DVI/HDCP vs IEEE1394/DTCP

[youngsj]

There is definitely a dicotomy between stb manufacturers. At least there are currently only three main interface standards being pursued:

1) DVI / HDCP copy protection [1080i resolution]

2) IEEE 1394 / DTCP copy protection (or 5C)...sometimes also referred to as DTVLink [1080i resolution]

3) RGB/Component High Definition Analog (no copy protection) [1080i resolution]

I have a Mitsubishi DiamondScan TV, and they are not going to provide a DVI/HDCP connector. They have "decided" that they will only provide the IEEE 1394 DTCP connector.

The question that I would like the answer to is as follows:
When DirecTV High Definition affiliates (HBO, Showtime) begin broadcasting with copy protection, what happens to the RGB/Component High Definition Analog (1080i) signal that is currently being used by 90% of existing DirecTV STB customers that do not have DVI or IEEE1394 connectors?

My guess is that the signal will no longer be displayed at 1080i, and that it will drop to 480P - Unless your choice of digital interface & copy protection (DVI/hdcp or DTVLink/dtcp) is aligned with the industry standard copy protection that is chosen by the Broadcasting Industry during this next year (currently unknown).

Can anyone confirm this?

If RGB/Component High Definition Analog will still continue to display at 1080i when copy protection is being used, then there is no problem. If it drops to 480P...Then there is a problem.

Please set me straight with the facts.

[kevinw]

Nothing is in stone and you answered your own questions.

[Fritz]

Why would you assume that broadcasting with copy protection would prompt them to drop resolution from 1080i to 480p? That would mean broadcasts would no longer be HDTV.

[57U]

There has been all sorts of conjecture regarding this issue and that's all it is - conjecture.

Many people are guessing this will all be "meaningless" in a few years.

[cen21]

Does anyone have any input on the new Hitachi 65xwx20b ??
I like the fact that they include both DVI and Firewire but how is the set. I have yet to see it in the stores ( Circuit City or Sears ).

[57U]

Your post should have really gone in the Hitachi forum, nevertheless, here is a link for a Similar Hitachi Model (http://electronics.cnet.com/electronics/0-6342372-1305-20376906.html?tag=rev-rev).

The one you ask about is mentioned and is a "step up" from this very well reviewed model. It is an excellent set and I have not heard anything bad about it.

[Tesla]

Re: DVI/HDCP vs IEEE1394/DTCP

> When DirecTV broadcasts a High Definition
> HBO movie, what happens to the DirecTV
> set-top box's analog High Definition
> Component Video (1080i) output that is
> currently being used by 90% of existing
> DirecTV customers that do not have DVI or
> IEEE 1394 connectors?

The existence of the analog video output and the absence of a digital video output tells me the STB does not have any copy-protection built into it. It's not looking for the "broadcast flag" that says "convert it down to 480i". That's my guess.

If the STB was designed in blissful ignorance of copy protection (digital rights management), it's not even looking for the copy-protection "broadcast flag". Why would it go into a degraded mode of operation? I think the STB will keep on working, same as always.

If an industry insider can give a plausible reason why the broadcast flag will turn off an old STB that's not looking for it, I'd like to hear the story.

But let's say you're the CEO of DirecTV, and you can push a button to disable all STB's that don't implement digital rights management. Yes, you can do that. That will turn off 90 percent of your customer base.

For a fleeting moment, it occurs to you to turn those guys off. Will you do it? Answer: Not unless you sell all your stock first.

Heck, sell another 50 million shares short while you're at it. But to be safe, ask Martha Stewart (who started out life as a stockbroker) whether doing any of that would constitute illegal insider trading. Or better yet, forget the whole thing!

-- Tesla