Well Thanks. The PS3′s Hidden DRM Just Cost me £20
In a time in my life when I am poor, splashing out £20 on some expensive cabling is not something I want to do. But as I’ve just moved house and am setting up my work area to be the ultimate gaming blogger set-up, the ability to play both my 360 and my PS3 via either of my two TFT screens is very much desirable.
Now, I openly admit to not knowing too much about the AV world. Back in my day (about 4 years ago) if it fitted, it would work. It seems those days are long gone, something I found out the hard way.
The monitor I want to use for gaming only has a VGA port (my second monitor takes both DVI and VGA, but is the one I use mos for work) and for ages my 360 has been happily outputting my Halos to it. With my new desk set up I realised that if I could get my PS3 to also do this, I wouldn’t have to use my hulking great CRT, currently sat in the living room, to play on my triples. So, my monitor takes VGA and PS3 outputs HDMI, how hard can this be?
£20 later and I had my answer; impossible. Why? Because the PS3 comes loaded with High Definition Child Porn (or HDCP). HDCP is basically DRM for AV data. It’s used to stop you syphoning off your HD footage and uploading it to the internet for people to steal, which would lead to the downfall of mankind. Not that you couldn’t just do that anyway via any of the other AV outputs.
Back when the PS3 launched I now remember a rather large kerfuffle surrounding the use of this DRM occurred. Up until today I had basically forgotten all about it (rather inconveniently as it would happen). Out of sight, out of mind, but still just as crippling.
Fast forward to today and I plug in my HDMI to DVI adapter, then my DVI to VGA adapter and… nothing. I guess I must be doing it wrong? I fiddle around for a little while with the connectors and setting and then am told via a friend that I need to use a DVI port because the PS3 needs a digital handshake. Ok, sounds plausible, this is modern AV tech and hand-shaking is a fairly standard practice for digital data transfer.
Annoyingly this means I will have to use the other monitor to play my PS3, but still, it’ll do. I go and plug in the DVI and… nothing again. Starting to get a bit worried now. To cut the long and frustrating story short I then find out my monitor has to be HDCP compliant. What the heck is HDCP? A bit of research and we reach the present. It’s DRM. Shitty, broken, useless and needless DRM.
I feel like such a fool, but am I? Surly something as major as this would be displayed promenantly somewhere to stop people doing what I just tried? I check the old box and specs my monitor came with and there is not a single mention of not supporting HDCP. Fine, I guess if it’s something it doesn’t have it’s not going to say right? It’ll be printed on the PS3 box.
Wrong. All the PS3 box says is “HDMI”, which doesn’t have to include HDCP. Worse still the online FAQ implies you only need HDCP for playing Blu-ray movies in 1080p; “Copyright-protected Blu-ray Discs can only be output at 1080p using an HDMI cable connected to a device that is compatible with the HDCP standard.” I think they ment the entire system rather than 1080p Blu-rays.
The DRM is not mentioned once in the quick reference booklet either. In fact, the only time I found it mentioned on any of the printed documentation that came with my PS3 was on page 19 of the Safety and Support booklet (see the header image).
I’m almost at a loss for words. There was no clear warning (unless I’m mising something obviouse here), or even any logical reason for me to make the assumption that DRM like this would be on the AV output of my games console. God dammit Sony. Fuck you.
Another BS move by Sony Entertainment. And they wonder why the PS3 and Sony Vaio aren’t selling. Hm Sony, could it have anything to do with the fact that UR DOING IT RONG? I mean, this is why I like Microsoft. No bullshit to deal with, other than shit adverts (CURSE YOU MICROSOFT!). I can’t remember a time when my XBox 360 didn’t give me bullshit. It hasn’t even red-ringed once. I know I’m sounding like a complete Xbot here, but seriously, for a semi-casual semi-hardcore gamer, the Xbox just works.
I’d like to post a pro Sony response, but seriously I got nothing on this one.
HDCP is pretty much standard these days across many manufacturers of HDTVs and other media, not just Sony.
You must have a really cheap and shitty monitor to not have HDCP. It’s been around for ages, it should be in every decent monitor sold in the last 3-5 years at the very least.
I’m not defending Sony, but HDCP is a product of the movie studios for high-def content, not Sony. Like Jay wrote, tons of other devices and media use it as well. Hell, my cable box uses it.
Wardrox, you silly blogger ! Where were you when Sony announced the PS Triples ? Didn’t they warn everyone that in order to have a PS3 you needed to get a 2nd job ?
The fun doesnt stop after you buy it ! You need to work 16 hours a day ! After sleeping 6 hours a night you will get 2 whole hours to bursh your teeth, eat, commute and PLAY PS3 !!!
That is the price of NEXT-GEN (which begins when Sony says so if I remember correctly).
PS: If you are a European Gamer, you might need to get a 3rd job also… LOL
@Jason: Sony IS a movie studio… http://www.sonypictures.com/
Xbox 360 has this too, but only if you’re using an HDMI for 1080p. From what I understand, the electronics industry know people are going to pirate movies, but they realized that when they introduced 1080p, they could at least prevent people from pirating high-resolution movies – you can “only” pirate up to 1080i (using component, referred to as the “analog hole” in their protection). Supposedly, if your device isn’t HDCP-compliant, it’s intended to downgrade your quality to 540p (kinda random), making it less desireable to pirate since it’s not high-res.
The silly thing about all this is that your PS3 is doing it for THE ENTIRE SYSTEM. Movies, I understand, and I see my 360 do a quick HDCP-check if I turn off my TV and turn it back on in the middle of a DVD. But it’s not like you can pirate a game by outputting your visuals in 1080p.