HDCP problems and other woes...

[Crin]

Hi All,

So I had what I thought was the genius idea of buying a Chrome Cast to hook up to my old projector for instant Netflix et al. cinema in my living room, it's all set up... screen, speakers everything but there's just one small problem, no picture.

The reason it isn't straightforward forward is that my projector is old enough not to have an HDMI port, though it does say that it supports HDMI on it's DVI port using an adaptor. (Which I can't find). Also of course I'd have no sound.

What I have...

So with a little research I bought this HDMI to VGA + 3.5mm Jack Audio Cable Video Converter Adapter, I also bought a couple of gender changers, one VGA and one HDMI to get the whole lot to stick together.

The projector is an Optoma ThemeScene H57, so quite old but actually pretty decent (hence reluctance to take the plunge on a new one and also because this was supposed to be a cheap project)

What is happening...

What I'm experiencing is a black screen, which I am now attributing to HDCP problems... the projector scans and detects that there is a source plugged in the way you'd expect and looks like it's gone through the process of adjusting to that source signal and then just happily displays a black screen. Occasionally it also says "Out of Range". The sound comes out garbled when trying to play netflix or youtube.

I have tried it with a VGA to DVI adaptor into the DVI input to witht he same result.

I have also tried plugging my Nexus 10 into the HDMI input on the convertor, this yields a different result, white static, but still no picture.

The projector does work... it's even briefly displayed a chrome logo when I tried factory resetting the Chromecast while it was plugged into the projector (via the adaptor obviously) but then just returned to the black screen.

A weird caveat to all this is if I play something on Play Music then I still get a black screen but the sound comes out fine.

What I plan to try

I read that HDCP can cause problems like this and that it can sometimes be fixed using a powered HDMI splitter. Apparently this negotiates the HDCP handshake with the Chromecast and then passes on the signal to the two output ports, which sounds a bit dodgy, why is it so simple to bypass? Plus it's £30 for one of those which means my cheap project is getting more and more expensive.

So...

Any help on this would be really REALLY appreciated. Please.

 

[Asphyx]

Hi All,

So I had what I thought was the genius idea of buying a Chrome Cast to hook up to my old projector for instant Netflix et al. cinema in my living room, it's all set up... screen, speakers everything but there's just one small problem, no picture.

The reason it isn't straightforward forward is that my projector is old enough not to have an HDMI port, though it does say that it supports HDMI on it's DVI port using an adaptor. (Which I can't find). Also of course I'd have no sound.

What I have...

So with a little research I bought this HDMI to VGA + 3.5mm Jack Audio Cable Video Converter Adapter, I also bought a couple of gender changers, one VGA and one HDMI to get the whole lot to stick together.

The projector is an Optoma ThemeScene H57, so quite old but actually pretty decent (hence reluctance to take the plunge on a new one and also because this was supposed to be a cheap project)

What is happening...

What I'm experiencing is a black screen, which I am now attributing to HDCP problems... the projector scans and detects that there is a source plugged in the way you'd expect and looks like it's gone through the process of adjusting to that source signal and then just happily displays a black screen. Occasionally it also says "Out of Range". The sound comes out garbled when trying to play netflix or youtube.

I have tried it with a VGA to DVI adaptor into the DVI input to witht he same result.

I have also tried plugging my Nexus 10 into the HDMI input on the convertor, this yields a different result, white static, but still no picture.

The projector does work... it's even briefly displayed a chrome logo when I tried factory resetting the Chromecast while it was plugged into the projector (via the adaptor obviously) but then just returned to the black screen.

A weird caveat to all this is if I play something on Play Music then I still get a black screen but the sound comes out fine.

What I plan to try

I read that HDCP can cause problems like this and that it can sometimes be fixed using a powered HDMI splitter. Apparently this negotiates the HDCP handshake with the Chromecast and then passes on the signal to the two output ports, which sounds a bit dodgy, why is it so simple to bypass? Plus it's for one of those which means my cheap project is getting more and more expensive.

So...

Any help on this would be really REALLY appreciated. Please.

I'm afraid the only solution is to get an HDCP compliant projector...

CCast will only pass on HDCP info from the Device it is plugged into, but has no HDCP of it's own. And it can not be faked.
The Adapter will also break any HDCP as HDCP is meant to deny you the ability to do what your trying to do in the name of not letting you make copies of the content.

You will be fine with Content that does not require a HDCP signature to play (self ripped movies or non-DRM materials) but something like Netflix has little chance of working without some HDCP compliant device being connected the the CCast.

 

[cmstlist]

You can get a standard HDMI DVI adaptor for cheap, and maybe this will allow HDCP information to be kept. However you may be unable to keep the audio stream without a more elaborate device.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Crin]

According to this page...

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Optoma-H57.htm

It is actually HDCP compliant... so does that mean it's the adaptor that's breaking it? Is there such a thing as an HDCP respectful adaptor with an Audio splitter?

 

[Asphyx]

According to this page...

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Optoma-H57.htm

It is actually HDCP compliant... so does that mean it's the adaptor that's breaking it?

Yes you're essentially converting a Digital signal to analog and HDCP only works via Digital.

A Real HDMI to DVI adapter as suggested may help but make sure in the specs it says it will pass HDCP.
And do make sure it also has Audio Breakout.

 

[bhiga]

According to this page...

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Optoma-H57.htm

It is actually HDCP compliant... so does that mean it's the adaptor that's breaking it? Is there such a thing as an HDCP respectful adaptor with an Audio splitter?

Your projector is a little newer than my Sony VPL-HS10, but it might have the same issue - the marketing wasn't 100%. My VPL-HS10 initially said it was HDCP-compliant on the DVI-D port, but ended up that it isn't. Well, it might be for a few select devices, but it isn't up-to-spec for the general standard.

What you really need is an HDCP stripper, but those are illegal in most parts (especially the US).

Your other potential problem is that the adapter may not be converting the HDMI timings over to VGA, and rather expecting the receiving device to compensate. Some can, some can't.

The specs for your projector says it has a DVI-I port, so it might accept analog on that port.
So first I'd try connecting DVI-to-VGA adapter (the ones that normally come with video cards to get VGA out of the DVI port) and connecting Chromecast --HDMI--> HDMI-to-VGA --VGA--> DVI-to-VGA adapter --DVI--> Projector and see if you get a different result on the DVI input - sometimes the scaler is separate or different for different inputs.

If that doesn't work, I recommend HDfury2 or newer - beware of counterfeits as there are many fakers online. I have successfully used HDfury products with my Sony projector from various sources. You'll want the HDfury2 or newer to get the audio breakout, which is a 3.5mm (1/8-inch) analog stereo and digital (optical TOSlink).

 

[Asphyx]

What you really need is an HDCP stripper, but those are illegal in most parts (especially the US).

.

Not to mention probably as expensive as a new Projector with HDMI and HDCP support! LOL

 

[Lymphoid]

Crin, did you ever get this solved?

I bought the same stupid converter you showed in the image.