Re: External monitor DRM issue, ridiculous annoyance

On Tue, 4/8/2025 6:21 PM, CrudeSausage wrote:

1) Be Windows 11
2) Allow users to connect as many monitors as they wish to a laptop.
3) User disables laptop screen to only use external monitor(s).
4) User opens Apple Music, Netflix or plays a purchased movie from Microsoft Films & TV.
5) User watches as the external monitor(s) turn off for ten seconds, on for two seconds, off for ten seconds, on for two seconds, off for ten seconds, over and over because he dared to consume DRM content.
6) User snaps and wonders why he is punishing himself by asking the operating system's permission to consume the content he _paid_ for on hardware he paid for.
 

The hardware has an implementation of PVP, and
some assumption of the PVP was violated. Maybe the
external monitors version of HDCP was too old.

The content is supposed to stay encrypted, from the
point of decoding (hardware decoder inside vid card,
memory area cannot be copied), until it gets to a monitor panel.
And the encryption has to be an uncracked version
and you can't set off any jigglers (software suspects
there is something abnormal about playback).

   +-----------+ +-----------+
   |     HD    | |     HD    |   3840x2160 "surface"
   |           | |           |   HD monitors with old versions
   +-----------+ +-----------+   of HDCP. Software checks versions.
   +-----------+ +-----------+
   |     HD    | |     HD    |   A 10900K can play Bluray 4K content,
   |           | |           |   as the SGX is still there.
   +-----------+ +-----------+

Even the processor type can make a difference. A 10900K can play a Bluray 4K video
because the CPU has SGX (a failed kind of security processor). Later processors
have SGX removed (there is some kind of malware exploit for that subsystem).

   https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000089271/intel-nuc.html

It would be helpful if the software having a digestion
problem, indicated which part of the path broke. Like,
generated a log file.

A person wealthy enough to set up a failure case,
is also wealthy enough to set up a working case :-)
I don't know how many people at retail, could successfully
predict the odds of success on one of these projects.

A clerk at retail would tell you "don't even bother trying".
You'd be surprised how honest the help is there. They are users too.

The people selling such "content", likely do more refunds
than actually collect money for a successful transaction.

You can tell the era of practical (seamless) PVP, by the
hardware that no longer has VGA or YPrPb output. My 7900GT
is the last card in the house with the analog hole. The
rest of my cheesy cards have only digital outputs, and I
don't think there is any HDCP 2.x in the house.

The best chance of success is with a large (4K or 5K)
monitor, as the standards version of the plumbing is
going to be better. Maybe you will need a newer video card,
for such a monitor to be buzzword compliant.

You might need some help from a dedicated AV forum with
such a playback problem. The concentration of skilled
artisans here is too low.

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/400976-How-to-play-4K-Bluray-menu-from-hard-disc

   Paul