Video
HDCP
Also called: High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection
Copy protection that encrypts video between source and display and refuses to pass content if any device in the chain fails to authenticate.
HDCP is why a streaming stick shows a black screen through an older splitter while a laptop works fine on the same path. Every device in the chain must support the same HDCP version and be counted within the source's device limit; one non-compliant extender blanks the whole route.
In multi-display systems this shapes design: HDCP 2.2/2.3 compliance needs verifying end to end during design, and protected sources should be routed on paths that do not fan out beyond what the source will authorise.
Related terms
- HDMI
- The standard digital interface for carrying video, audio, control, and copy protection between sources and displays over one cable.
- EDID
- The data block a display sends back to a source describing the resolutions, refresh rates, and audio formats it accepts, so the source knows what to output.
- Matrix Switcher
- A device that routes any of several video inputs to any of several outputs independently, letting multiple sources appear on multiple displays at once.
More Video terms
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