The HD bollox

[pikey]

I bought an early HD TV about 3 years ago. It's great - a Sharp Aquos that shows an HD picture in a quality level that's stunning. Very happy with both the performance and the form factor (neat speakers at the bottom rather than monsters on the outside)

It was on Sky, but I binned that as it was too expensive and we only watch terrestrial channels. Not a problem as FreeSat is on its way....

Turns out the only boxes you can get with FreeSat use HDMI only.. well, apart from one which has a Component output. So I bought that and it's all great, until you watch something on an HD feed, where you get a message saying the broadcaster has instructed this is not to be displayed on an analogue feed and then shuts off the component output.

So, someone please tell me just what one's supposed to do with a fantastic HD telly that doesn't have an HDMI feed? Stick it in the bin and buy another it would seem.

What a load of bks

[LaSarthe+Back]

What is the model of the TV you have?

[garycat]

One of these

http://www.cableuniverse.co.uk/catalog/cables/hdmi...

and one of these maybe?

http://www.cableuniverse.co.uk/catalog/cables/dvi-...

[B17NNS]

Thought HD was only available through HDMI anyway?

The Sky HD box comes with and HDMI out anyway so how were you watching HD previously?

[allnighter]

pikey said:

I bought an early HD TV about 3 years ago. It's great - a Sharp Aquos that shows an HD picture in a quality level that's stunning. Very happy with both the performance and the form factor (neat speakers at the bottom rather than monsters on the outside)

It was on Sky, but I binned that as it was too expensive and we only watch terrestrial channels. Not a problem as FreeSat is on its way....

Turns out the only boxes you can get with FreeSat use HDMI only.. well, apart from one which has a Component output. So I bought that and it's all great, until you watch something on an HD feed, where you get a message saying the broadcaster has instructed this is not to be displayed on an analogue feed and then shuts off the component output.

So, someone please tell me just what one's supposed to do with a fantastic HD telly that doesn't have an HDMI feed? Stick it in the bin and buy another it would seem.

What a load of bks

If the HD contents coming from the broadcaster contain HDCP encryption it will prevent you from watching it through a component input in some cases.
Implementation of HDCP requires a license obtainable from the Digital Content Protection, LLC, which then issues a set of unique secret device keys to all authorized devices. During authentication, the receiver will only accept content once it demonstrates knowledge of the keys. Furthermore, to prevent eavesdropping and stealing of the data, the transmitter and receiver will generate a shared secret value that is consistently checked throughout the transmission. Once authentication is established, the transmitter encrypts the data and sends it to the receiver for decryption.

So it's either HDMI input or no pic in this instance.

Edited by allnighter on Friday 26th December 21:42

[mp3manager]

B17NNS said:

Thought HD was only available through HDMI anyway?

No..I've been watching HD material via my HTPC over component for years.

HD over analogue is just as good as HD over digital e.g HDMI.

HDMI is only needed to ensure DRM. This is why the OP is having problems.

[Digger.]

Earlier SkyHD boxes came with component-out which gives an excellent pic on my SD Panasonic PW6 screen. As good as hdmi in my opinion.

[mp3manager]

I suppose the OP could buy a 'naughty box', which sits between the Freesat receiver and the display. It strips the HDCP DRM from the signal allowing the signal to be displayed.

http://hdfury2.co.uk/hdfury2-p-9.html

'Naughty boxes' were all the rage in 2002-ish, but they're very rare now and very expensive..probably better off buying a new display and retiring that one to the bedroom.

Edited by mp3manager on Friday 26th December 22:01

[allnighter]

mp3manager said:

I suppose the OP could buy a 'naughty box', which sits between the Freesat receiver and the display. It strips the HDCP DRM from the signal allowing the signal to be displayed.

http://hdfury2.co.uk/hdfury2-p-9.html

'Naughty boxes' were all the rage in 2002-ish, but they're very rare now and very expensive..probably better off buying a new display and retiring that one to the bedroom.

Edited by mp3manager on Friday 26th December 22:01

Having said that 144 squid is a lot better than ditching a perfectly functional display.

[Onz]

Does the TV not have a DVI socket? If so then just go along with garycat's suggestion above.

[pikey]

B17NNS said:

The Sky HD box comes with and HDMI out anyway so how were you watching HD previously?

My Sky HD box has component out. I now know that this only applies to the early boxes (I was one of the first Sky HD customers).

