Some sources send encrypted signals when they are connected to a HDCP capable device (such as a matrix router) even if the content is not protected. This way the unprotected content cannot be displayed on non-HDCP displays, if the signal travels through a HDCP compliant matrix or repeater.
Lightware’s products can enable HDCP to be disabled on individual input ports, while keeping other inputs HDCP compliant. This forces the source to send an unprotected signal only.
Lightware is a legal HDCP adopter. All its products whose name contains ‘HDMI’ or ‘HDCP’ are fully HDCP compliant.
Avoiding unnecessary HDCP encryption
Many video sources send an HDCP protected signal if they detect that the sink is HDCP capable – even if the content is not copyrighted. This can cause trouble if a HDCP capable device (such as a repeater or matrix router) is connected between the source and the display. In this case, the content can’t be viewed on non HDCP capable displays and interfaces such as event controllers.
Rental and staging technicians often complain about Apple laptops, which always send HDCP encrypted signals if the receiver device reports HDCP compliancy. Although HDCP encryption is not required all the time (for instance to display a computer desktop image) some video cards still do that.
An ultimate solution is available for Lightware matrix routers, by a simple, recently released firmware upgrade. This introduces a new feature: the HDCP function can be disabled on each input port separately. If HDCP is disabled on an input port, the connected source will detect that the sink is not HDCP capable, and will turn off authentication. The source cannot communicate with any devices (displays, repeaters, etc.) that are connected to the router’s output, therefore it cannot see if they are HDCP capable or not.
In practice
1: If a source detects that the input port is HDCP-disabled, it will send only unprotected content.
2: If a source detects that the input port is HDCP-enabled, it could send either protected or unprotected content.
3: HDCP-protected content will not be sent to any input port with a disabled HDCP setting.
4: HDCP-protected content will never be sent to a non-HDCP-compliant display.
Note that if the HDCP function is disabled on an input port, the connected source cannot send protected content to any display. If HDCP function is enabled on an input port and the source sends an encrypted signal, the non-HDCP compliant devices cannot display the video. This new feature does not remove the encryption of an encrypted signal, and does not void the HDCP standard at all (Lightware is a legal HDCP adopter).
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