HDCP Technologies

High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) is a specification developed by Intel Corporation to protect digital entertainment content across the DVI/HDMI interface. The HDCP specification provides a robust, cost-effective and transparent method for transmitting and receiving digital entertainment content to DVI/HDMI-compliant digital displays.

HDCP is designed for protecting audiovisual content over certain high-bandwidth interfaces. These interfaces include:

• DVI (Digital Visual Interface)
• HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface)
• UDI (Unified Display Interface
• GVIF (Giga-bit Video Interface)
• DLI (Digital Light Interface)
• DisplayPort

In an HDCP system, two or more HDCP devices are interconnected through an HDCP-protected interface. The audiovisual content protected by HDCP flows from the Upstream Content Control Function into the HDCP system at the most upstream HDCP Transmitter. From there, the HDCP content, encrypted by the HDCP system, flows through a tree-shaped topology of HDCP receivers over HDCP-protected interfaces.

The HDCP content protection mechanism includes three elements: 1) Authentication of HDCP receivers to their immediate upstream connection (to an HDCP transmitter). The authentication protocol is the mechanism through which the HDCP transmitter verifies that a given HDCP Receiver is licensed to receive HDCP. 2) Revocation of HDCP receivers that are determined by the DCP to be invalid. 3) HDCP encryption of audiovisual content over the HDCP-protected interfaces between HDCP transmitters and their downstream HDCP receivers.

HDCP receivers may render the HDCP content in audio and visual form for human consumption. HDCP receivers may be HDCP repeaters that serve as downstream HDCP transmitters emitting the HDCP content further downstream to one or more additional HDCP receivers.

Download the HDCP Specification:

• HDCP Specification Rev. 1.3 (829k, PDF)
• HDCP Specification Rev. 1.3 - Redlined (935k, PDF)
• HDCP Specification 1.3 - Amendment for DisplayPort, Rev. 1.0 (1.92MB, PDF)
• Errata to HDCP Amendment for DisplayPort, Rev. 1.0 (963k, PDF)
• HDCP Specification v1.1 - Amendment for HDCP-GVIF (124k, PDF)
• HDCP Specification v1.2 - Amendment for HDCP-DLI Interfaces (210k, PDF)
• HDCP Specification Compliance Test Specification 1.1 (792k, PDF)
• Errata to HDCP Specification Compliance Test Specification 1.1 (105k, PDF)
• DisplayPort-HDCP Specification Compliance Test Specification 1.0 (528k, PDF)
• Document Archive

Approved Retransmission Technology Objective Criteria

As of May 16, 2007, Digital Content Protection LLC (DCP) is accepting submissions for Approved Retransmission Technologies. DCP will engage in a review process designed to determine whether, from technical and policy perspectives, a proposed retransmission protection technology will maintain integrity and robustness for HDCP Content, and to determine whether Content Participants and certain other content owners and Adopters are satisfied with the level of protection and compliance provided by the technology. Click here for more information.