I am not a frequent video card updater, and I don't like to spend outside of the $100 to $150 range on a video card. Is this a good time to just wait until the HDCP cards really roll out?
Is it time to stop buying video cards until HDCP "really" rolls out?
- Thread starter mikeford
- Start date
I'm also curious about when HDCP cards are supposed to come out. Is it going to be the DX10 cards?
Why do you care when HDCP rolls out and why do you want to not buy a new card now because of it?
Do you plan on buying an extensive Blue Ray or HD-DVD collection, even though readers aren't even out yet and will certainly be overpriced and a waste when they launch?
This is one of those things IMO that won't be an issue until down the line. Do you have a large widescreen monitor that you plan on watching a lot of movies on? Because otherwise its' a total nonissue at the moment...
I guess what I meant was when we would see more affordable HDCP cards. I don't really care that much, since I agree with jiffylube that it's a non-issue for at least another year. I do have a HDCP monitor though and I would want the next video card I buy to be HDCP compliant.
Don't worry about HDCP at all.
Most companies, such as Sony, Toshiba, Microsoft have agreed to delay HDCP's use until 2010 or 2012. This is due to the enormous amount of users who have HDTV sets that do not have HDCP. So for now, the image quality will not be degraded just because your display does not use HDCP processing.
Hope it helps
Most companies, such as Sony, Toshiba, Microsoft have agreed to delay HDCP's use until 2010 or 2012. This is due to the enormous amount of users who have HDTV sets that do not have HDCP. So for now, the image quality will not be degraded just because your display does not use HDCP processing.
Hope it helps
Screw HDCP. It's all a big gimic anyways. It's probably going to take them years to get that in motion anyways. Hell, we don't even use dual layer DVD's on a regular basis since they still aren't cost effective.
Every technology seems to get cracked anyways. I don't know the details about the HDCP movies but I wouldn't be surprised...
Every technology seems to get cracked anyways. I don't know the details about the HDCP movies but I wouldn't be surprised...
moonboy403
Golden Member
- Aug 18, 2004
- 1,828
- 0
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Another thread on this topic
There's some question on if any of the HD standards for DVDs will catch on (the next SACD?). Currently, the only shipping ATI card with hdcp in the Sapphire x1600 hdmi, not too common really. Irrespective of the implementation date, you will not be able to watch HD-DVD nor Blu-Ray across a digital connection (DVI, HDMI) unless your Video card and monitor are HDCP compliant. You will be able to get full resolution across an analog output (VGA or component) until the standard is enforced (ICT is switched on in the sources, all currently shipping HiDef DVDs and HDTV have it turned off but that will change once implemented). Once implemented, the signal will be limited to 960x540 without HDCP compliance of components over an analog channel.
There's some question on if any of the HD standards for DVDs will catch on (the next SACD?). Currently, the only shipping ATI card with hdcp in the Sapphire x1600 hdmi, not too common really. Irrespective of the implementation date, you will not be able to watch HD-DVD nor Blu-Ray across a digital connection (DVI, HDMI) unless your Video card and monitor are HDCP compliant. You will be able to get full resolution across an analog output (VGA or component) until the standard is enforced (ICT is switched on in the sources, all currently shipping HiDef DVDs and HDTV have it turned off but that will change once implemented). Once implemented, the signal will be limited to 960x540 without HDCP compliance of components over an analog channel.
secretanchitman
Diamond Member
- Apr 11, 2001
- 9,352
- 23
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the video card in my sig has hdcp. was one of the first retail video cards to have hdcp btw.
now all the 7950GT/7950GX2 cards have them.
now all the 7950GT/7950GX2 cards have them.
I try to follow this stuff, read AVSforum, etc, but I have been sitting on my hands waiting on a new video card, a LONG time. My last three cards I bought cheap used, this PC has a Radeon 9200 128 mb, and we have a 7500, a 7000, and I think my wife has a voodoo 3500, so I am actually ready for a new card. OTOH I should add that nothing we currently do seems limited by the video cards in our respective systems.
