HDCP - this is why people pirate... I need some ideas

[robphelan]

Running Win7 pro and using an Nvidia GTX 670 FTW

I recently bought an HDHomerun Prime 3 tuner then went down to Time Warner to rent a cablecard.

Activated everything.. had to update Win Media Center, ReadyPlay etc... just to watch the freaking Spurs game on my monitor.

As it turns out, one of my monitors (my trust old Dell 24" 2405FPW) isn't HDCP compliant but my newer Dell is.

I wound up just streaming the damn game that night from an offshore site.

So, I can't watch anything over channel 12.

Other than buying a new monitor, do i have any other options?

My monitor has the following connections:
DVI, VGA, composite, component, and S-Video inputs

My Video Card has the following connections:
DVI, DVI-D, HDMI, and Display Port 1.2

 

[smitbret]

Running Win7 pro and using an Nvidia GTX 670 FTW

I recently bought an HDHomerun Prime 3 tuner then went down to Time Warner to rent a cablecard.

Activated everything.. had to update Win Media Center, ReadyPlay etc... just to watch the freaking Spurs game on my monitor.

As it turns out, one of my monitors (my trust old Dell 24" 2405FPW) isn't HDCP compliant but my newer Dell is.

I wound up just streaming the damn game that night from an offshore site.

So, I can't watch anything over channel 12.

Other than buying a new monitor, do i have any other options?

My monitor has the following connections:
DVI, VGA, composite, component, and S-Video inputs

My Video Card has the following connections:
DVI, DVI-D, HDMI, and Display Port 1.2

Some people report getting good results in putting a powered HDMI splitter, that supports HDCP, between the TV and the PC, like this one:

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=101&cp_id=10113&cs_id=1011306&p_id=8154&seq=1&format=2

 

[robphelan]

thanks.. i have something similar already for my touchscreen htpc. it splits the HDMI signal from my mini-itx system to a 20" touchscreen and also to my LCD TV and it works great.

the only problem is that I don't have an HDMI port on my 24" monitor - only DVI/VGA/Composite Component.

 

[nsafreak]

It depends on what flags Time Warner has set on their broadcasts and whether or not they will still send HD over a component connection. Some cable companies will downscale the programming to SD or not send a signal at all without HDCP but I guess you could try a DVI to component converter and see what happens. Monoprice sells one cheap here: http://www.monoprice.com/Product?se...1&cadevice=c&gclid=CIfQ_p6atr4CFWNgMgodvBgAWA

 

[BrightCandle]

You can get very basic HDMI to DVI adapters since they are basically the same protocol.

 

[MongGrel]

You can get very basic HDMI to DVI adapters since they are basically the same protocol.

I still have one I don't use atm, they used to come standard some cards.

 

[smitbret]

You can get very basic HDMI to DVI adapters since they are basically the same protocol.

Unless the DVI adapter responds to the HDCP request it won't make any difference. The powered HDMI Splitters will often take care of that as they pass the signal through.

His other option is converting the HDMI signal to analog using some kind of HDMI ---> Component connection. I've never looked into this, but I imagine it may be cheaper and less cluttered to just get a new display.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Use DVI -> VGA.

 

[smitbret]

Use DVI -> VGA.

You'd still need a converter from digital to analog.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Yeah, I'd be surprised if one didn't come with his video card.

 

[BrightCandle]

DVI can pass HDCP just like HDMI can, there should be no issue with using a basic dumb DVI convertor to take HDMI to DVI. DVI is fully capable of displaying encrypted video just like HDMI is, it simply can't carry the audio but otherwise they are compatible. Should honestly be all that is needed and the adapters are probably a few dollars.

 

[nsafreak]

DVI can pass HDCP just like HDMI can, there should be no issue with using a basic dumb DVI convertor to take HDMI to DVI. DVI is fully capable of displaying encrypted video just like HDMI is, it simply can't carry the audio but otherwise they are compatible. Should honestly be all that is needed and the adapters are probably a few dollars.

The problem is that the monitor he is sending the signal to is not HDCP capable. Converting the signal to DVI from HDMI will not help in trying to get around the HDCP restriction he is seeing now.

 

[BrightCandle]

You'd still need a converter from digital to analog.

Not necessarily. Most DVI ports actually have pins for VGA and have an analogue signal coming out of them, only the incomplete ports that are missing some pins don't. So you can normally quite happily use a simple DVI to VGA converter and plug VGA into the monitor and get a signal as the graphics card will detect your using the DVI-I part of the port and not the digital (DVI-D) part of the port. I don't know what happens to HDCP in this case however, with a broken chain I am not sure whether the contents can be displayed.

 

[TheCrackLing]

It depends on what flags Time Warner has set on their broadcasts and whether or not they will still send HD over a component connection. Some cable companies will downscale the programming to SD or not send a signal at all without HDCP but I guess you could try a DVI to component converter and see what happens. Monoprice sells one cheap here: http://www.monoprice.com/Product?se...1&cadevice=c&gclid=CIfQ_p6atr4CFWNgMgodvBgAWA

I have http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and that works just fine for stripping HDCP.

So HDMI output to that, HDMI to DVI from there.

Basically your only option is to break HDCP, nothing else will work.