Here is an example for you to have a brief understanding of
how HDCP works.
If you have a HDTV and you want to watch a high definition
DVD on it, then you connect the Blue-ray disc player to the TV with a HDMI cable.
As a matter of fact, the moment you begin playing the HDCP-encrypted disc on
your HDTV, the authentication process starts as well.
Here is the explanation of how HDCP works. Generally
speaking, the transmitting device will send a ping to the receiving device, which
is similar to the behavior of a submarine. If you want the signal to work all
the time, then the receiving device has to return the ping the transmitting
device within the limited period of time. Otherwise, the signal will stop and
you have no opportunity to watch the high definition DVD any longer. Therefore,
from the above-mentioned information, we can safely come to the conclusion that
the key in such process lies in the return of the ping from the receiving
device to the transmitting device.
In this example, the transmitting device is the Blue-ray
player and the receiving device is the HDTV. As a result, things may end up in
two totally different ways. If our HDTV is compatible with HDCP, then we are
free to enjoy the high definition DVD as much as possible. However, if it is
not HDCP-compatible, then the signal will be stopped and the movie won’t be
played at all. Thus, all we are likely to get is either an error message or a
blank screen.
According
to the above-mentioned example, we can safely draw the conclusion that the most
important factor in this process is that your device must be HDCP-compatible. Only
in this way can the HDCP-encrypted content be played on the screen.
