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Comment by giantrobot | Hacker News Reader

They don't always support the DRM apps want for 4K streaming.

Wait, so you're saying that DRM has become so ingrained in modern tech that if I wanted to connect a firestick to a Dumb Display(No electronics other than to drive the display), if that Display doesn't have DRM functionality then the app won't load or play content even though the firetv has the DRM?

No, the top parent here is FUD. Never give the TV itself access to the internet. Firestick would work for modern DRM, as would apple tv, a computer plugged into HDMI, etc.

Please don't throw the word "FUD" around, especially when you didn't understand the comment.

GGP did mean HDCP 2.x (DRM to encrypt the signal between display and device) which is often not supported by commercial displays. Unless devices detect a compatible, DRM-protected display, devices will refuse to play UHD content made by the movie industry.

This is true, of course, but modern commercial displays typically do have modern hdmi and hdcp specs so it shouldn’t be an issue.

Even 12 year old NEC p-series (used at airports, usually) have hdcp.

To stream 4K from commercial services you need HDCP 2.2 or later. This was only introduced in 2013 so a 12 year old TV will not have full HDCP 2.2 support. It might have 2.0 (released in 2008) but that won't enable 4K streaming from a commercial service.

All streaming services require HDCP 2.2 support throughout the device chain. Because commercial displays aren't intended to use on-device streaming services or be used in consumer environments they often lack HDCP 2.2 support. While they might support HCDP 1.4 or 2.0, that will only support FHD content either streaming or disc-based. It's fairly difficult to find specs on commercial displays about their HDCP support level.

It's HDCP that's the sticking point.

HDMI can be encrypted using HDCP and usually are when playing a movie.

Yes, that's their plan of 15 years, coming to fruition. Look at Mac support, Windows 11 needing TPM, etc.

Yep, been that way for a while. I remember a couple of years ago Amazon Prime refusing to play HD on a PC made from parts bought from Amazon (well, the significant ones, definitely the GPU), on a dumb TV bought via Amazon, using an Amazon branded cable...

Content obtained via torrent played, and still does, at 1080 perfectly well though, if you are looking for a workaround. I currently pipe stuff to the TV from my media array via Kodi on a Pi.

(I do actually pay for Prime, though mainly for the delivery options, and Netflix, but still consume their content "my" way more often than not)

No. Dumb commercial displays with modern hdmi ports function just the way you expect them to.

I don’t know what your other child responses are talking about.

My Sony Bravia professional display does support HDCP. I suspect it’s actually the same hardware as the consumer version but with a different firmware. So maybe if this is a concern look for models that have equivalents in the consumer range rather than purpose-built professional displays which might lack HDCP-compliant hardware.

I'd guess most commercial displays are the consumer hardware with an alternate firmware. But the difference in firmware can mean a lack of HDCP 2.0/2.2. I bought a new TV recently and I wanted to go with a commercial display. It was unfortunately hard to find reviews of such displays and/or lists of missing features (HDCP 2.0, etc). I ended up just getting a consumer TV and banning it from the Internet. All it's content comes through an AppleTV so I don't need or want any of its native apps.

It's a ridiculous state of affairs that I have to jump through hoops just to get a TV to display a fucking video feed. I don't need or want the TV's software. I don't need or want a UI more complicated than the old analog TV genlocked character generator UI. I'll plug smart stuff into the TV if I want.

Edit: Added HDCP version

A device like this can help resolve HDCP incompatibilities:

https://hdfury.com/product/linker-4k60-444-600mhz-scaler/

Even one of these cheap splitters should be able to provide an HDCP-workaround:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P5W7BQ3/ref=emc_b_5_mob_t

That sounds like a bonus to me.

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