HDMI cable Version for Stripping HDCP?

[hotlips69]

I'm in the UK & have been trying to copy from my SKY+HD box to my Hauppage Colossus capture card, but have hit the usual HDCP issue.

I bought a "Portta 2 Port 1x2 Hdmi Splitter V 1.3b compatible c1.4 3D 1080p swither 5 8 PS3" from Amazon that is supposed to do a good job, but I'm getting a blank screen on my computer when using this, and I'm wondering if I need a specific version of HDMI cable, i.e. 1.3b?

It was mentioned in the reviews that only HDMI 1.3b devices would strip the HDCP properly & I believe that my HDMI splitter is 1.3b, but my cables are 1.4 I think.

I've also plugged in my TV to the 2nd output of the splitter & that displays perfectly.

[Brad]

There is no such thing as an HDMI cable version number (anymore).

Have you set the Colossus to match the resolution and frame rate output by the Sky box?

[hotlips69]

There is no such thing as an HDMI cable version number (anymore).

Have you set the Colossus to match the resolution and frame rate output by the Sky box?

When I put the HDMI straight from my SKY+HD box to the Colossus, it displayed the HDCP message in the correct resolution, but using this splitter it's not getting any signal seemingly.

[usually_quiet]

What if you switch the splitter connections for the Colossus and the TV? Maybe one side of the splitter is defective.

[hotlips69]

What if you switch the splitter connections for the Colossus and the TV? Maybe one side of the splitter is defective.

That was the 1st thing I tried!
I've tried every troubleshooting thing I can think of.

Tried different HDMI cables, tried rebooting the SKY box & my computer (just in case), tried with & without the TV plugged into the splitter in each socket etc...

I was hoping that someone here can confirm either way if SKY+HD has somehow had updated software/firmware blocking what used to work?

[Bjs]

The first rule of hdcp bypass is only one display device must support hdcp

1: Connect player device hdmi cable to splitter and output to hdcp compliant display (usually this is port 1 output)
2: Turn display on (set to the correct hdmi port) and turn player on

This performs the hdcp handshake

This next is where you find out if the splitter is worth gold or junk

Also make sure the signal output from player is set correctly for your intended capture device rather than display ... some are just fickle.

3: Connect secondary hdmi output from splitter to capture device and try.

[hotlips69]

The first rule of hdcp bypass is only one display device must support hdcp

1: Connect player device hdmi cable to splitter and output to hdcp compliant display (usually this is port 1 output)
2: Turn display on (set to the correct hdmi port) and turn player on

This performs the hdcp handshake

This next is where you find out if the splitter is worth gold or junk

Also make sure the signal output from player is set correctly for your intended capture device rather than display ... some are just fickle.

3: Connect secondary hdmi output from splitter to capture device and try.

I tried exactly what you suggested with no improvement.
Surely the whole point of this specific HDMI splitter is that it totally ignores the HDCP bit and simply sends the picture to whatever device(s) are connected to the output(s) ?

If I connect my TV to either of the splitter outputs, it displays perfectly every time, yet it doesn't display on my capture device.

[usually_quiet]

I've tried every troubleshooting thing I can think of.

Did you try power-cycling the HD-PVR Colossus? All the devices in the Hauppauge HD-PVR product line (including the Colossus) might stop working and need to be power cycled/reset periodically. This is supposed to be Hauppauge's first step of troubleshooting for the Colossus.

Shut down your PC. Unpug the PC from mains power, and unplug the HDM cable from the Colossus. (HDMI can provide power to connected devices.) Press the power button on the case to discharge any residual electrical power from the PC. After about 30 seconds or so plug in the PC's PSU and re-connect the HDMI cable, then boot up the PC.

[hotlips69]

I've tried every troubleshooting thing I can think of.

Did you try power-cycling the HD-PVR Colossus? All the devices in the Hauppauge HD-PVR product line (including the Colossus) might stop working and need to be power cycled/reset periodically. This is supposed to be Hauppauge's first step of troubleshooting for the Colossus.

