Do I have the ability to view BluRay and HD-DVD content in high definition if the digital monitor that I have is not equipped with an HDCP compatible connection?

Do I have the ability to view BluRay and HD-DVD content in high definition if the digital monitor that I have is not equipped with an HDCP compatible connection?

Do I have the ability to view BluRay and HD-DVD content in high definition if the digital monitor that I have is not equipped with an HDCP compatible connection? This is a very good question. The owner of the content, for example, the movie studio who releases a DVD, makes the decision on which technologies they want to use for the protection of that content against unauthorized copying. Movie studios fear the pirating of the high definition versions of their movies. Because of this, movie studios are expected to use high band width digital-content protection, or HDCP, when releasing the high definition versions of their movies. Some movie studios may choose to release some of their titles without HDCP.

What does HDCP do? HDCP provides the encryption for the transmission of digital content between the video source, or transmitter, like a DVD player, a computer, or a set-top box, and the receiver, or the digital display, like a television, a monitor, or a projector. HDCP was not intended to stop the copying or the recording of digital content, but was intended to protect the integrity of the content as it is being transmitted. To implement HDCP, a license must be obtained from the Digital Content Protection, LLC, which then issues a set of unique secret device keys to any and all of the authorized devices. During the authentication process, the receiver will only accept the high definition content once it demonstrates a knowledge of the secret keys. Plus, to prevent any eavesdropping and stealing of the transmitted data, the transmitter and receiver will both create a shared secret value that is constantly checked throughout the entire transmission. Once the authentication has been established, the transmitter will encrypt the data and then send it to the receiver to be decrypted. In addition to paying the license fees, all licensees must agree to limit the their products capabilities. For example, high-definition digital video content has to be restricted to DVD quality on non-HDCP compliant video outputs when it is requested by the source. DVD-Audio content is restricted to DAT quality on non-HDCP digital audio outputs, analog audio outputs have no quality limits. Licensees may not allow their devices to make any copies of content, and must design their products to effectively frustrate attempts to pirate the content.

The main idea behind HDCP is to prevent the transmission of non-encrypted high definition content. Three systems were developed to assist in achieving this goal. The first system that is utilized is the authentication process, which will not allow non-licensed devices to receive any HD content. The second system that is in effect is the encryption of the actual data that is sent over the DVI or the HDMI interface, which prevents any eavesdropping of information. The third system that is used is the key revocation procedures, which ensure that devices which are manufactured by vendors who have violated the license agreement would be blocked relatively easily from receiving HD data.

Each device model that has HDCP capability utilizes a unique set of keys. There are 40 keys in total, and each key is 56 bits long. These keys are kept completely confidential, and the failure to keep them a secret will be seen as a violation of the license agreement. For each set of keys, a special key called a Key Selection Vector, or KSV, is created. Each KSV has exactly half the bits, or 20 bits, set to 0 and half the bits, or 20 bits, set to 1. During the authentication process, both parties will exchange their Key Selection Vectors. Then each device adds its own secret keys together, according to the KSV that was received from another device. If a particular bit in the vector is set to 1, then the corresponding secret key is used in the addition, if not, the bit is ignored. Keys and KSVs are created in such a way that during this process both devices get the identical 56 bit number as a result. That number is used later in the encryption process. The specifications for HDCP ensure the constant updating of keys after each encoded frame. If a particular model is considered to have been compromised, the specific Key Selection Vector for that model is put into the revocation lists, which are written on newly produced disks with HD content. Each revocation list is signed with a digital signature using the DSA algorithm. This digital signature helps to prevent any malicious users from revoking legitimate devices. During the authentication process, if the receiver's KSV is found in the revocation list by a transmitter, then the transmitter will consider the receiver to be compromised, and will not send HD data to the receiver.

Blu-ray Disc, HD DVD, and DVD players, with HDMI or DVI connectors, use HDCP to establish a digital connection that is encrypted. If the display device does not support HDCP, then a connection cannot be established. So if the monitor, or receiver, does not have an HDCP compatible connection, no connection will be displayed. The result of this may be a black picture and/or error message will be displayed instead of the video content.