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Hardware Intel Next-Gen IGP Chipsets to be Fully HDCP Compliant
Tuan Nguyen (Blog) - February 20, 2006 5:55 PM

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13 comment(s) - last by ShinoOoo.. on Feb 20 at 11:29 PM

Despite confusion over HDCP-readiness, manufacturers are saying that next-gen Intel IGP chipsets will be fully HDCP compliant

Information has been circulating to manufacturers that Intel's next generation integrated graphics chipset after Broadwater will support HDCP compliant output. Intel has already hinted at its direction on chipsets by talking about technologies such as Intel Clear Video technology.

Intel currently sits on the HDMI Adopters and Founders board along with a host of other industry leaders. In its most recent roadmap, Intel indicates that upcoming chipsets around the 3rd quarter of this year will be Windows Vista Premium logo certified. As we have previously stated, Windows Vista mandates that HDCP is required for high resolution HD video playback and output. The new chipsets will also be part of Intel's Viiv platform designation.

Last week we reported on the issues concerning ATI and HDCP compliancy as the company has advertised its products as being HDCP-ready when in fact the products were only HDCP-compliant at the GPU level. ATI's own branded boards along with its parters products however, also advertised HDCP readiness or in some cases even saying HDMI compliant when no such connector or adapter shipped with the products.

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HDCP belongs in the trash...

By tonjohn on 2/20/2006 7:11:27 PM , Rating: 2

F*** HDCP... There are no videocards that support it, no monitors that support it. If these two industries don't support HDCP then HDCP will fall flat on its face (where it belongs).

HDCP is only going to cause a huge increase in pirating, not the other way around.

RE: HDCP belongs in the trash...

By Eomer of Aldburg on 2/20/2006 8:15:49 PM , Rating: 2

Amen to that!

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RE: HDCP belongs in the trash...

By sieistganzfett on 2/20/2006 9:07:46 PM , Rating: 2

lol. there was, once a time, where no cpus supported x86-64, it was x86-32, but some cpus now support it and some software has been tagging along slowly. maybe 3 years from now there will be some devices that support HDCP and just maybe i will become i millionaire tomorrow too.

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RE: HDCP belongs in the trash...

By johnford64 on 2/20/2006 10:18:03 PM , Rating: 3

the problem is that you can still run an X86-64 cpu in 32Bit mode, which is allmost as good. HDCP will not allow you to use HD at all, thus you dont have HD. Some HD will scale down to DVD, but in that case HD is a waste of money.

FUCK HDCP. My BRAND new X1800XT and Dell UltraSharp 2005FPW arent compliant. I wont be buying in to it until i can use that equipment

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RE: HDCP belongs in the trash...

By johnford64 on 2/20/2006 10:18:59 PM , Rating: 2

sorry, didnt realise you didnt have a filter sorry ;(

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The issue of HDMI compliance

By CaptainSpectacular on 2/20/2006 9:32:08 PM , Rating: 2

ok look Tuan, you've got to get this HDMI compliance thing straight. First of all, HDMI and HDCP are two completely separate things. HDCP is a means of encryption that can be applied over a DVI or HDMI link. It is not required for DVI or HDMI compliance, although the vast majority of HDMI inputs support HDCP since HDMI came after HDCP (I can't think of any that don't).

DVI on the other hand was out before HDCP was defined, and thus there are quite a few devices (as we all know) that don't support HDCP.

HDMI uses the same signaling as DVI, or to be somewhat more specific, the HDMI spec is a superset of the DVI spec, adding in digital audio support and the ability to transmit YUV instead of just RGB video signals, as well as increased bit depth (double check that last bit).

Because DVI is a subset of what HDMI supports, a DVI->HDMI adapter SHOULD work in all cases. Because this is such new tech, it's not even close to perfect at this point in time, but theoretically this should work as long as the display supports the output resolution.

So that's a long winded way of saying that ATI or NVIDIA claiming HDMI compliance without an HDMI connector is really not wrong at all. Now the HDCP thing, well, you guys are all over that.

RE: The issue of HDMI compliance

By nomagic on 2/20/2006 10:50:09 PM , Rating: 3

quote:
... a DVI source can drive an HDMI monitor, or vice versa, by means of a suitable adapter or cable, but the audio and remote control features of HDMI will not be available. Additionally, without support for HDCP, the video quality and resolution may be artificially downgraded by the signal source to prevent the end user from viewing or especially copying legally protected content.

-wikipedia

What is the point of being HDMI compliant when you can't play high definition content? Like you said, DVI-to-HDMI adapter is possible. However, without HDCP, being HDMI compliant is not going to get you HD content.

You obviously did not read the previous articles. We all understand that new ATI and NVIDIA cards are HDMI compliant. However, they are not HDCP compliant, so no HD content will play on these cards. This is why we are all over that. You got the whole argument wrong, dude.

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RE: The issue of HDMI compliance

By CaptainSpectacular on 2/20/2006 11:20:36 PM , Rating: 2

no, actually I'm trying to make a distinction regarding the HDMI compliance. Yes, I know that HDCP is the real key issue here and that it is going to be required for high-def content on Vista. But technically speaking, HDMI compliance does NOT require HDCP encryption, so technically speaking what ATI/NVIDIA have stated with regards to HDMI is correct.

That said, yes, ATI/NVIDIA screwed up royally with respect to HDCP support, and yes, it's really going to hurt when Vista rolls around. But that wasn't my point...

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RE: The issue of HDMI compliance

By CaptainSpectacular on 2/20/2006 11:23:14 PM , Rating: 2

I forgot to mention - the POINT of being HDMI compliant without HDCP would be that you can still hook your PC to an HDMI monitor under XP, MCE, Linux, or OS X. Right now, today, and without restriction. Maybe some of you don't intend to hook your PC to your HDMI TV until Vista comes out, but some of us would rather not wait that long. Of course, most of the people in the latter group will also be upgrading when the time comes as well.

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RE: The issue of HDMI compliance

By ShinoOoo on 2/20/2006 11:29:40 PM , Rating: 2

Two things or more to add

DVI is by spec a double standard, allowing to transfer both RGB VGA and Digital content (DVI-I), OR only digital (DVI-D)
The DVI spec doesn't mention anything about HDCP (doesn't state anything against it either), but states that a DVI link is 6 TMDS (Transition Minimized Differential Signaling), making them mandatory (even if they are not fully used), which in this way makes a difference with the dead and long forgotten P&D (who included, yes, a USB and IEEE1394 port) as well as the DFP (who is a big scale down from P&D, therefore easyer and cheaper to manufacture).

HDMI, on the other side, comes with two DIGITAL ONLY types of connector, one for 6 TMDS links, one for 3 TMDS links.

Let me tell you that some devices got out with HDMI without HDCP.

So a HDMI - DVI-D converter is pretty easy to get, although it is not as good as a DVI fo some applications (namely, without HDCP)

My second point is, having HDCP is not mandatory.
Whether the content provider decides to use it or not over HDMI, and whether he decides to scale down the result if not available, is something yet to clarify. Given the amount of people angry about the HDCP idea (YUV people, DVI and HDMI pre-HDCP people, and others) it might be a topic going on for a little while.
The technology is ready. Let's see who will use it.

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