SDI + Arcam - if so good why not there in the first place?

[Nabs]

I have been reading about sdi conversions to all dvd players including the arcam. I was wondering if it works so well why do manufacturers produce such in the first place? does it have something to do with their licence?

 

[mjn]

Because its very expensive, and only a handful of people actually use the feature.

 

[Nabs]

If a display as most currently do (esp lcd), reprocesses the signal to scale anyway then surely the best feed and hence picture (assuming no external scaler) would be unprocessed and direct digital signal to display and display scaling - hence sdi. Cost could then be saved as reducing in dvd box processing.

 

[NonPayingMember]

How many displays do you know with SDI inputs? I can think of just two.

An SDI upgrade card would be nice (rather than having to solder one on!) but for the 0.005% percent of the world that use SDI I think it's a bit daft to expect it fitted as standard.

Besides Arcam have done the very next best thing and done interlaced HDMI which you find on about two or three other players I can think of - and it's so close to SDI it's barely worth modding a DV79. This way they have regular HDMI (and upscaled HDMI on the DV137) to keep the masses happy, but also interlaced HDMI (with YUV 4:2:2 ability remember) for video processor users.

 

[Sparky66]

Lets not forget also that SDI bypasses any HDCP encryption that plagues digital HDMI and some DVI outputs. Hollywood doesn't want you to pirate movies once Blu-Ray or HD-DVD is in full swing, so I believe "Yes" there could be a licensing issue for the manufacturer to implement SDI.

 

[John Dawson]

SDI is absolutely forbidden as an output on properly licenced DVD players - no manufacturer can lawfully fit it and then pass CSS encrypted data over the interface. You must use interlaced HDMI instead; in principle the digital video bits are exactly the same when using 4:2:2 interlaced video, at least on Arcam players.

John Dawson (Arcam)

 

[Nabs]

Thank for the reply John,

I thought that would be the case with licencing.... well all in all probably I will be more than happy to stick with Arcam's superb HDMI.

 

[Miron]

SDI is absolutely forbidden as an output on properly licenced DVD players - no manufacturer can lawfully fit it and then pass CSS encrypted data over the interface. You must use interlaced HDMI instead; in principle the digital video bits are exactly the same when using 4:2:2 interlaced video, at least on Arcam players.

John Dawson (Arcam)

I am still asking myself how Cinemateq could do it, in legal terms.

 

[hornydragon]

SDI is absolutely forbidden as an output on properly licenced DVD players - no manufacturer can lawfully fit it and then pass CSS encrypted data over the interface. You must use interlaced HDMI instead; in principle the digital video bits are exactly the same when using 4:2:2 interlaced video, at least on Arcam players.

John Dawson (Arcam)

Does this apply to "commercial" products?
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/p....html?compName=PNA_V3_ProductDetailsComponent

Configurable with optional components, including:- Second DVD-R/RW drive - Serial Digital Interface (SDI) & AES/EBU audio board set

(this may be an SDI input), but is SDI "allowed" for commercial apps?

 

[Crustyloafer]

Does this apply to "commercial" products?
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/p....html?compName=PNA_V3_ProductDetailsComponent

(this may be an SDI input), but is SDI "allowed" for commercial apps?

Yes, I beleive this law only applies to consumer products and not commerical units.

Otherwise how would the companies that use SDI interfaces for professional purposes buy equipment with them fittted at all. I can hardly see the BBC or whoever buying kit without SDI interfaces and then having to get them modified.

 

[NonPayingMember]

I think Cinemateq blag it as a commercial unit, and a unit that is only designed to be used with the accompanying processor (i.e. the final video output is actually component/RGB/HDMI/DVI)