Shut down your PC. Unpug the PC from mains power, and unplug the HDM cable from the Colossus. (HDMI can provide power to connected devices.) Press the power button on the case to discharge any residual electrical power from the PC. After about 30 seconds or so plug in the PC's PSU and re-connect the HDMI cable, then boot up the PC.

The Colossus I have is the PCI-E internal version, and I've rebooted the PC several times.

[usually_quiet]

I've tried every troubleshooting thing I can think of.

Did you try power-cycling the HD-PVR Colossus? All the devices in the Hauppauge HD-PVR product line (including the Colossus) might stop working and need to be power cycled/reset periodically. This is supposed to be Hauppauge's first step of troubleshooting for the Colossus.

Shut down your PC. Unpug the PC from mains power, and unplug the HDM cable from the Colossus. (HDMI can provide power to connected devices.) Press the power button on the case to discharge any residual electrical power from the PC. After about 30 seconds or so plug in the PC's PSU and re-connect the HDMI cable, then boot up the PC.

The Colossus I have is the PCI-E internal version, and I've rebooted the PC several times.

I have used a Colossus too, and rebooting the PC isn't enough. It has to be a cold boot, performed after draining power from the PC, following the instructions above.

I successfully used my Colossus for recording from my cable box with a splitter (not the same as yours) for about 8 months before moving to a different device with a tuner that would let me record 3 channels at once. It was necessary to power cycle the Colossus every few days to keep it working.

[jagabo]

Surely the whole point of this specific HDMI splitter is that it totally ignores the HDCP bit and simply sends the picture to whatever device(s) are connected to the output(s) ?

Not exactly. Here's how a truly HDCP compliant splitter should work: The source requires HDCP handshake before it will send a picture. So the splitter has to negotiate with the source and tell it it is HDCP compliant. The splitter then receives an encrypted picture from the source. The splitter decrypts the signal and negotiates with the sink device(s). Since the source required HDCP the splitter requires each sink support HDCP. It negotiates a key swap, reencrypts the signal, then sends that encrypted signal to the sinks. The point is to never transmit an unencrypted signal.

HDCP "strippers" still have to support HDCP on the connection between the source and the splitter. But they don't follow the HDCP rules and allow unencrypted connections with the sinks.

Make sure the Sky box is putting out a signal the capture device accepts. I'm not sure about your device but it may not accept 1080p. Try setting it to 1080i or 720p.

[usually_quiet]

The Colossus doesn't accept 1080p input. The only HD resolutions it accepts are 720p, and 1080i.

[hotlips69]

Thanks for all your replies.

I've now found a setting on the SKY+HD box that I've tried changing from 1080i to 720p without any improvement to my situation.
I've also totally powered down my PC for 30 minutes & removed the HDMI cable etc.. without any improvement to my situation.
I've re-downloaded & installed the very latest Colossus drivers/software without any improvement to my situation.

Some signal is definitely getting to my PC as the resolution automatically changed from 720 to 1920x1080 & back when I was playing with the resolution settings on my SKY+HD box even though the screen was still blank.

It has to be either a dodgy HDMI splitter or a dodgy HDMI 1.4 cable?

Is it possible a dodgy cable could cause my specific problem?

[usually_quiet]

If I understood you correctly, and the cable worked with the TV using the same side of the splitter you are using for the Colossus, then the cable isn't the problem.

[hotlips69]

Update:

I concluded it logically must be the HDMI splitter that was causing me the issue, so ordered another (cheap) one:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006KZBC92/ref=pe_1909131_77697001_tnp_email_TE_AMZLdp_1

This works perfectly, sending a good quality picture to my Colossus capture card with the existing HDMI cables.

According to the reviews on Amazon, the original splitter I had was supposed to work, but something was not right, so I've now sent that back for a refund.