment, if you have any more 1080p TVs you know, please list them.

-Gophn

 

Solutions for non-HDCP TV's and displays:

Interesting solution for those that already have big screen HDTV's, or high definition displays that wont be able to afford to buy new TVs in the near future and would still like to not have a degraded picture quality with a non-HDCP compliant DVI connection.

1.) HDTV DVI and Digital Audio Switch



(The Back View)

How it Works

Simply connect your HDTV display to the Switcher’s display DVI output and your digital audio to the digital out. Then connect both HDTV sources to the Switcher’s inputs using the DVI and TOS link cables that come with the Switcher. Once the sources, the Switcher and the display are all powered on and connected, you simply select which source you want to view and listen.
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2.) HDTV HDMI/DVI Switcher



(The Back View)

How it Works

Simply connect your HDTV display to the Switcher’s display output. Then connect both HDTV sources to the Switcher’s inputs using the HDMI cables that come with the Switcher. Once the sources, the Switcher and the display are all powered on and connected, you simply select which source you want to view.
Note: HDMI Switchbox recommened for those that own Samsung 841 & 941 displays.

CONNECTION DIAGRAM


Hope that helps,

-Gophn

 

* UPDATE * - the DVI switch box has been tested and works with a non-HDCP TV, so it is a viable solution to those that do not have a 1920 x 1080p display.

Test Setup:
I got a friend to buy the HDMI/DVI switch box to test it with his:
- Toshiba HD DVD Player HD-A1 (HDMI out)
- on his Zenith IQB64W10W 64" Rear Projection TV (DVI Input - 1080i)
- played Batman Begins HD DVD Special Edition (w/ HDCP)

Test Results:
1) Without the switchbox: he used his HDMI to DVI cable to watch the movie. The picture looked ok, like a normal DVD.
2) With HDMI/DVI switch box: used HDMI to HDMI cable to connect HD DVD player to the Switchbox, then DVI to DVI cable used to connect Switchbox to the TV. The picture quality was a big difference, it was truly high def (status screen in HDTV menu confirmed the resolution 1080i was in use). That means that the movies from Warner Bros is using HDCP.

Yay, a solution to HDCP (for displays and videos cards)... but hopefully time will breed other solutions.

Game On People,
-Gophn

 

Is there any reason a player wont be made that does both?

There was definitely a dvd + r and dvd -r period and it went away.

If there isnt I think its blue ray thats going to die off

 

there are currently desktop Blu-Ray burners that also covers all DVD+-R as well.

LiteOn is currently selling these babies at $600.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106037

Broadcom (engineers, programmers, chip makers) figured it out first... on incorporating both DVD and Blu-Ray standards. Now you can see it on the market place.

Blu-Ray and HD-DVD in one drive will be the next jump in optical drive technology... its coming really soon.

 

That article mentions nothing about the x1600.

http://ati.amd.com/products/mobilityradeonx1600/specs.html says HDCP ready. There is no **disclaimer at the bottom of the page.

http://ati.amd.com/products/RadeonX1600/specs.html has the **disclaimer which says... Currently there is no commercially available HDCP content. ATI's Radeon® X and Radeon® 9550 series of GPUs are capable of processing HDCP signals ("HDCP ready"), however ATI does not presently manufacture any graphics cards which are HDCP ready. Some third parties manufacture graphics cards containing ATI GPUs -- you can inquire of them which models, if any, -- are HDCP ready.

What the hell??? Is that a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo or what? They say they manufacture cards which are HDCP ready, and then say they don't. So, can anyone confirm that this card is or is not able to handle HDCP content?

 

Is this with ICT enabled movies as well? How does the computer (or optical drive rather) know HDCP isn't needed? Can anyone confirm it will work for all discs?

 

The new Sharp Aquos LCDs (52,46,42"), support 1080p through HDMI, but I saw nothing of HDCP.

 

there should be HDCP support on current 1080p displays