What is HDCP in the video card?

HDCP (high-bandwidth Digital content Protection): High bandwidth Digital content protection technology. HDTV (high-definition TV) era is coming, in order to adapt to high-definition TV high bandwidth, there are HDMI. HDMI is a high-definition Digital interface standard that provides high bandwidth, lossless transmission of digital video and audio signals. In order to ensure that the HDMI or DVI transmission of high-definition signals will not be illegally recorded, there is a HDCP technology. The HDCP technical specification is led by Intel, and when the user is illegally replicating, the technology interferes, reducing the quality of the copied image and protecting the content.

Detailed content

In the computer platform by the HDCP technology (DP) Protection of data content in the output will be the operating system in the COPP driver (authentication Output Protection Protocol) First verify the graphics card, only the legitimate graphics card to achieve content output, and then to authenticate the display device key, Only devices that meet HDCP requirements can eventually display the content that the video card transmits. During HDCP transmission, both the sender and the receiver store a set of available keys, which are secret stores, the sender and receiver are encrypted and decrypted based on the key, and a special value KSV (video encryption key) is added to the operation. At the same time HDCP each device will have a unique KSV serial number, the sender and receiver of the password processing unit will check each other's KSV value to ensure that the connection is legitimate. HDCP encryption process for each pixel processing, so that the screen becomes irregular, unrecognized, only after the synchronization of the sender and receiver can reverse processing, complete the restoration of data. The key set KSV values for each device are unique, and the HDCP system compares and looks in the undo list after receiving the KSV value, and the KSV that appears in the list is recognized as illegal, causing the authentication process to fail. The revocation key list here will be included in the HDCP corresponding multimedia data and will be updated automatically.

Hardware and software equipment

Said earlier, HDCP needs the hardware and software common support, all participates in the content transmission the equipment is indispensable. Microsoft will integrate the protected content Output Management Protocol (OPM) in the next-generation operating system Vista to confirm the performance and HDCP support of the display device prior to the output. As the main carrier of High-definition video, Blu-ray and HD-DVD will also perform HDCP standards.

and video source playback and display terminal equipment will be through the built-in conversion chip to achieve the signal two times codec, involving products including display cards, DVD players, televisions, monitors, projectors and so on. HDCP is implemented via digital interface dvi-d or new HDMI, which is widely used, with audio/video transmission, and is almost a sign of support for HDCP. However, HDMI+HDCP now seems to be only in the field of household electrical appliances more prestigious, almost become the standard configuration of new products, far ahead of practical applications, but due to the future compatibility and the pressure of upstream agreement makers, equipment manufacturers can not snub. In the PC field, although Microsoft has been "warning" Vista can only support the HDCP protocol display card and the corresponding driver, but again and again to skip the ticket to the accessories manufacturers more reasons. The HDCP protocol is used to prevent video content from being fully replicated in the process of transmission. This technique is not to allow digital signals to be recorded illegally, but to encrypt digital signals so that the incorrect recording method can not achieve the original high-resolution image. To support the HDCP protocol, you must use the digital video interface such as DVI and HDMI, and the traditional VGA analog signal interface cannot support the HDCP protocol. But not with DVI interface LCD display Support HDCP protocol, must pass with the corresponding hardware chip, through the certified display.