[pikey]

mp3manager said:

I suppose the OP could buy a 'naughty box', which sits between the Freesat receiver and the display. It strips the HDCP DRM from the signal allowing the signal to be displayed.

http://hdfury2.co.uk/hdfury2-p-9.html

'Naughty boxes' were all the rage in 2002-ish, but they're very rare now and very expensive..probably better off buying a new display and retiring that one to the bedroom.

Wow, expensive for what it does (ie. allows me to continue watching what I did with the same equipment.

Does very much look as if I should retire this TV, but it's ridiculous as the TV is excellent.

[pikey]

Onz said:

Does the TV not have a DVI socket? If so then just go along with garycat's suggestion above.

Nope. Couple of SCARTS, S-VHS, Component, Coax, PC.

[dickymint]

pikey said:

Onz said:

Does the TV not have a DVI socket? If so then just go along with garycat's suggestion above.

Nope. Couple of SCARTS, S-VHS, Component, Coax, PC.

Then you were miss sold as it is not HD ready. Bit puzzled really as I thought the Aquos had DVI.

[pikey]

Right, I know what I'm going to do.

I'm going to go and buy that same FreeSat box again (they refunded it for me). The reason is the box will allow me to watch the main set of channels via the Component output, which the TV does some weird upscaling thing on to present an extremely good picture - far better than I've seen before.

Thinking about it, it's only the HD channels that it turns the Component off and this is the opposite to how the Sky HD box worked. That output via Component only on an HD channel, the remainder of the channels were via SCART.

So if I watch TV on this device connected via Component I will see the majority of the channels better quality than before and the only downside is no HD in HD quality. As there are still so few HD channels, it's not worth getting too bothered about at this stage.

There - logic has prevailed.

(I still think it's a load of bks though!)

[pikey]

dickymint said:

pikey said:

Onz said:

Does the TV not have a DVI socket? If so then just go along with garycat's suggestion above.

Nope. Couple of SCARTS, S-VHS, Component, Coax, PC.

Then you were miss sold as it is not HD ready. Bit puzzled really as I thought the Aquos had DVI.

You're making an assumption about when I bought it

I bought it way back when this was all fields, before the "HD READY" logo was being used and touted. It's an early Aquos - and on paper it's a decent performing 1080 panel.

I did a fair bit of research before getting it to ensure that I was buying compatible future technology. It was compatible... for a while

[dickymint]

pikey said:

dickymint said:

pikey said:

Onz said:

Does the TV not have a DVI socket? If so then just go along with garycat's suggestion above.

Nope. Couple of SCARTS, S-VHS, Component, Coax, PC.

Then you were miss sold as it is not HD ready. Bit puzzled really as I thought the Aquos had DVI.

You're making an assumption about when I bought it

I bought it way back when this was all fields, before the "HD READY" logo was being used and touted. It's an early Aquos - and on paper it's a decent performing 1080 panel.

I did a fair bit of research before getting it to ensure that I was buying compatible future technology. It was compatible... for a while

Yep I was wrong (did a google for the Aquos manuals). Why don't you just keep on using the Sky HD box for freeview/freesat? through component. The free HD channels aren't encrypted are they.

[pikey]

dickymint said:

Why don't you just keep on using the Sky HD box for freeview/freesat? through component. The free HD channels aren't encrypted are they.

1. You don't get all the channels you get on terrestrial. Ie. Dave, E4, Film 4, etc... are not included in the free service.
2. HD is disabled on the HD broadcast channels. (ie. you get them, but in SD)

[Simpo Two]

pikey said:

HD is disabled on the HD broadcast channels.

I thought I knew nothing about this subject, and now I'm quite convinced I don't.

I'm staying with five analogue channels, and shall say merely 'BAH!'

[Plotloss]

mp3manager said:

I suppose the OP could buy a 'naughty box', which sits between the Freesat receiver and the display. It strips the HDCP DRM from the signal allowing the signal to be displayed.

http://hdfury2.co.uk/hdfury2-p-9.html

'Naughty boxes' were all the rage in 2002-ish, but they're very rare now and very expensive..probably better off buying a new display and retiring that one to the bedroom.

Edited by mp3manager on Friday 26th December 22:01

There is nothing naughty about such boxes as there is nothing in the HDMI or HDCP specification that says you cannot convert the digital stream into analogue and forward it on from there.

Not particularly rare either, we use them quite a bit and have a number of suppliers for them.

Spatz made a box which stripped HDCP off HDMI and forwarded a HDCP free HDMI digital stream onwards but that was a bit naughty and consequently stomped on, they're nearly impossible to get hold of now.

Edited by Plotloss on Saturday 27th December 18:07