ClearOne Digital Media - Manual (Page 74)

The truth about matrix switches and HDCP
Many HDMI switches are nothing more than “muxers” providing digital cross connection
between multiple sets of HDMI inputs and HDMI outputs. For this reason, issues with HDCP
key exchange and EDID / DDC channel integrity where displays will suddenly stop working
or intermittent blanking occurs. It is not ClearOne’s purpose to identify products that do not
comply with HDCP licensing rules, however it is our objective to help dealers not fall into the
marketing hype of companies with potentially infringing products.
It has been reported that several well known manufacturers are making claims both public
and private about capabilities of their products which should the claims be true are in clear
violation of the Digital CP (HDCP) licensing agreement. We suggest if you have specific
applications or questions around HDCP that you speak with the vendor company and
consult a DRM licensing Attorney. To help navigate the marketing hype of these potentially
infringing vendors, dealers should pay close attention to any vendor making the following
claims.
1 . Claim to have a special HDCP bypass or “lawyer” button.
2 . Claim they can support more simultaneous displays than the connected source
supports. We suggest you consult ClearOne’s key count chart found in this guide.
3 . Claim they can support more than 127 connected display devices.
4 . Claim there is a consumer implementation of HDCP and a professional implementation
designed for the unique requirements of matrix switched HDMI systems.
5 . Claim they have any “special” agreement with content providers.
6 . Claim content providers don’t care because the professional and custom electronics
A/V channels are so small.
7 . Claim they can sell you additional keys to support more devices.
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pg 74 StreamNet Digital Media and System Design Reference Guide
Solving Digital Media Related AV Problems