Dune HD Base 3.0 and Prime 3.0 on Sigma 8642 in Q4 2009 - Page 2

... lack of Macrovision and CSS. Macrovision is used to output video to component too. So on 8643 you will not be fully able to use component output or PCH will have big legal problems with Macrovision company (if they hack the component output somehow)

it's again up to you what to think, but just as a matter of fact, a distributor in my country very clearly told me that because of the legal issues he can't sell C-200 in any off-line shops as BD/DVD players (otherwise his company will have legal problems, he already checked it).
and he doesn't care how PCH avoided those license limitations... there is a clear difference between the 8642 and 8643 chips concerning the licenses and the Macrovision guys are perfectly aware of that (because this difference between the chips is indeed created by their demand, so that they can very easily understand what's legal and what's not)...
Though it seems for selling through Internet should not be a big issue, while it's still possible to cross the border (customs) with such products somehow...

So in the end you are all correct, it looks mostly much more a potential problem of selling people than of end-users. If you managed to buy it and receive somehow, you shouldn't care anymore on any such chip differencres.

I'd like to remind you that we are discussing here the press release at the HDI site. And it seems that this very info on the 8643 chip is mostly meant for resellers, not for end-users.
So maybe for us this discussion is more theoretical than practical. If you got your unit from your reseller, it's not your problem...

But frankly, I still don't understand a couple of things here:

1. many people use high quality video processors for SD-to-HD upscaling and they definitely preffer to make scaling not by Sigma but by their expensive staff instead. If they use an analog way, how do they get a non-upscaled SD signal for any protected material (DVD/Blu-ray)?

2. Also, I perfectly know that there is some trick on copy-protection for analog video. I personally have two devices (one HD STB for satellite and another one for old DVHS staff) where copy-protected (of course, with Macrovision) video can be output only in SD, but HD doesn't work (no problem with HDMI in all resolution at the same time).
So obviously there is some regulation also on HD output for a protected data via analog w/o protection.
My question: even if C-200 can remove Macrovision and put analog video in HD resolutions through the component output, doesn't it break any laws/licenses?
If so, even if they do it in the first f/w version, will they be forced to remove this possibility by authorities in the next f/w versions?

For example I use component connection to my projector, not HDMI (have problems with HDMI matrix all the time, tired to change it). So if buying C-200 and connecting this way, shouldn't I care that the future versions of f/w in this player will not allow me to watch any original DVDs and Blu-rays at all?
(indeed, how can you be sure?)

--

And concerning the dealers, obviously the "off-line" ones are much more exposed for checking by any kind of authorities. It's much easier to catch them if they do something wrong. For "online" (i.e. Internet shops) ones it's usually very hard to find them and check.
Why do you think it's almost impossible to find any streamers like PCH in any "real" shops, but one can buy such things only via Internet?
I checked it in Germany in MediaMarkt, for example (they sell _only_ WD, no other streamers at all). They told it's because of the license problems...

I didn't mean just PCH or Dune. Nearly nothing like these is sold [yet] in such places like MediaMarkt because of some reasons...

you are right. in principle, this is more complicated staff. But with DHCP, SMB/UPnP browsing and very easy GUI quite many people can use it. I'm sure...

can't say that much about C-200 from this point of view (especially on the GUI, I never like it there), but Dune ones definitely look Ok with the latest f/w of August... (I use 1.0 of course, but it's announced that the same f/w features are available in all the versions: 1.0/2.0/3.0)

I mean that 8643 chip doesn't work with Macrovision. So for any copy-protected staff (like DVD or Blu-ray) this chip can't output analog video:
1. w/o protection as it is illegal to remove it (for any signal, upscaled or not)
2. or with protection as this protection is Macrovision and Macrovision is not supported by the chip 8643 (again, for any signal, upscaled or not)

so I don't understand how legally it's possible to have _any_ kind of output from composite or component for legal DVDs or Blu-rays...

And if anything is done illegally, than it's just a matter of time when Macrovision will make problems to any such manufacturer like PCH. And then they will need to remove any analog video output at all for DVDs and Blu-ray in all the future versions of the firmware...

If see any problem with this logic, just tell me where exactly...

what would be the point to protect only composite video if the component one is unprotected in any way?