Modelworks
Lifer
- Feb 22, 2007
- 16,240
- 7
- 76
HDCP is one of the reasons I no longer work as an engineer. When I left engineering it was while all the engineers were trying to work out HDMI. Our department had a simple request. Put the audio channels on separate wires, just needed two more wires. We knew there was people using things like home theater and how difficult it would be to use HDMI with older hardware. If people could just grab the audio off those two wires, problem solved, or so we thought.
About 3 weeks later we get notice that idea just will not work, we couldn't understand why not, it added next to nothing to cost, and actually made it easier to work with the video. The answer was our friends at the MPAA . They were concerned people would pirate the audio soundtacks if it was external from the video encoded protection. Next they demanded copy protection for ALL video formats, not just 1080p. They wanted everything from 480i and up encrypted, luckily they lost that fight and only got 1080p but as you have learned it still causes problems. I stopped working as an engineer not long after that. Too many decisions were being made that had nothing to do with engineering but instead people in suits.
About 3 weeks later we get notice that idea just will not work, we couldn't understand why not, it added next to nothing to cost, and actually made it easier to work with the video. The answer was our friends at the MPAA . They were concerned people would pirate the audio soundtacks if it was external from the video encoded protection. Next they demanded copy protection for ALL video formats, not just 1080p. They wanted everything from 480i and up encrypted, luckily they lost that fight and only got 1080p but as you have learned it still causes problems. I stopped working as an engineer not long after that. Too many decisions were being made that had nothing to do with engineering but instead people in suits.
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