Untangling HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2

[teachsac]

Good article for those that are unsure of the newer standards. I wish that manufacturers what start working together, consumers aren't confused or stuck.

There has been a lot of talk lately about the new HDMI specification and how it relates to recent product announcements. As seems to be par for the course with HDMI, confusion abounds mostly because of partial implementations and staggeringly low amounts of information available. We're here to demystify the new HDMI spec and help all of our readers understand just what they are getting when they purchase a new device touting HDMI 2.0 or HDCP 2.2.

http://www.audioholics.com/hdtv-formats/hdmi-2.0-hdcp-2.2

S~

 

[gadgtfreek]

It is a mess.

Saw a good chart in Widescreen review. I'm sitting still just planning on UHD display, preamp and player in 2016. Hopefully a UHD 65" OLED.

I am going to keep this Sony 7200 until then, no need to buy another player.

 

[teachsac]

The Denon AVR-X7200 has an HDMI upgrade board planned for spring 2015. It is full bandwidth HDMI 2.0 support with HDCP 2.2.

S~

 

[gadgtfreek]

The Denon AVR-X7200 has an HDMI upgrade board planned for spring 2015. It is full bandwidth HDMI 2.0 support with HDCP 2.2.

S~

I saw where the Marantz will as well. Still no need to get any of that until I get the display, and I dont plan on getting rid of the VT50 for anything next year. I have been having Chad B calibrate it every 6 months and it still looks outstanding. I guess players will be late 2015.

2016 is a good move, plus the 2014 model AVR's with a 2 year life cycle will start going on discount.

 

[teachsac]

The AV8802. I don't thing the AVR line does.

 

[teachsac]

and I dont plan on getting rid of the VT50 for anything next year.

How many times have we heard that

S~

 

[gadgtfreek]

Shatup!

I have been good, I am almost at 2 years of not swapping a display! I was tempted by the 70" sharps this year, but I had one in home that Chad calibrated for a friend this summer when he touched up my VT50. Getting to see them side by side in a dim room made the decision to keep the VT50 very easy.

Now, making another year without getting a blu-ray player will be the challenge...

 

[Ilya]

Good article for those that are unsure of the newer standards. I wish that manufacturers what start working together, consumers aren't confused or stuck.



http://www.audioholics.com/hdtv-formats/hdmi-2.0-hdcp-2.2

S~

Most don't even realize this:

"The problem we've seen is that people are assuming that anything with HDMI 2.0 will have HDCP 2.2. So far, that has not been the case. Our research has shown that there are no devices currently offered that have both a full HDMI 2.0 implementation and HDCP 2.2.

Right now, if you've bought (or are thinking of buying) a new receiver from the likes of Denon, Marantz, and Yamaha, you may see HDMI 2.0 on the specification sheet. This is a full 18Gbps HDMI 2.0 port meaning you can realize all the additional benefits of HDMI 2.0. But they don't have HDCP 2.2 so future content may or may not be limited.

On the flip side, new Onkyo receivers are listed with HDCP 2.2. What they aren't telling you is that the HDMI 2.0 implementation is limited to 10.2Gbps (just like HDMI 1.4). While this allows the Onkyo receiver to pass the HDCP 2.2 handshake, it will limit how much data can be passed, negating many of the benefits of HDMI 2.0."

 

[jayn_j]

I saw where the Marantz will as well. Still no need to get any of that until I get the display

If history is any indicator, you should buy the board as soon as it appears, or be prepared to upgrade with a whole new unit. My experience has been that over half of these promised upgrades never happen, and of those that do, many are priced so high that it is more cost effective to sell and buy the newer product. They tend to only be on the market for a very short window, so you need to get it while the getting is good.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Which is why I am not doing the 4K upgrade until 2016

I mean, if the VT50 crashes and burns and cannot be fixed, sure Id go ahead with a 65" OLED. May not be UHD depending on cost. Even if it was, players arent out until next year and not buying a 4k preamp until 2016.

 

[jayn_j]

Most don't even realize this:

"The problem we've seen is that people are assuming that anything with HDMI 2.0 will have HDCP 2.2. So far, that has not been the case. Our research has shown that there are no devices currently offered that have both a full HDMI 2.0 implementation and HDCP 2.2.

