“High Definition” is hot now. When you walk into any consumer electronics store, any sales staff around the TV floor will tell you in order to watch an HD video, you need a HDCP capable TV (any TV Set with a "HD Ready" logo should by definition be HDCP capable) and a HDCP capable playback device, i.e. a PC or DVD Player (Blu-Ray, HD DVD included). So, if you want to watch movies at 1980x1080, your system will need to support HDCP. If you don't have HDCP support, you'll only get a quarter of the resolution.
 
     
  In the case of a PC, you will need a PC player, an "HD-Ready" monitor as well as an HDCP-ready graphics card. We know a lot of users are not quite familiar with the HDCP definition and what is the need for HDCP? First, let us give you a brief history of “Digital Connections” here.  
     
  What is DVI and why use it?  
     
 
Digital Visual Interface (DVI) is a type of cable and connection created in 1999 by the Digital Display Working Group, which is a cooperative of technology companies including Silicon Image, Intel, Compaq, Fujitsu, HP, IBM and NEC. Since 1999, DVI has become a common type of connectivity found on digital projectors.

The DVI 1.0 standard was originally created to enable digital-to-digital, high bandwidth data transfer between a computer and a flat screen monitor. However, because of DVIs ability to also process high-bandwidth HDTV video, interest was generated in the consumer electronics industry.
 
     
  Using DVI with a digital display device, such as a projector or flat screen monitor, will create an entirely digital-to-digital connection. With a VGA cable the information from a digital source like a computer has to be converted from digital to analog . If you were using a projector there was an additional conversion back to digital. Each conversion slightly degrades the quality of the final image. Theoretically a DVI connection will therefore provide the least number of conversions, providing the consumer with the best quality image.  
     
  New kid in town - HDMI  
     
 
High Definition Multimedia Interface is a descendant of DVI. Like DVI, it is a digital cable and connection that supports digital data transmission. Unlike DVI which supports only video transmission, HDMI supports both high definition video and audio. HDMI will offer 'legacy' support of older DVI connections.

Although manufacturers are still making most products with at least component HD output, new generation of products like HD-DVD and Blu-Ray devices will limit the analog output resolution (Analog defined as Component or RGBHV).  The highest resolutions these devices can output (720p/1080i/1080p) will be available on via the digital (DVI or HDMI) connections that employ HDCP encryption.  Any new HDTV purchase should have a digital HDCP compatible input.
 
     
  What is HDCP?  
     
  As we mentioned earlier, DVI delivers exceptionally high quality video. In fact, the quality is nearly as good the original or master content. This previously unattainable quality has raised concern from Hollywood executives who fear video could be mass produced and illegally distributed, much like what has happened within the music industry. In an effort to protect this high definition home video content from being copied and illegally distributed, Hollywood studios employed tech companies Intel and Silicon Image to develop a method of security encryption. The standard they created is called High bandwidth Digital Content Protection or HDCP.

HDCP works by adding circuitry within the DVI connection on both transmitter (DVD player, cable box, etc.) and the receiver (projector, LCD TV, etc.) that encrypts video content. Software such as DVDs will not be affected as was the case with tapes for your VCR. Instead, the source players and the display device will be responsible for the encryption . 		 
     
  Why is HDCP important to you?  
     
  Anandtech.com posted an article about this and we think it gave users very good idea about having HDCP in your PC.  
     
  “The first question that should pop into your head right now is why we would need HDMI on the PC when it physically does the job of DVI – particularly considering how few people actually use DVI instead of analog connections! The answer is, again, copy protection. If we take a step back and look at the larger plans for PCs and media devices in general, the obvious trend becomes the PC's integral role as an entire entertainment system with considerable weight on Media Center , DVDs, etc. For large content providers like Viacom, Starz! and Discovery Channel to get on board with Microsoft's dream of IP TV, media center “servers” and set top boxes running stripped-down PC hardware, the obvious scrutiny on security comes to mind as well. No major content providers would consider the Media Center vision, if they didn't feel that their content would be secure from piracy on MCE PCs.

The weakest link narrows down to the user's ability to transcode on demand media on the PC into something more portable, or the user's ability to digitally rip the signal off the DVI interface! With Intel's HDCP tied into the HDMI specification so tightly, manufacturers and content providers are more likely to push HDMI out the door to replace DVI. The additional perks for HDMI are still there: it's a smaller cable, can run longer distances without issues, and obviously, the integrated ability to transfer audio too. However, when a tier 1 OEM decides to build their next HTPC, they will certainly come under considerable scrutiny to provide a secure platform if they expect backing from the content providers. The fact that HDMI protects video and audio signaling is enough for content providers to lean on PC manufacturers to adopt the standard over DVI.

For the PC industry, DVI is just getting its feet off the ground in terms of replacing the ancient 15-pin D-sub analog cables that we have all been using on CRT monitors. There isn't an advantage for the everyday home user to need an HDCP compliant HDMI LCD panel connected to their computer, although with the backing of a player like Microsoft, it won't be very long before HDMI starts showing up anyway. For the home theater industry, HDMI is already here and quickly gaining a lot of momentum. DVI won't disappear overnight in the living room, but you can surely bet that the content providers would love to remove its weakest link in digital copy protection in the near future.” (to see the whole article, please go to http://www.anandtech.com/multimedia/showdoc.aspx?i=2321 )

Note: FCC already mandated that all digital cable ready TVs sold after July 2005 must have DVI-HDCP or HDMI-HDCP capability. 		 
     
 
Brief Summary of HDCP:
• A content protection specification to protect digital entertainment content across the DVI/HDMI Interface.
• Providing a robust, cost-effective and transparent method for transmitting and receiving digital entertainment similar to DVI/HDMI-compliant digital displays.
• HDCP Content protection encrypts the data transmitted between the DVI/HDMI connector on the graphics adapter and the display.
• To provide this support, both the graphics adapter and the display need to have an HDCP transmitter and receiver respectively.
 
     
  MSI's HDCP Ready Graphics Cards:  
 
 
NX7600GT-VT2D256E HD
NX7900GT-VT2D256E HD
     
 
  Where to Buy?