Do the law courts beckon for ATI? HDCP issues

[Dekkard]

I apologize for adding a link here to a rival techie site but after reading this I felt I had to pass comment on these findings. The story relates to advertised HDCP support on graphics cards:
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=851
I have been criticisizing Nvidia a little recently over some annoying business traits, but it appears that ATI is about to become embroiled in something with potentially far wider reaching implications.
Sadly, it appears as though ATI had previously been listing several products (as well as board partners such as HIS and PowerColor) as HDCP ready or compliant when in actuality these cards will not be able to offer this functionality, even with future bios updates or driver downloads.
Whether Nvidia is squeaky clean on this matter remains open to question but certainly the fallout of this COULD be interesting to watch. Those I do feel sorry for is the buyers of the X1900 series cards with the aim of future-proofing themselves for HDCP support! Time to send some very hostile letters to your board manufacturer, whether it is ATI or a board partner!

EDIT: I am resisting the urge to complain with multiple expletives over the very concept of HDCP!!!!

 

[cleeve]

Both Nvidia and Ati have advertised their GPUs as "HDCP compliant", neither have made cards with actual HDCP capability... although Nvidia designs the reference boards with the proper stuff needed, the manufacturers don't bother including it (I think Sony makes a geforce card that is an exception)

Hard to say legally what could happen. Depends how many people are mad, and how many mad people will do anything about it...

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=851

I have been criticisizing Nvidia a little recently over some annoying business traits, but it appears that ATI is about to become embroiled in something with potentially far wider reaching implications.
Sadly, it appears as though ATI had previously been listing several products (as well as board partners such as HIS and PowerColor) as HDCP ready or compliant when in actuality these cards will not be able to offer this functionality, even with future bios updates or driver downloads.

It's not firmware dependant, it's hardware dependant, and considering that both Sapphire and ColourPower/Powercolor have demoed engineering samples of HDMI equipped boards, then they might be able to defend themselves. But the only reason ATi has an issue is because unlike nV they have a retail card line.

Whether Nvidia is squeaky clean on this matter remains open to question but certainly the fallout of this COULD be interesting to watch.

They aren't squeaky clean, but clean enough to avoid lawsuit IMO. Both companies have the same level of HDCP support, at the chip level, the difference is nV can claim they leave ut up to the board mfr to decide what's put on or not. However it will depend alot on how they promoite it, because both companies do have control over basic and minimal board functionality/standards. So depending on who said what, is going to determine legal culpability.

Those I do feel sorry for is the buyers of the X1900 series cards with the aim of future-proofing themselves for HDCP support!

Which is the same as the GF6800, X800, GF7800 owners (and likely GF7900 owners too). Unless it's got HDMI or a gen2 connector, it won't be HDCP compliant. So there's alot of people out there not getting the full potetnial of their VPU.

Time to send some very hostile letters to your board manufacturer, whether it is ATI or a board partner!

Now that's more of an Ad campaign than anything, half the people here didn't understood what the implication was when I first posted the Firingsquad article anyways, so how could they become indignant? Dang, I didn't know that this was even a feature, but now that you tell me about it, I want some money. Typical litigeous reaction. Personally I think anyone who was truely worried about this as their primary reason for buying a card would've looked into this. Even despite my interewst, it's a tertiary issue at best. Write the letter, but the need for it to be 'hostile' seem ridiculous since most people wouldn't have been able to tell you what HDCP was only a few weeks ago (probably think it's a combination of HP and Compaq)

EDIT: I am resisting the urge to complain with multiple expletives over the very concept of HDCP!!!!

Good, well at least we're on the same page with that one.
You can read my rant in the Extremetech AVIVO/PureVideo thread.

*EDIT some spelling/context errors (unlike ATi, ATi has...?) oops .

 

[Heyyou27]

Amazing.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Yeah dissapointing that it's going to be such a problem.

This was mentioned during the Dell WS craze, and alot of people were talking about the lack of HDCP support, now that they are finally shipping HDCP compliant DVI connected TFTs (like the Dell 30") perhaps there's finally motivation.

I'd like to see the options put forth since the HDCP DVI isn't very prevalant, but HDMI is by default HDCP compliant.

I should check a friend's Samsung upconverting DVD player to see if it's HDCP compliant.

 

[s4fun]

Who the hell needs HDCP? Or any DRM (damn wRetched mess, digital restriction monster) for that matter.

We need to stop the money grubbing f#@%@ers from trampling all over our fair use rights!

ATI and nVidia are both too damn chicken to stand up and fight the good fight!

 

[Acert93]

Hey, maybe now we can tag NV and ATI all together; first NV for their non-Purevideo support in the 6800 series (uhhh can we say broken?) and both over HDCP?

Probably not... HDCP really is not a big deal at this point due to limited media and limited monitors to support it. Sad that companies are hitting honest consumers with DRM when we all know the filthy pirates will be getting around it within weeks.