HDCP for all the bumps right now, still stands a VERY good chance of being the gateway requirement for display of HD content, and I am not worred about HD DVD or BlueRay which I am in no hurry to start buying, but downloaded content, maybe even for timeshifting or placeshifting cable sourced content. I want a mainstream, not premium, video card that has HDCP and supports hardware acceleration of HD material, plus does a decent job with most games at a HD setting (1920x1080).
We are about to get a HD TV, most likely something close to the Toshiba 62HM195 with native 1920x1080, and I haven't decided yet if I want a powerfull HTPC that I can play some games on, or if I should build two systems a low power, low noise HTPC running basically nothing else, and more general use gaming system.
HDCP for all the bumps right now, still stands a VERY good chance of being the gateway requirement for display of HD content, and I am not worred about HD DVD or BlueRay which I am in no hurry to start buying, but downloaded content, maybe even for timeshifting or placeshifting cable sourced content. I want a mainstream, not premium, video card that has HDCP and supports hardware acceleration of HD material, plus does a decent job with most games at a HD setting (1920x1080).
We are about to get a HD TV, most likely something close to the Toshiba 62HM195 with native 1920x1080, and I haven't decided yet if I want a powerfull HTPC that I can play some games on, or if I should build two systems a low power, low noise HTPC running basically nothing else, and more general use gaming system.
HDMI, HDCP, and ICT, get frequently confused. Splained well here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDCP
High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) is a form of digital rights management (DRM) developed by the Intel Corporation to control digital audio and video content as it travels across Digital Visual Interface (DVI) or High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connections.
Media players like HD DVD allow a Image Constraint Token (ICT) flag that will only output full-resolution digital signals using HDCP. Content providers, the movie guys, say they won't start setting the ICT flag until 2010ish so people who just bought a $5k plasma that doesn't have HDCP can still watch movies in HD, just not from HDMI, only from analog compnonet inputs.
Right now, if you don't have HDCP in your video card, Blueray and HD DVD will play for a few seconds, then stop with a protection error. My concern is that as downloadable content appears its going to have a similar requirement.
High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) is a form of digital rights management (DRM) developed by the Intel Corporation to control digital audio and video content as it travels across Digital Visual Interface (DVI) or High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connections.
Media players like HD DVD allow a Image Constraint Token (ICT) flag that will only output full-resolution digital signals using HDCP. Content providers, the movie guys, say they won't start setting the ICT flag until 2010ish so people who just bought a $5k plasma that doesn't have HDCP can still watch movies in HD, just not from HDMI, only from analog compnonet inputs.
Right now, if you don't have HDCP in your video card, Blueray and HD DVD will play for a few seconds, then stop with a protection error. My concern is that as downloadable content appears its going to have a similar requirement.
I was under the impression that HD would not be possible unless one has a monitor and video card with HDCP and Windows Vista. Is it possible that has changed or may change?
No, not having "HDCP" equipment will still allow you to view HD, albeit at a lower resolution (960x540 as opposed to 1280x720 or 1920x1080). However, like I said earlier, every company behind HDCP has agreed NOT to implement it until 2008 or later because the vast majority of HD users have display sets that do not have HDCP in them.
I doubt we will ever really need HDCP compliant cards... and if we ever do we will easily be able to get around that either by some pass through device or even software.
The industry has stated that this is fair warning, but that's not to say the lawyers won't have some say in things. I figure you should upgrade your video card in the next 4 years, so no reason to worry about compliance yet (it will complicate things, however). Now a monitor is something that you'll keep for 4+ years, so HDCP's something to consider when purchasing there. Though almost all video cards currently do not support HDCP, the industry is starting to mass produce so it's still a good idea to get something compliant if you're investing a significant amount; but don't let it control your decision (yet).
I was reading in Maximum Computing a month or two back how they tried to play back HD DVD with "compliant" hardware, but they couldn't get it to not downgrade the signal. Expect messy implementation.
I was reading in Maximum Computing a month or two back how they tried to play back HD DVD with "compliant" hardware, but they couldn't get it to not downgrade the signal. Expect messy implementation.