Right now, if you've bought (or are thinking of buying) a new receiver from the likes of Denon, Marantz, and Yamaha, you may see HDMI 2.0 on the specification sheet. This is a full 18Gbps HDMI 2.0 port meaning you can realize all the additional benefits of HDMI 2.0. But they don't have HDCP 2.2 so future content may or may not be limited.

On the flip side, new Onkyo receivers are listed with HDCP 2.2. What they aren't telling you is that the HDMI 2.0 implementation is limited to 10.2Gbps (just like HDMI 1.4). While this allows the Onkyo receiver to pass the HDCP 2.2 handshake, it will limit how much data can be passed, negating many of the benefits of HDMI 2.0."

Don't you just love it. I can't count the number of questions I have answered over the last 5 or 6 years about HDCP. So many of those early DVI implementations did not have a good HDCP handshake. People don't understand why the picture doesn't work, given that the plugs all fit together. You would think that manufacturers would learn lessons from these previous fiascos, but I can't help but think it is all about getting something out quickly to the early adopters. Bonus is that the adopters have to repurchase it all in a year or two.

I'm done being an early adopter. Skipped the whole 3D thing because of lack of standards (and because I had just done a full upgrade) I am ready for 4k/8k, but not until I see stable products.

 

[Ilya]

One thing that now makes it so confusing is that HDCP used to be an end-to-end protocol: only the source device and the TV set itself had to be HDCP compliant. The rest of the components didn't have to be HDCP compliant: they could just pass the video stream through. That has changed with HDCP 2.2. Now every component (receivers most importantly) have to participate in the HDCP 2.2 protocol and to be compliant. They can't just pass it through anymore. This is new!

 

[navychop]

And bad.

 

[Ilya]

And bad.

It is. The main purpose of course is to keep the content owners happy, so they wouldn't be hesitant releasing movies to consumers in near-film 4K quality.

 

[Ilya]

I'm done being an early adopter.

I feel the same! Though it looks like 2015 might be the year when all the puzzle pieces finally come together for 4K Ultra HD.

 

[jayn_j]

I feel the same! Though it looks like 2015 might be the year when all the puzzle pieces finally come together for 4K Ultra HD.

Likely. But that means I will be looking in 2016 or 2017 when I am convinced it is actually stable.

In order to take advantage, I will likely need to replace everything except speakers and speaker cables. Projector, receiver, source boxes and most cables. Probably also the correct time to upgrade the screen and go AT so I can place the speakers properly. This is probably a $10-15k investment, and it probably needs to be done in one scary purchase.

 

[navychop]

SWMBO will NOT be happy.

 

[Ilya]

Two more missing pieces of the puzzle have been reveiled this week:

1. HDMI 2.0a specification update supporting HDR: http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/hdmi-forum-inc-releases-2-0a-specification.349313/
2. And the new DTS:X audio format to be supported this year: http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/dts-x-raising-the-bar-in-immersive-sound.345475/

 

[Ilya]

I will likely need to replace everything except speakers and speaker cables. Projector, receiver, source boxes and most cables. Probably also the correct time to upgrade the screen and go AT so I can place the speakers properly. This is probably a $10-15k investment, and it probably needs to be done in one scary purchase.

I wouldn't exclude speakers and speaker cables either! I will probably want to add the third audio dimension at some point.
Here is how I currently see my upgrade path:

Step 1. Upgrade the A/V receiver: 2015-2016 (looking for full-bandwidth HDMI 2.0a, HDCP 2.2, DTS:X and Dolby Atmos decoding)

Step 2. Add additional speakers for the vertical dimension with DTS:X/Dolby Atmos, add additional amplifiers if required: 2016

Step 3. Upgrade the projector to 4K and get a new 4K BD player: 2016-2017

I might be wrong, but I think that receivers (and speakers) will be the first components to stabilize in both features and price, while display and source devices will continue to evolve and drop in price significantly over the next couple of years.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Ok, short version of story. I loved my redmere active slim cables but when I went UHD, they did not work. Since then I have been looking for something slim and flexible, and found these last week. They have only been out a few months, and are $20 range not $5 range

So, for anyone wanting a slim cable with UHD, at least we have an option now.