DVI and HDMI Connections and HDCP Explained

Introduction
Recently I have had a barrage of e-mails from friends and readers asking why HDTV connectivity is so complicated. I found myself sending out the same advice and comments over and over so I wanted to share some of this advice. DVI !Digital Video Interface" HD#I !High Definition #ultimedia Interface" and HD$% !Highbandwidth Digital $ontent %rotection" are confusing everyone so what is the story&

'e Have (een Here (efore

#uch of this was addressed in a technical article I wrote in )**+. It discussed the looming HDTV issues that would trap consumers the proposed HD$% content protection scheme and their effect on everyone. ,ure enough I see fre-uent DVI issues and other problems that are side effects of this scheme. It does not help that HD$% is defined variously as High-bandwidth Digital $ontent %rotection High-bandwidth Digital $opy %rotection and High Definition $opy %rotocol. It also stands for High Dependability $omputing %ro.ect. ,ince the rollout of HD$% there hasn/t been very much if any consumer education. I think some of this might have been intentional as products with non HD$% compliant DVI would be essentially useless. Read my article from )**+ if you haven/t yet it/s a good reference on what is now the 0standard0.

HD$% and Devices

There are two primary sources for digital video based content1 ,atellite and DVD. 'ith the proliferation and popularity of digital display devices DVI has become the best option for video performance with component video second. The advantage lies in that with DVI there is no Digital to 2nalog to Digital conversion for digital display devices. The signal stays digital all the way from source to display eliminating one more potential for image -uality degradation. (oth ma.or satellite manufacturers !Dish and DirecTV" are now using HD$% in the DVI connections with the satellite bo3es. DVD manufacturers are re-uired to use it for DVD-based material. Thus if you really want to use DVI you need to be HD$% compliant from the source to the display. This means processors buffers

amplifiers and switches all must be HD$% compliant. If you bought an HD TV4%ro.ector with DVI that doesn/t support HD$% you have a problem. 5nfortunately consumers with analog displays are completely in the lurch as many new video processors support DVI but cannot display that content to the component video output. The DVD6 HD7 video processor is a perfect e3ample. Technically you could connect a DVI cable from a DVI output on a satellite bo3 to the DVD6 processor scale massage and output it via component video in HD. (ut !and it/s a big but" DVD6 is re-uired to shut off the component outputs when an HD$% encoded signal is present. It/s frustrating because HD$% licensing has tied the hands of premiere manufactures like DVD6. To top it off many pro.ectors being sold today that have DVI still do not have HD$% !all HD#I devices are HD$% compliant". #ake sure that if you buy a HD capable device and intend to use it with DVI4DVD or DVI4,atellite your pro.ector has HD$% compliancy. DVI-I and DVI-D 6ne big problem with DVI is that there are several variations. DVI-I is a connection found mostly on computers and this carries not only the DVI digital signal but also an R8(HV analog signal on four additional pins. $omputer outputs often if not always carry both signals and use this connector. DVI-D is the same cable as DVI-I without the pins or wires to carry the additional R8(HV signal. DVI-D cables have )9 pins arranged in + rows of :. 6ne video signal re-uires ;) of these pins meaning that your typical DVI cable can carry two video signals. $omplicating this is the DVI-D ,ingle <ink vs. DVI-D Dual <ink. 'e have found problems using Dual <ink cables with DVD players and digital displays. ,o far the ,ingle <ink seems to work fine. Here is a link to a page that describes terms and compatibility of the numerous DVI connectors.

HD#I
HD#I is a connector format that carries the same video signal as DVI but instead of using the remaining pins for an optional video signal pins are used to carry seven digital audio channels. HD#I also has much higher bandwidth capability than DVI. To keep confusion down the plug is completely different. DVI-D to HD#I converter cables and adapters are ine3pensive. This means in the near future that a single cable can be connected from each source to your home theater receiver and then to the display device. %ioneer =lectronics has been a proponent of HD#I technology and their DV>?-2Vi was one of the first to market with HD#I .acks. HD#I will become the de-facto standard for home theater connectivity. 6ne cable for both audio and video and .ust one connector. @ou don/t have to worry about Dual <ink or ,ingle <ink or D I or 2 variations like there are with DVI. 2t $=DI2 )**9 new DVD players and pro.ectors had HD#I but no DVI which means DVI is .ust about gone after only one year on the market.

'hat Do I 5se&
If you have a digital display that is HD$% compliant use HD#I or DVI !with a converter cable if necessary". There are a few DVI players out there such as the %ioneer DV>?-2Vi ,amsung DVDHD?+; and (ravo D;4D). I highly suggest that if you are getting ready to buy make sure the product you are purchasing has DVI connections that are HD$% compliant !all HD#I connections are HD$% compliant". Aeep in mind that although DVI and HD#I are compatible there is some loss in going from an HD#I source to a DVI display !see below". ,o if you are starting from scratch get all HD#I devices. Brom CC/s article on HDTV Repeaters1 DVI is an : bit R8( signal while HD#I can be : bit R8( or : bit ;* bit or ;) bit @$b$r. If you have a DVI source and DVI display there will be no problem. If you have a DVI source and an HD#I display again no problem. If however you have an HD#I source and a DVI display the below-black video information may be lost in the translation. There is a bug in the ,ilicon Image HD#I

transmitter that pops up when converting @$b$r to R8(. The HD TiVo and %ioneer >?2Vi do not have this problem. =ven though source information !DVDs HD" is all : bit color if D,% is applied in : bit such as in a video processor rounding errors will toss out some of the data. 6n the other hand if the data are ;* bit such as with @$b$r then the rounding errors don/t occur. In fact ;9 - ;D bit is optimum for processing. 2lso DVD data are @$b$r and are converted to R8( in the player for the DVI output. R8( cannot represent all the data in @$b$r and this is why the belowblack information gets truncated. If you have an analog component display the good news is that most manufacturers are providing HDTV content over component video connections for the time being. If replacing e-uipment make sure that you move to HD#I. The bad news is that content providers can !and will" pull HD content from component video outputs at some point forcing HD$% on the masses. =3pect HD DVD players to only support HD$%. If you have an R8(HV analog display such as a $RT pro.ector trancoders can bring you to component video but unfortunately nothing can bring you to HD$%. I hate to think that my Runco DTV?++ $RT display will at some point not be able to display HD content as HD$% gets enforced. (ut unless someone makes retrofit cards for our $RT pro.ectors there is no hope.