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EDIT: I found a much cheaper (and smaller) one than the original one that I posted: http://cgi.ebay.com/...em=251165409775
For those of you who don't know, HDCP is a kind of DRM used with HDMI to encrypt the signal so only HDCP-licensed devices can decrypt it. It's the reason you can't connect a PS3 to a capture box, or a Motorola STB to a Slingbox. The protocol was cracked a while back, and Intel, the company in charge of licensing it, threatened to sue any devices that remove HDCP and reproduce an unprotected signal. It makes circumvention tools like this pretty illegal. Wikipedia has a really good article on it.
Basically, it works like this. Company A (e.g. Sony) wants to make an HDTV. They want their customers to be able to watch whatever HD content they want, so they call up Intel and ask to be granted HDCP licensing. Intel does two things: starts charging Company A an annual fee, and forces them to promise to not copy, reproduce, retransmit, etc. the video/audio signals. This means "you can show it, but you can't record it, transcode it, or anything else. Just show it." Company A agrees, and Intel gives them access to make HDCP keys.
Company B (e.g. Sling Media, makers of the Slingbox) wants to make a Slingbox. They call up Intel and ask to be granted HDCP licensing. They tell Intel that the Slingbox, by definition, both transcodes and retransmits video signal, so Intel tells them to piss off. Even though the HDCP protocol has been cracked, and any yahoo can generate valid HDCP credentials, Sling Media is a corporation that could get in big trouble for doing something like that.
Company C (e.g. wholesale counterfeit/illegitimate Chinese electronics manufacturers) doesn't give a shit what Intel does because the Chinese manufacturers seem to be able to get away with most forms of copyright infringement. They make counterfeit (albeit functioning) HDCP pseudo-compliant devices and sell them on eBay for cheap. At least I hope. I'll let you know when mine comes in the mail.
For those of you who don't know, HDCP is a kind of DRM used with HDMI to encrypt the signal so only HDCP-licensed devices can decrypt it. It's the reason you can't connect a PS3 to a capture box, or a Motorola STB to a Slingbox. The protocol was cracked a while back, and Intel, the company in charge of licensing it, threatened to sue any devices that remove HDCP and reproduce an unprotected signal. It makes circumvention tools like this pretty illegal. Wikipedia has a really good article on it.
Basically, it works like this. Company A (e.g. Sony) wants to make an HDTV. They want their customers to be able to watch whatever HD content they want, so they call up Intel and ask to be granted HDCP licensing. Intel does two things: starts charging Company A an annual fee, and forces them to promise to not copy, reproduce, retransmit, etc. the video/audio signals. This means "you can show it, but you can't record it, transcode it, or anything else. Just show it." Company A agrees, and Intel gives them access to make HDCP keys.
Company B (e.g. Sling Media, makers of the Slingbox) wants to make a Slingbox. They call up Intel and ask to be granted HDCP licensing. They tell Intel that the Slingbox, by definition, both transcodes and retransmits video signal, so Intel tells them to piss off. Even though the HDCP protocol has been cracked, and any yahoo can generate valid HDCP credentials, Sling Media is a corporation that could get in big trouble for doing something like that.
Company C (e.g. wholesale counterfeit/illegitimate Chinese electronics manufacturers) doesn't give a shit what Intel does because the Chinese manufacturers seem to be able to get away with most forms of copyright infringement. They make counterfeit (albeit functioning) HDCP pseudo-compliant devices and sell them on eBay for cheap. At least I hope. I'll let you know when mine comes in the mail.
This post has been edited by n00neimp0rtant: 21 January 2013 - 03:02 PM
