Linux + HDCP

[pranay]

What is the latest with NVIDIA driver for linux and HDCP?

I read an article on anandtech detailing the test they did with some "True HDCP" cards (mostly NVIDIA). It was all windows. Do we have anything in linux yet?

i am wearing a developers hat right now, so all I am looking for is hardware (which I know exists) and driver level support (which I am asking about).

[Spyke]

I thought the HDCP virus/infection was all hardware.

[pranay]

If only crap was so modular

From what I understand you need a video card that is really HDCP capable (besides compliance there needs to be ROM on it for this purpose). The you need support at the driver level. I just started on this so still fishing for information.

[Spyke]

I don't see why it would matter to be honest. Name one application in Linux thats gonna require a protected video path? I can guarantee you that there wont ever be any BD/HD-DVD playback in Linux until the disk format is cracked.

As for HDMI devices that mandate an HDCP input, well I would avoid that crap like the plague, receiving HDMI devices should always accept an unencrypted TMDS signal.

There are however some Linux based HD-DVD players out there using Pentium 4's, but haven't found anything on anyone successfully gaining any momentum on using this software contained in them.

[Lithorus]

Originally Posted by Spyke

I don't see why it would matter to be honest. Name one application in Linux thats gonna require a protected video path? I can guarantee you that there wont ever be any BD/HD-DVD playback in Linux until the disk format is cracked.

As for HDMI devices that mandate an HDCP input, well I would avoid that crap like the plague, receiving HDMI devices should always accept an unencrypted TMDS signal.

There are however some Linux based HD-DVD players out there using Pentium 4's, but haven't found anything on anyone successfully gaining any momentum on using this software contained in them.

Both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players should be using Linux as the platform, so one can hope that the GPL would step in here and demand source-code of atleast some aspects of them.

[pranay]

Lets say I am not playing copy protected source(no Blueray or HD-DVD). Then I want to pump it out of my PC card with HDCP enabled..... how can I do it??

This begs the next question as to why would I want to do it.The answer is two-folds

1) Lets assume I can play some form of encrypted file then I can make sure I can make a box (HTPC) from which content cannot be stolen, atleast in digital HD.

2) While we wait for the content source side of things (read blue ray and HD-DVD) to come to GPL either by code release or reverse engineering; we should start to prepare the output/display end.

[pranay]

I am revisiting this topic I was discussion a while ago. Now that there are so many HDCP cards out there... can I use HDCP on linux?

[Gusar]

Originally Posted by pranay

I am revisiting this topic I was discussion a while ago. Now that there are so many HDCP cards out there... can I use HDCP on linux?

HDCP is a completely artificial restriction. Decrypted discs (and you will need to decrypt discs in order to play them in linux) will play perfectly fine without HDCP. If however, you have a display device that requires HDCP, then you're screwed. Do like Spyke said a few posts earlier - avoid such devices like the plague. You DON'T need HDCP, it's pure crap forced onto you for absolutely no benefit.

[pranay]

Maybe you are right and I am not here to support or defend HDCP. I am comming from a more developer point of view. Assume the problem is solve is play to a HDCP device. Now

1) How does Vista do it? My understanding is that MS has licensed HDCP and so given that your video card supports HDCP (NVIDIA cards do) and their is support for in the driver (I think NVIDIA Windows drivers do) you can enable HDCP.

2) How can it be done on linux? The same hardware is available but nothing licensing HDCP (no body like MS here). Is there support on the driver? If someone (software maker) has HDCP license, can he program the NVIDIA card to enable HDCP?

[Gusar]

Besides support in the hardware (the graphic card), it needs support in the driver and in the software player. Supporting it in the driver would be nvidia's job. But I don't think they'll bother - because there is no player, and there never will be any. Why? Simple, there isn't one for dvds either. No company thinks it's worth creating a player for linux, not even for dvds, so there definitely won't be one for hd-dvd.

A player supporting HDCP would need to be closed source and you'd most likely need to pay for it. Now who in their right mind would buy such a closed proprietary player when there are open source players around (mplayer/xine/vlc). MPlayer can already play files decrypted from hd-dvd and blu-ray. So why would you artificially restrict yourself to HDCP, if you already have an open source player that does what you need?

Now what you want to solve is playback to a HDCP display. But are there really displays out there that absolutely need HDCP and wont accept an unencrypted signal over HDMI?

[pranay]

Agreed about the DVD/HD-DVD/Blue-ray part. But there is real world need. I am involved with some media companies and make custom solutions for them. They have alternate sources of protected content (encrypted file sources with various form of "DRM" like control). Now they wish a simple HDCP implementation exists so content cannot be recorded as easily.

If NVIDIA drivers could implement the control, then large scale deployments like these wont be forced to MS$$$ (which I would hate to do).

Question for any NVIDIA guy out there..... any plans of HDCP support in the linux drivers????

[LubosD]

I would be the first one trying to crack a Linux implementation .
Linux has no insane kernel&userspace protection a la Vista, HDCP support makes no sense then.