HDCP and HDMI

[SciPunk]

OK, I've been doing some research and it's like pulling teeth to get the right info.

Apparently all HDMI display devices are HDCP enabled. So if I understand this correctly, they will display video signals comming from DVI sources as long as the DVI source is also HDCP enabled (and you use the DVI-HDMI adapter/cable).

This also means that they WILL NOT display any DVI source that IS NOT HDCP enabled. So if I connect a typical NVIDIA card (say GX 7600) to an HDTV's HDMI port (w/ the DVI-HDMI adapater), I WILL NOT get the computer's output onto the HDTV.

Do I have this right???

I'm not yet concerned about Blue-Ray or HD-DVD. I'm just talking about getting output from my PC to the HDTV.

 

[SciPunk]

See what I mean? The sound of crickets chirping tells me that most people simply don't know about this.

So where are all the SLI users out there? I know you spent a lot of money for your setups so you could do things at super high resolutions. So what are you using for monitors? Didn't you ever consider using a huge 1080p HDTV in your living room?

 

[IcY18]

Alrighty, well first off the HDCP is for blu-ray and HD-DVD, right now you can connect an DVI graphics card to any TV with DVI and you will get a picture that runs at the screens max resolution...

So where are all the SLI users out there? I know you spent a lot of money for your setups so you could do things at super high resolutions. So what are you using for monitors? Didn't you ever consider using a huge 1080p HDTV in your living room?

No, no one considers buying a a huge 1080P(1920x1080) HDTV because they are rediculously expensive and people usually only sit about 1-3 ft away from there monitor with a 30+inch monitor you wouldn't be able to see everything...
also huge monitors that even support that high of a resolution can't touch the refresh rate of smaller lcds which really effects games

tv lcds are no suited for computer gamers as they don't meet the requirements needed to game...people usually only can spend 1500 on the comp, not 1500 on an hdtv to go with it...

 

[Kholonar]

I'm not an expert on the subject but since no one else has applied, I'll have a go.

I think (from what I read), you need a TV with a HDCP decoder inside it to decode a HDCP signal. So, if you want to display on your TV your desktop, or a game, you can run it at the max resolution... even on a non-HDCP decoder TV.

Oh and I think your example is flawed - I think the 7600gt is HDCP enabled.

Try this for more info
http://www.hdmi.org/consumer/faq.asp

 

[Vinny]

HDCP is just a form of copyright protection...

Basically, the new HD formats like HD-DVD and Blu-Ray use HDCP (and Windows Vista might use it too for some stuff). If you have a HDCP compliant monitor and are using DVI or HDMI, then you will be able to take full advantage of the maximum available quality.

For example, say you have a 1080p LCD and are trying to watch a 1080p HD-DVD movie. If your monitor is HDCP compliant and you are using a HDCP compliant connection, you will get to use the full 1080p resolution.

But say you are trying to watch that same HD-DVD on a different LCD, one that does not have HDCP, then you are limited to a maximum resolution of 540p (no matter what your LCD is capable of or what the HD-DVD player is outputting).

Both ways hold true for both BD and HD-DVD but I don't think either format outputs in 1080p nor is HDCP in place yet.

As for DVI vs HDMI, there are two main differences. One is the physical differences (DVI is fatter, has bigger connectors) and the other is that HDMI carries both audio and video while DVI can only carry audio.

If you connect a non HDCP source to a HDCP compliant HDTV then technically the TV should display up to whatever it's capable of. The HDCP restrictions are only with HD-DVD and BD formats. I could be wrong about this as I heard newer Sony TVs won't display 1080p without an HDCP compliant source but I'm not sure.

As for SLI and high resolutions, I think you're a bit lost- 1080p only has a resolution of 1920x1080. People with high end SLI (or even a high end single card) solutions can display in a higher resolution than a 1080p display. Sometimes 1080p uses a higher resolution (like 1920x13??) but they call it 1080p since there's nothing beyond 1080p yet.