ICT is what they say they won't use until 2010, HDCP is NOW, and its impact is different for consumer electronics than it is for computers.
Right now with computers if the video card does not have HDCP, the HD decoder software will generate an error and stop playback from a Blueray or HD DVD internal drive, and the ICT flag state doesn't matter in this situation.
With consumer electronics it "seems" a bit more liberal, but it also seems to vary from person to person and week to week. When the ICT flag gets set, no more HD out to anything without HDCP, which nixes all the current displays that have only component inputs.
Right now with computers if the video card does not have HDCP, the HD decoder software will generate an error and stop playback from a Blueray or HD DVD internal drive, and the ICT flag state doesn't matter in this situation.
With consumer electronics it "seems" a bit more liberal, but it also seems to vary from person to person and week to week. When the ICT flag gets set, no more HD out to anything without HDCP, which nixes all the current displays that have only component inputs.
personally, i think it will be a while before HD DVD/Blu-Ray makers actually bother implementing the copy protection requiring HDCP. The movie industry is well aware that most of the people who will initially buying HD DVD and Blu-Ray will not have HDCP compliant hardware, and I know i sure as hell am not gonna re-buy all my equipment to watch DVDs in Hi-Def. The HD-DVD and Blu-Ray camps are gonna have a hard enough time getting people to bite on their product (no one wants to own the next betamax), if you throw in a bunch of compatibilty/annoying copy protection issues, people simply won't buy them.
HDCP is out NOW, effective NOW, what is a few years off is setting the ICT flag.
Only one or two video cards, the 7950 being the only one I can find, really have a HDCP chip, and ONLY cards with the chip will output a movie from an internal HD drive. That is the situation NOW, without a HDCP chip the movie plays a few seconds and stops with an error saying no HDCP. This has nothing to do with the ICT.
Thats the whole point of this thread, the issue is NOW, and the problem is that only one HDCP card is out so far and its $300+.
HDCP has a DIFFERENT set of issues for consumer electronics devices. Most displays in the last couple years do have some version of HDCP, the issue is that for all the sets without HDCP or only with component inputs is that once the ICT flag is set only SD analog output will be permitted to them.
Only one or two video cards, the 7950 being the only one I can find, really have a HDCP chip, and ONLY cards with the chip will output a movie from an internal HD drive. That is the situation NOW, without a HDCP chip the movie plays a few seconds and stops with an error saying no HDCP. This has nothing to do with the ICT.
Thats the whole point of this thread, the issue is NOW, and the problem is that only one HDCP card is out so far and its $300+.
HDCP has a DIFFERENT set of issues for consumer electronics devices. Most displays in the last couple years do have some version of HDCP, the issue is that for all the sets without HDCP or only with component inputs is that once the ICT flag is set only SD analog output will be permitted to them.
Actually, several of the newer MSI cards have HDCP support. The cheapest is probably the 7600gt with the dual slot cooler, for around maybe $160.
I just bought an eVGA 7900GS for $199 after rebate from NewEgg. It includes HDCP. It is quite the card for the money. Just last year I bought a 6600GT for the same price.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130057
A list of 7900GS cards that include HDCP:
http://anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2835&p=13
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130057
A list of 7900GS cards that include HDCP:
http://anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2835&p=13
You really need to watch for the weasel words like "support" and "ready", the card cannot be upgraded, it MUST ship with a rom with encrypted HDCP keys or it is NOT ever going to be HDCP. Thats what all the fuss was at Ati, they said HDCP support and/or ready, and the GPU is compatible, the actual cards though were shipping without the HDCP rom.
Many vendors put the a description created by the manufacturer months ago before release on their websites, but have not UPDATED that description which manufacturers have deleted the HDCP references from. Clearly some bottle neck exists, and many products planned as HDCP have gone to market without it.
I will be patient on this, its not something I want to be an early adopter on, even if prices have cracked $200, plus as the 2nd generation HDCP cards come out, maybe the market will wakeup and realize that current cards without HDCP are not worth current prices, and get clearanced. One last non HDCP card soon, and maybe wait until post holidays for a higher end HDCP card.
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