Mark Stockfisch
Quantum Data

With the advent of affordable 1080p displays, 8-channel 192 kHz sound systems, and high-definition A/V sources, consumers are switching to HDMI and digital video interface (DVI) uncompressed digital audio/video (A/V) interfaces en masse. This is because in these interfaces are often the only means to obtaining secure content and to maintaining pristine quality across long signal chains.

But there's a hitch. HDMI and DVI have a companion high-definition content protection (HDCP) system that sometimes leaves authorized consumers in mute, watching a blank screen, blinking video, or snow while being held hostage by a bug known as the "HDCP handshake problem." This paper reviews the key issues surrounding this problem and introduces some rules and tools to help keep your HDMI and DVI design out of trouble.