Google Proposing HDCP Content Protection Be Added To Intel's Linux Graphics Driver

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Google Proposing HDCP Content Protection Be Added To Intel's Linux Graphics Driver

Sure to ruffle some feathers, a Google/ChromeOS developer is looking for comments on the company's patches to add HDCP - High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection - to Intel's open-source Linux kernel graphics driver...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=2017-Google-Intel-HDCP-DRM

[user82]

High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection is a commomn form of digital copy protection for securing digital audio/video across cables/connections and preventing HDCP-encrypted content from being played on unauthorized devices.

There is a typo in here, instead of "being played on unauthorized devices" it must say "being played by legitimate customers who happened to buy the wrong devices"

[boxie]

There is a typo in here, instead of "being played on unauthorized devices" it must say "being played by legitimate customers who happened to buy the wrong devices"

one might argue then that you are not a legit customer :P

also, strangely, if you get the right "hdmi recording" dongle (used for screen recording) they just happen to strip the content protection :P

[L_A_G]

Ugh... To me the whole idea behind HDCP, preventing people from making pirate copies of content the same way people made pirate copies of VHS cassettes by connecting two players in series, has always reeked of something demanded by old and stubborn movie executives who fail to understand that content formats, and thus also piracy, has moved on from the 80s.

[TheLexMachine]

They are proposing that Intel do something it's already doing. I guess someone at Google missed the memo, as Intel has been working on this for some time now.

[Guest]

How can HDCP actually prevent against making of illegal copies? It seems as only software limitation. And, it can be avoided using custom software,...

[theghost]

It's no suprise that Sean Paul wants to protect his own content

[mlau]

How can HDCP actually prevent against making of illegal copies? It seems as only software limitation. And, it can be avoided using custom software,...

it encrypts the video data sent over HDMI / DisplayPort / .. cables. Admittedly a stupid way to "pirate" movies, given the datarates involved. There's easier ways
to get at the already compressed source...

[cybertraveler]

I don't like DRM, but the fact that this doesn't seem to include/require any binary blobs makes these patches acceptable for me. My main issue with DRM is that I don't like my system keeping secrets from me. For those of you who don't know, "Open Source" Firefox keeps secrets from users using a little Google Widevine CDM binary for decoding DRM video on the web: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enable-drm

[darkbasic]

Ugh... To me the whole idea behind HDCP, preventing people from making pirate copies of content the same way people made pirate copies of VHS cassettes by connecting two players in series, has always reeked of something demanded by old and stubborn movie executives who fail to understand that content formats, and thus also piracy, has moved on from the 80s.

Exactly this. We're not in the 80s anymore.