HDCD Playback Requirements

[LoryWiviott]

Considering new rig and wondering what is required to "future-proof" it for HDCD video content. I know the LCD needs to be HDCD (such as Dell 2407 if I win the lottery) but does video card additionally need specific capability for this purpose?

Info. appreciated.

LW

 

[moonboy403]

it's hdcp

and the video card needs to have a hdmi output such as the one sapphire made (x1600 xt)

 

[Zensal]

More importantly, your video card needs to be HDCP compliant, and have an authentication key, as does your monitor. The 2 devices exchange keys(or something, someone else will have to elaborate on this) and allow you to use HD content.

 

[JonnyBlaze]

Originally posted by: moonboy403
it's hdcp

and the video card needs to have a hdmi output such as the one sapphire made (x1600 xt)

dvi supports hdcp also but the video card has to have hdcp support.

 

[LoryWiviott]

Thanks for replies...sounds like a lot of effort for uncertain return to view HDCP on my workstation.

LW

 

[Raduque]

Originally posted by: LoryWiviott
Thanks for replies...sounds like a lot of effort for uncertain return to view HDCP on my workstation.

LW

It seems so for a workstation, but not so much for an HTPC.

Originally posted by: Zensal
More importantly, your video card needs to be HDCP compliant, and have an authentication key, as does your monitor. The 2 devices exchange keys(or something, someone else will have to elaborate on this) and allow you to use HD content.

The devices have "public" and "private" keys, they exchange public keys, and add them to the private key. That gets a "secret key" and I guess if it matches between devices, content is authorized for playback.

 

[mikeford]

Look in the AVSforum.com HTPC section and bottom line is you CAN'T future proof a PC for HD playback.

HDCP is an attachment to HDMI, its bidirectional where the source sends a query of some kind to the next device in the video path, and if that device can't authenticate, the source only sends standard definition video to it.

The real catch is that the people behind HDCP are paranoid, so right now it looks like ONLY 100% original PCs from a few brands running VISTA will get approved. No changes to the video path, which is a protected encrypted "tunnel" in VISTA will be permitted.

Double Whammy, Pretty much everything shipping right now in HD is NOT going to be compliant (that new $5k display included), which would make consumers revolt, so content providers are planning on not setting the HDCP protection flag for the first 6 months to a year, then time to buy new stuff.