Wiki/AV Glossary/HDCP — High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection

HDCP — High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection

Copy protection scheme on HDMI and DisplayPort that prevents unauthorized recording of content.

Key points:

  • HDCP 1.4: HD content protection
  • HDCP 2.2: Required for 4K protected content (Netflix, Disney+, Blu-ray)
  • HDCP 2.3: Latest version with minor security updates
  • Every device in the signal chain must support the same HDCP version
  • Common cause of black screens — if any device fails HDCP handshake, no image
  • Switchers, extenders, and splitters must all be HDCP compliant
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