"analog copy protected (type 2)" error?

[Deleted]

What does this message mean? It is coming up when watching a DVD, preventing us from watching it. The DVD player and the Display are connected to the UMC-1 by component video. We've watched other DVD's without seeing this message. What is causing it?

[jlafrenz]

It is coming from the UMC-1 or from the disc itself?

Second question obviously is if it is a copied DVD?

[Deleted]

The message is coming from the UMC-1. It is a factory DVD: Disney's "The Princess and the Frog".

[jlafrenz]

Have you tried other types of connections to see if the problem still exists?

[ratmice]

Seems to be some kind of macrovision deal:

3 types of Macrovision copy protection
Type 1 (Automatic Gain Control only)
Type 2 (Automatic Gain Control + 2-line colorstripe)
Type 3 (Automatic Gain Control + 4-line colorstripe)

Not sure why you would be getting the message however. Thank you very much DMCA.

[Deleted]

> Have you tried other types of connections to see if the problem still exists?

I already know that I can't use hdmi from the dvd player to the UMC-1 and component video from the UMC-1 to the display (my display doesn't support HDMI). Composite video is not a very attractive option. As a test, I even tried degrading the DVD video signal to 480i and the error message still pops up.

> Seems to be some kind of macrovision deal

I'm not aware of any Macrovision stuff that affects component video, I just saw that Macrovision added component video protection. As Disney is really keen on defeating copying, so my guess is that it is something Disney is doing. What is less clear, however, is why the UMC-1 would respond to it in this fashion. All that it is being asked to do is take a 480P component input signal and pass it back out as 480P component, unchanged. Why block it? If I was an analog video pirate, I wouldn't be using the UMC-1 anyway, so it doesn't seem like the UMC-1 is doing anything to prevent piracy by doing this; all it is doing is defeating the normal and intended use of the dvd. Presumably, however, someone on the Emotiva staff would know what is going on. (The UMC-1 is, after all, the device that is generating the message.)

I do have hope that regardless of the cause, that after the next software update I can make it go away, as I understand that the restrictions on HDMI-in/component-out will be lifted with that release. (Yeah!)

[ratmice]

What is the video setting on the UMC (auto, direct, 480P) ? Maybe that has something to do with it.

[Deleted]

> What is the video setting on the UMC (auto, direct, 480P) ? Maybe that has something to do with it.

I've tried 480P and direct but it didn't make any difference.

I have a hypothesis though, as to what's going on, but only somebody from Emotiva would know for sure: The UMC-1 never passes the input signal directly (unlike a passive switch); it instead receives the old signal, processes it, and generates a new one. It can detect but can't generate the Macrovision copy protection signal, thus, when it gets a signal with the Macrovision copy protection on it, it can only (1) pass it on without the copy protection, or (2) refuse to pass it on at all. Under their license, they won't do (1), and so they do (2) instead. Obviously the intent of copy protection is not to prevent the content from being viewed normally, so if this is the case it represents an unfortunate defect in the UMC-1 that makes it completely useless when handling copy protected component video.

However, if the new firmware update corrects this and the other serious limitations around component video output, then everything will be just about perfect — at least as far as I'm concerned. I'm excited and hopeful that this will be the case.

For now, what I've had to do is make a digital copy of the DVD directly. It is ironic, is it not, that the system intended to protect the dvd from a low-grade analog copy has resulted in the creation of a high-grade digital copy? Not that I intend to distribute it, but it goes to show how ludicrous the current copy protection environment is.

[roadrunner]

bowen

Actually, you have pretty much hit upon why you are getting this error message with the Disney DVD. The "new" Licensing specs requires that when using the Component Video like you are doing that if the copy protection flag is set to on it will not pass the signal. This is not a flaw in the UMC-1, it is simply complying with the new specs. Hollywood's paranoia at its best. All new processor will have to do the same thing unless they pony up the money to buy the "optional" license (like Emotiva recently did).

The upcoming FW release will contain the software to allow you to use your DVD with the copy protection switch enabled. My distrust of Hollywood's motivations makes me believe that this change in Licensing Agreement is meant to generate additional income more than being used as a piracy deterrent, as they claim. I wonder if the courts will ever catch on to the fallacy in Hollywood's arguments about protecting their intellectual property from piracy.

[Deleted]

This is pretty bad, by the way, I've been trying a lot of DVD's and a significant percentage of them are affected by this. Looking forward to that firmware update because I need a fix here.

With regard to Big Dan's comments about component video: yes, it is dying, but it isn't dead yet. A lot of us are still in a transitional state, so yes, component support still matters and, for me, the UMC-1 needs to be a device to bridge that transition. I agree with Big Dan about where to go, I just can't go there quite as fast as we both might like!