Ask S&V

Q I’m trying to choose between new AV receivers from Sony, Denon, and Yamaha. The Sony is the frontrunner, but I am hesitant to pull the trigger because it’s not HDCP 2.2 compliant. If I connect an HTPC to this AVR, will I have problems in the future playing Ultra HD movies? How about satellite? Will I have the same problem if I eventually upgrade to an Ultra HD-capable satellite receiver?—Sam Shirzadegan

A The answer to both questions, sadly, is yes. HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) 2.2 is the latest version of an industry-standard copy protection scheme created to prevent the hijacking of digital AV signals carried over an HDMI or DVI connection. Earlier HDCP versions were devised to prevent copying of content on Blu-ray, but this newest version has been developed specifially for Ultra HD TV.

While most new UHDTVs that came out in 2014 provide HDMI 2.0 connections with HDCP 2.2, and forthcoming sources such 4K Blu-ray and Ultra HD satellite receivers will also be HDCP 2.2-compliant, only a handful of new AV receivers—all of them from Onkyo—have HDMI 2.0/HDCP 2.2. So what will happen when, a year or two down the road, you’re ready to route an Ultra HD source such as a 4K Blu-ray player, HTPC, or satellite receiver through a non-compliant receiver? The source will attempt to “handshake” with the non-HDCP 2.2 receiver, and when that authentication process fails, you will likely be presented with a blank screen.

Are there any workarounds to deal with this problem? Kind of. You could always bypass the receiver and make a direct HDMI connection to an Ultra HD display. In this case, audio would typically be transmitted seperately to the receiver over an optical or coaxial digital hookup, and video carried over HDMI. Better yet, since you’re concerned about Ultra-HD compatibility (and not everyone is) you could hold out for more HDCP 2.2-compatible receivers to become available so you’ll have a wider range of choices.