HDMI and HDCP technology stickin' it to early consumers

[K.Zapp]

Three years ago I bought a Hitachi 55" plasma with all the goods,and also bought the Yamaha rxv-1700 A/V receiver and I use a cable DVR set top box. So far so good.... so I bought 150$ worth of HDMI cables and connected it all just to find out that my TV is protected with HDCP(high bandwidth digital content protection) and will not let me pass HDMI through my A/V receiver. It WILL on the other hand let me go directly from the cable box to the TV.
I guess it is detecting my receiver as a copy device. I had no choice but to go back to component cables to utilize my receiver. I recently read that manufacturers are now making HDTV's with HDCP compatible HDMI inputs. That doesn't do me any good now I also read that hackers are not far behind on cracking the code on this consumer raping technology but only on PC's right now I think. I am hoping to find others with this same problem and some how get around it. Thanks for any replies!

 

[MDS]

HDMI has always been HDCP enabled. If the TV is HDCP enabled, then every source must also be HDCP enabled. In this case the cable box is expecting to perform the HDCP handshake to exchange encryption keys but that never makes it to the TV because the receiver is not capable of HDMI 'repeating'.

The only real workaround is to connect the cable box directly to the TV with a separate audio connection to the receiver (if the cable box supports that at the same time HDMI is being used) and then use a macro on a universal remote to switch the receiver input when you switch the TV input.

 

[Audioholics]

Please read this thread as well:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21194

 

[K.Zapp]

Thanks for the education. I will spread the word and go a few rounds on the phone with my cable co. TWC.