[opendtv] Most Monitors Won't Play New HD Video
- From: Mark Aitken <maitken@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: OpenDTV <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 04 Oct 2005 17:08:15 -0400
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/printable/article/0,aid,122738,00.asp
Most Monitors Won't Play New HD Video
Vista's content protection will block or blur high-def movies on today's
displays.
Scott Spanbauer
From the November 2005 issue of PC World magazine
Posted Tuesday, October 04, 2005
If you dropped a bundle on a high-end computer display or HDTV, you
could be in for an unpleasant surprise when you slip your new
high-definition DVD of /Star Wars: Episode III/ into your Windows Vista
PC. Vista, the next version of Windows that's slated to appear in about
a year, will feature a new systemwide content protection scheme called
PVP-OPM (see box below). If your monitor doesn't work with PVP-OPM, all
you'll likely see is either a fuzzy rendition of your high-def flick or
Hollywood's version of the Blue Screen of Death--a message warning you
that the display has been 'revoked'.
High-Def Hard-Liners
Forthcoming Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs promise higher resolution than a
standard DVD's 480-line maximum. But to protect its high-quality content
from pirating, the film industry, along with disc and hardware makers,
has created an umbrella content protection scheme known as AACS. If
Windows is to play the new discs, Microsoft has little choice but to
support AACS, which is where PVP-OPM comes in. According to Microsoft,
PVP-OPM will prevent pirates from attaching recording devices directly
to the PC graphics card's DVI or HDMI video outputs in order to capture
a pristine digital copy of the disc's otherwise encrypted content. A
related component, PVP-UAB, will prevent savvy computer owners from
installing data capture cards in order to grab high-def movies straight
off the PCI Express bus.
Unfortunately, PVP-OPM will also shut out plenty of law-abiding video
watchers whose current displays aren't future-proof. To comply with the
film industry's protection scheme, PVP-OPM employs HDCP technology to
determine whether graphics boards and displays are allowed to output and
display high-def video. If HDCP sees a blocked display (such as a video
capture device) or one that does not support HDCP (including any HDTV
with only analog connectors), it prevents output or reduces the video
resolution until the offending display or protected content is removed
from the system.
Costly Upgrades
If that scenario sounds disturbing, it gets worse: Few existing
wide-screen desktop displays support HDCP. If you're one of the hundreds
of thousands of current wide-screen desktop display owners, you can
probably forget about viewing Blu-ray or HD-DVD discs on your nearly new
(and far from cheap) monitor. To watch high-def content, you'll likely
have to upgrade your monitor. A handful of HDCP-compliant displays from
NEC, Samsung, Sony, and ViewSonic are just starting to appear, according
to market research firm iSuppli. And manufacturers such as Dell have
plans to incorporate HDCP support into future wide-screen displays,
though details are scarce.
Think you could avoid this expense by sticking with XP? No such luck. To
see HD, you'll have to upgrade to Windows Vista as well; Windows XP's
security and driver models lack the ability to support HDCP. Consumers
intent on viewing HD discs via their PCs will have little choice but to
spring for the new operating system in addition to an HDCP-compliant
monitor.
Decode the Jargon
*AACS: * Advanced Access Control System. A specification for guarding
next-generation optical-media content created by the film, electronics,
and software industries.
*HDCP: * High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection. Intel's content
protection scheme for digital displays, not supported by most currently
available PC monitors.
*PVP-OPM: * Protected Video Path Output Protection Management.
Downgrades video resolution or blocks the picture entirely if the
connected display doesn't support content protection.
*PVP-UAB: * Protected Video Path User-Accessible Bus. Encrypts video
content as it passes over the PCI Express bus from the high-def disc to
prevent other PCI Express devices from intercepting the video stream.
--
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Regards,
Mark A. Aitken
Director, Advanced Technology
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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Sinclair Broadcast Group
10706 Beaver Dam Road
Hunt Valley, MD 21030
Business TEL: (410) 568-1535
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E-mail: maitken@xxxxxxxxxx
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