Surprise: My 30" Cinema Display Supports HDCP

[ddarko]

So it seems that my 30" Cinema Display supports HDCP. I bought the display in December 2007 and use it with my PC. Recently, I added an LG GBW-H20L Blu-ray drive to my computer. The monitor is connected to an ATI 4870 video card through the DVI port and the 4870 supports HDCP. I put the Blu-ray "Batman Begins" in the drive out of curiosity to see what the error message would look like when I tried to play a Blu-ray movie on a non-HDCP monitor but the movie just played!

I use the PowerDVD software that came with the Blu-ray drive. The installation disc also includes software called BD Advisor that checks your system's Blu-ray compatibility. The software confirms that my monitor supports HDCP. You can download the software from here:

http://www.cyberlink.com/english/support/blu-ray_support/diagnosis.jsp

I know Apple's specs say nothing about HDCP support but is it possible Apple added HDCP without telling anyone? I wouldn't be surprised if Apple did something like that. Anyone with another Blu-ray setup that can see if they can play movies on their 30" Apple monitor?

 

[gazfocus]

So it seems that my 30" Cinema Display supports HDCP. I bought the display in December 2007 and use it with my PC. Recently, I added an LG GBW-H20L Blu-ray drive to my computer. The monitor is connected to an ATI 4870 video card through the DVI port and the 4870 supports HDCP. I put the Blu-ray "Batman Begins" in the drive out of curiosity to see what the error message would look like when I tried to play a Blu-ray movie on a non-HDCP monitor but the movie just played!

I use the PowerDVD software that came with the Blu-ray drive. The installation disc also includes software called BD Advisor that checks your system's Blu-ray compatibility. The software confirms that my monitor supports HDCP. You can download the software from here:

http://www.cyberlink.com/english/support/blu-ray_support/diagnosis.jsp

I know Apple's specs say nothing about HDCP support but is it possible Apple added HDCP without telling anyone? I wouldn't be surprised if Apple did something like that. Anyone with another Blu-ray setup that can see if they can play movies on their 30" Apple monitor?

I would have thought that if Apple were to add HDCP, they would have made a big deal out of it. It certainly wouldn't be ommitted from the specs.

 

[ddarko]

I would have thought that if Apple were to add HDCP, they would have made a big deal out of it. It certainly wouldn't be ommitted from the specs.

Me too but I'm not making this stuff up, the fact is Blu-ray movies play on the monitor and diagnostic software from the makers of PowerDVD reads the monitor as supporting HDCP. I'm certainly not unhappy with this discovery because it saves me from having to buy AnyDVD to play Blu-ray movies on my monitor but it is strange.

 

[cpichado]

Bumpalicious.

The monitor will play it, even if not in 1080. The 30" displays a higher than HD resolution.

Apple devices don't support playing Blu-Ray, but the display is just that - a display. If you're playing it off of a PC, then there won't be any issues.

 

[100Years]

Thought I'd add to this thread....

I recently bought a used 30" ACD, and it's a 2010 model. On the Windows side of things, the Nvidia Control Panel shows my display as HDCP compliant. Also, the above-mentioned Cyberlink program does as well.

So I'm guessing that Apple must have added HDCP support to this product line at some point.