Astro will be blank for one second everytime we change HD to SD channel

That is because HDCP protection is enabled everytime you tune to HD channels. HDCP is a kind of security encryption to prevent you from illegal capturing the content (record/streaming) using any unauthorised devices such as HDMI capture card.

Everytime you tune to HD channels, Astro box will send a HDCP signal to your TV, so your TV got to decrypt it so that you can watch it as per usual. HDCP is to allow only HDCP compliant devices such as your TV to be able to decrypt HDCP signal, hence allowing you to watch it on your connected device. This is what actually happens when you see the "sudden blackout for few hundred milliseconds".

Devices that can't decrypt HDCP especially capture card or capture box, and certain computer monitors, you will see error messages relating to HDCP.

There's nothing to be surprised about, because this is also practiced by Hypp TV as well as all pay TV services in the world, and more.

However, HDCP protection will go off as you tune from HD to SD channels.

To sonypshomer and yongtjunkit previous comments...

Yes, Joshhd is correct. When HD Video is played, the transmitting device sends out HDCP encrypted signal to the receiving device. When the receiving device is HDCP ready, a HDCP Key signal is sent back to the transmitting device. When this "milliseconds" handshake (communication) is completed and only when successfully verified by the transmitting device, the transmitting device will allow the picture to be shown.

So, whenever you change to any HD channel, the Assteruk decoder will always send out the HDCP signal to be replied by the TV or any receiving device. If the TV or any receiving device don't reply with the correct HDCP Key, then the Assteruk decoder will block the picture with a black screen and message. Already for many years, all HD TVs (including HT amps) do have HDCP inside so many don't even notice the HDCP working silently behind... except as many should have noticed... a short screen flicker or "delay" in picture appearing.

Even a bluray player also sends out HDCP encrypted signal when a bluray disc is played so, if the TV don't have HDCP, then the player will also block the picture too.

All manufacturers who produces devices that support HD and 4K must add in HDCP by paying licence to Intel. Hehe... Intel don't licence HDCP to any HD/4K device which can record such as the Hauppauge  HD Personal Video Recorder 2. When you connect the Assteruk decoder to this "recorder" to illegally record from Assteruk, then only got black screen because the recorder don't have HDCP.

My 4K HD 3D LED TV have 4 HDMI Inputs... but something rosak for its HDMI No.4 which don't send HDCP Key out so when I connect Assteruk or Bluray Player to my TV HDMI 4, then black screen. Refer to the picture I attached here. All the other 3 HDMI Inputs are okay... weird !

[attachmentid=9091021]

Hehe.. same thing when use a Bluray Player to play DVD in SD, the HDTV will not "flicker" at the start... and after that, play a bluray in HD, then the TV will have a very short delay or flicker at the start.

HDCP 2.0 supports up to HD. For 4K, HDCP 2.2 is required. To play a 4K bluray disc or receive 4K TV channel, the TV must support HDCP 2.2. A 4K TV with HDCP 2.0 only... can still play HD bluray disc but NOT 4K bluray disc. HDCP is about the hardware, nothing related to HDMI cable 1.3, 1.4 or 2.0 cable.

If anyone ask me whether such HDCP have been "cracked" by generating HDCP master key for valid devices... yes, but obviously its not right for me to discuss it further here. For DVD and bluray discs, there are other protections too.... AACS 2.0 (disc copy protection) and Cinavia (for HD audio). Hehe... in my opinion, HDCP is picture copy protection during playback. AFAIK, AACS 2.0 for 4K Bluray discs have not yet been cracked so the direct ripping from 4K bluray discs is not possible.

If anyone finds any info here to be wrong, please correct me. I am also learning, so no problem.

Lots of info can found through Google Search, here are just 2 references...
https://www.digitalconnection.com/faq/hdtv_12.asp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-bandwidt...tent_Protection

You trying to be cheeky, eh? Oh... so you say... "Ahhh I see... Now I know." You only know "now" pulak. IF there is anything wrong in my previous reply, then just explain it and if its proven correct, then I will accept it. Yes, you have never said that I was right or wrong. I never claim to be correct or right in everything so that's why I requested anyone to correct me if there was anything wrong in my previous reply. The way you explain about the splitter shows to me you already know a long time ago, not only now. Just read my previous reply carefully... its not about circumventing HDCP.

Ya, you said right, I do know. Even sonypshomer replied and posted a picture of a HDMI box which can "strip" the HDCP BUT... your previous reply and also mine were about explaining why Assteruk decoder got such slight delay (blank) whenever changing from SD to HD channels. Not about getting rid of HDCP.

When Sonypshomer posted a short sentence about the "Astro will be blank...", nobody here will know how much he already knows about the HDCP... AND... Yongtjunkit also posted that he don't understand why ASTRO decoder don't fixed to the HD resolution the user have set ... so you replied to them with your HDCP explanation.

Only after Sonypshomer replied to my comment with a picture of the HDMI box, then only I know that he already knows how to get rid of the HDCP !!

Explanation On The Delay From SD To HD Channels
My previous reply explains the reason why the decoder don't just send HDCP verification only once so the slight delay issue will always happen. When I show the Hauppauge HD Personal Video Recorder 2, its to explain why this Non-HDCP device blocks the video... I never meant to explain anything on how to "crack" or "bypass" or "strip" the HDCP, hehe.

And I also did say this in my previous reply.... "If anyone ask me whether such HDCP have been "cracked" by generating HDCP master key for valid devices... yes, but obviously its not right for me to discuss it further here."
... which shows that I do know about the HDCP "stripper" such as the splitters... but I didn't continue to explain further because my reply was mainly aimed at answering why the Assteruk decoder will always have some slight delay when changing from SD to HD channels so Intel will never allow Assteruk to change anything to the decoder. Oh, I don't know much, so you tell me what else you already know that I don't know so that I will learn more.

Yes, there are such "strippers" which bypasses HDCP using different methods... using HDMI splitters or connectors such as those shown by Sonypshomer and you BUT not all such devices support stripping HDCP. Another method is to change the HDMI signal to Component Video output which supports HD. My Sarowin 1-to-3 HDMI 4K HD switch support HDCP but never strip the HDCP so it don't work with any Non-HDCP HD Recorder... I don't use it now and keep it in storage.



Please correct me if I may be wrong... I believe that the two cheap HDMI boxes shown by you and Sonypshomer don't give good quality HD output after bluffing the source (Assteruk) with the HDCP Key and then stripping off the HDCP signal. I believe the more expensive HDFury 3 is still the best HDMI device to use which supports 4K, 3D, HD and also strips the HDCP too.

https://www.hdfury.com/product/integral-4k60-444-600mhz/

Hehe... I don't want to do all the time-consuming work of recording from Assteruk because I have other "download alternatives"... not proper for me to explain more about *ah-hem* here. For me only, also no point to use splitter just to stream video.

Actually I don't have the Hauppauge HD Personal Video Recorder 2 shown in my previous reply. That device belongs to one of my online friends who do have this and told me about the "blank screen" issue so I had explained to him about the HDCP and also suggested him to either get HDFury or a HDMI splitter (must check which one that work to strip HDCP).

Finally... mmm... will the HDMI spltter mentioned by you work to prevent the slight delay whenever we change the Assteruk decoder from SD to HD Channel? I don't have any HDMI splitter that strips HDCP to try... so you do know more than me since you have the splitter. Actually I am not interested to know whether the splitter helps to stop the "slight delay" or not because I don't need it.