Those Darn Mac Laptops!

[grizzly]

I've got to say, for a long time I've been using MacBook Pros into Blackmagic ATEM mixers & Roland mixers (V-1SDI mainly), both via HDMI, and Datavideo HDMI to SDI converters, with no HDCP issues I can recall.

Output usually always 1080i/50.

[timmeh2]

...Apparently this is a 'feature' of Windows which has never been fixed.... http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/dry.gif

 

Hi

 

It's not been fixed because it's a deliberate thing. From Vista onwards, external displays are treated as hot-swappable devices so will disconnect and re-connect when they detect a sink.

 

In the case of switchers, that always spells bad news as you've discovered.

 

There is a registry hack available that forces it to revert to XP behaviour (i.e. only enumerate displays on startup) and then act like it's always connected.

 

All the best

Timmeh

 

 

 

 

[Emissary]

Hi all,

 

Thanks so much for all the great replies and helpful notes, its been busy at work so I've only just been able to get back to this sorry.

 

Ill look into getting some more EDID tools, we have an Atlona one, but will look into the HDfury options too.

 

This weekend Ill find the time to come back with a proper reply to engage on some of the specifics with everyone.

 

Thanks a bunch!

 

Harry

[Emissary]

To be completely fair, any HDCP compliant Windows laptop will (should) do exactly the same things.

 

Try holding down the option key while in video settings to get access to the full resolution list, regardless of EDID.

 

Agreed, unless its a mac haha. They like to enable HDCP for everything if the first device they detect is compliant, check this whitepaper, it has some great tips about using Macs in a professional enviroment, its a bit out dated but still worth a read.

 

White Paper

 

 

 

HDCP should be triggered by the Content you are playing rather than simply being 'on' all of the time and as others have said when you are playing back HDCP protected content if any one device in the signal path is not HDCP compliant the Source should stop what it is doing.

 

What content are you playing, how are you playing it and which Output on the MacBook are you using?

 

I've seen folk having issues with some Switch gear which supports 59.94Hz but not 60.00Hz

 

If HDCP is the issue you could try an HDFury Integral, Linker or Vertex between the Source and your Switcher - that way you can 'isolate' HDCP!

 

Joe

As for content, nothing that would require HDCP, and the output would be either the HDMI or a mini DP port, depending on what model we are using.

 

Ill get a couple of the HDFury Integral as per your suggestion, does the integral allow you to set it to be non HDCP? We use mostly SDI distribution so that would be handy to stop the Mac seeing the compliant switcher first.

 

 

 

[vermaak]

That's where as events professionals it's our job to understand the equipment and how to work with it.

 

This is the single most important part of what we do. We spent lots of time testing different solutions until we found a rock solid option that we could pick off the shelf and deploy anywhere knowing it would work.

[Joe Fernand]

Hi Emissary - apologies for the slow reply.

 

We/you can configure the HDF devices to either pass HDCP, drop HDCP 2.2 to 1.4 or remove HDCP (that requires the GoBlue add on dongle).

 

Joe

 

PS Agree 100% with testing and proving kit before you go onsite/live.

[Nick Mawer]

To the OP. The Kramer VP-773 and VP-773A have the option of disabling HDCP on the input. This means that if you are playing non encrypted content from your Mac, the Mac will not go into HDCP encrypted mode. This would allow you then to convert to SDI, or feed a Video conference device or lecture capture, for instance.

for those who do not have the option to disable HDCP on input on their devices, as long as you make sure that the next device downstream is not HDCP compliant that will prevent the Mac from going into HDCP mode.

Of course this does mean that you can't play HDCP encrypted content, or unplug the Mac, and then plug in a Blu-ray player into the same input. If you did that you would get no picture.

Hope this helps.

Kramer do provide a guide to integrating with Macs, and now this guide is online. https://k.kramerav.com/downloads/white-papers/integrate_macmini_4.pdf

[DanS]

We must be really lucky with MBP’s then (last of the MBP before they brought out USB-C)

 

Use decimator and the black magic micro HDMI to SDI and vice Verda and to date have had no problems with content.

Roland V800HD or V4-EX for the vision mix

 

I have heard of issues regarding outputting via USB-C to a converter (web Apple official) due to incorrect resolutions being sent out...

 

Good luck ???

[James Remo]

I've spent the last 18 months touring a pair of the latest MBP's (with the USB-c HDMI adaptors) with relatively few issues, plugging into a different house screen roughly 3 times a week. The setup included a Roland V1-HD to switch between main and backup, and (if needed to output SDI) a BM micro hdmi to sdi, and a decimator. I had a couple of USB-c to ethernet adaptors crap out, but not one USB-C to HDMI problem. I also have a range of USB-C to HDMI adaptors, from a variety of "brands", and most are perfectly fine up to 1080p, where as some will do 4k and some won't.