HDCP encrypted HDMI signals to an old AV Processor?

[Orup70]

Hi,

I have a very good, but "old" AV Processor and Power amp (Tag McLaren AV32R and a Tag McLaren 100x5R) without any HDMI capabilities. I'm now about to buy my first flat screen TV and want to connect a Blue Ray/HD DVD to the screen via a video scaler and the sound via my AV Processor.

But is this possible considering the HDCP encryption? I read in the manual for the video scaler that the sound output is copy protected when an HDMI signal with HDCP is found (I suppose this is the normal case for Blue Ray discs?):

From the manual:
We will however run SPDIF and Optical (Toslink) audio as well as HDMI audio, but with copy protection set on the SPDIF and Optical audio datastreams as well as on the HDMI audio.

The problem is that my AV Processor knows nothing about HDCP encryption. Does this mean I need to buy new HDMI-aware AV Processor/Power Amp equipment to have sound from a Blue Ray disk (the TV has no speakers)?

Thanks for any help/advice!

/ Påhl

[Mark.Yudkin]

There is no need to route video signals through the A/V processor. This is purely a convenience, it has no benefit but can make things worse as it adds a device. I do not do any video routing through my Arcam AV9. You should keep your Tag McLaren equipment, a new set with that sound quality and with decoding for the new sound formats will cost a fortune (if you can even find anything that makes you happy).

Connect your source device to the AV processor using both coax or optical AND via the analogue output. The analogue connections are because the HD DVD / BluRay player should do the decoding of the new formats for you.

You will need to ensure that you video scaler is capable of handling whatever you plan to throw at it.

[Orup70]

Originally Posted by Mark.Yudkin

There is no need to route video signals through the A/V processor. This is purely a convenience, it has no benefit but can make things worse as it adds a device. I do not do any video routing through my Arcam AV9. You should keep your Tag McLaren equipment, a new set with that sound quality and with decoding for the new sound formats will cost a fortune (if you can even find anything that makes you happy).

Connect your source device to the AV processor using both coax or optical AND via the analogue output. The analogue connections are because the HD DVD / BluRay player should do the decoding of the new formats for you.

You will need to ensure that you video scaler is capable of handling whatever you plan to throw at it.

So it's only the picture on HDMI that is copy protected by HDCP – not the sound? If I connect the AV processor from the digital out of the BD player the sound will work?

My intention was to connect the sound output from the BD player via the video scaler's audio input and then to the AV processor to correctly handle the delay from the video processing and the best way seemed to use the HDMI for both video and sound. But the manual for the video scaler (Calibre Vantage HD) says that the sound output when connecting a HDCP signal will be output with copy protection on the digital sound output. And if that's the case, my AV processor wouldn't be able to decode the sound since it's pre-HDMI. Maybe it works if I input the sound to the video scaler using the digital sound input instead of the embedded HDMI sound. But I guess I will only know after I purchase the equipment...

/ Påhl

[Mark.Yudkin]

Copy protection applies to HDMI output. Your Tag McLaren doesn't support (sound over) HDMI, so the question of copy protection is moot, except if you're asking about the video scalar (where this is the wrong forum).

As I said: "Connect your source device to the AV processor"; that is, without looping over the video scalar. You do not need any of the video scaler processing for sound, and therefore have no need to place it on the signal path.

You might also like to consider that sound over pre 1.3 HDMI is considered by many to be unusable due to jitter, and there are very few high quality HDMI 1.3 preprocessors. Stick to your Tag McLaren (it's an excellent processor) and forget trying to transport sound over HDMI. You can always revisit the issue when quality equipment with the necessary support becomes available.

[Orup70]

Originally Posted by Mark.Yudkin

Copy protection applies to HDMI output. Your Tag McLaren doesn't support (sound over) HDMI, so the question of copy protection is moot, except if you're asking about the video scalar (where this is the wrong forum).

As I said: "Connect your source device to the AV processor"; that is, without looping over the video scalar. You do not need any of the video scaler processing for sound, and therefore have no need to place it on the signal path.

Thanks for the clarification. The reason I want to loop the sound over the video scaler is to handle lip sync (audio delay) due to the delay caused by the video processing. This may or may not work and I understand the question belongs in another forum. But if I remember correctly the Tag McLaren AV processor (AV32R) does have some kind of lip sync functionality so it's possible it will work even if I don't loop through the video scaler.

/ Påhl

[Mark.Yudkin]

Correct, you should deal with the lip sync in your AV32R.

[r21442]

If you are worried at all you'll almost certainly find someone on the TAG forum here that has done it to reassure you. Seem to remember the lip sync max'd at 120mS?

As a complete aside I use my AV32R for audio only and send component direct to projector.