-
Get an exclusive sneak peek into our new project. >>> Click Here
11HT with DVI/Firewire
I was planning to buy a Sony 11HT projector soon, but I'm becoming increasingly nervous about the plans to restrict resolution on analogue HDTV connections. I live in the UK, so the only way I'm going to get HDTV in the next few years is via a D-Theater or HD-DVD player and software imported from the US. I'd be really fed up if I spend GBP4,000 on a projector which turns out to be incompatible with the new HDTV playback devices.
Common sense suggests that some sort of fudge will be worked out whereby HDTV playback devices are allowed to output at full resolution via analogue outputs for up to, say, 10 years. I would imagine the studios' major concern with copy protection is people sharing movies on sites like Napster, but it's going to be a very long time before the internet becomes fast enough for that to be a real threat. However common sense is sometimes in short supply...
So, I have a few questions:
Am I right in thinking that if a projector has DVI and Firewire (IEEE 1394) inputs it will be compatible with any planned future digital outputs on HDTV playback devices?
Does anyone know when Sony plan to introduce an 11HT (12HT?/20HT?) with DVI and Firewire inputs? (I'm very susceptable to rainbows so I don't want to get a DLP.)
Have the MPAA/ATSC (or whoever) actually worked out the protocols to be used for these digital connections in conjunction with HDTV playback devices?
If not, when these protocols are finalised, will it be possible to update the firmware of projectors made before then (but which already have DVI and Firewire inputs) so that they can be made compatible with future HDTV playback devices?
Is there any plan to introduce regional coding of projectors for digital input signals? I mean, say I get a Region 1 D-Theater VCR from the US (I doubt they'll make Region 2 D-Theater VCRs or pre-recorded tapes) and I play an HDTV movie via DVI to my projector (if it was region coded and bought in the UK, it would be Region 2) the projector would presumably refuse to play the tape.
My understanding is that with the D-Theater system, the VCR can restrict the resolution available via the analogue output - presumably this depends on codes recorded on the tape. In other words the analogue resolution available can be controlled by the manufacturer of the pre-recorded tape. Anyway, how easy is it likely to be [for some enterprising company] to hack the D-Theater player to prevent the analogue resolution being restricted? (This will not be illegal in the UK
- e.g. most DVD players here are region hacked).
Thanks in advance to anyone who knows any of the answers to these questions.
Common sense suggests that some sort of fudge will be worked out whereby HDTV playback devices are allowed to output at full resolution via analogue outputs for up to, say, 10 years. I would imagine the studios' major concern with copy protection is people sharing movies on sites like Napster, but it's going to be a very long time before the internet becomes fast enough for that to be a real threat. However common sense is sometimes in short supply...
So, I have a few questions:
Am I right in thinking that if a projector has DVI and Firewire (IEEE 1394) inputs it will be compatible with any planned future digital outputs on HDTV playback devices?
Does anyone know when Sony plan to introduce an 11HT (12HT?/20HT?) with DVI and Firewire inputs? (I'm very susceptable to rainbows so I don't want to get a DLP.)
Have the MPAA/ATSC (or whoever) actually worked out the protocols to be used for these digital connections in conjunction with HDTV playback devices?
If not, when these protocols are finalised, will it be possible to update the firmware of projectors made before then (but which already have DVI and Firewire inputs) so that they can be made compatible with future HDTV playback devices?
Is there any plan to introduce regional coding of projectors for digital input signals? I mean, say I get a Region 1 D-Theater VCR from the US (I doubt they'll make Region 2 D-Theater VCRs or pre-recorded tapes) and I play an HDTV movie via DVI to my projector (if it was region coded and bought in the UK, it would be Region 2) the projector would presumably refuse to play the tape.
My understanding is that with the D-Theater system, the VCR can restrict the resolution available via the analogue output - presumably this depends on codes recorded on the tape. In other words the analogue resolution available can be controlled by the manufacturer of the pre-recorded tape. Anyway, how easy is it likely to be [for some enterprising company] to hack the D-Theater player to prevent the analogue resolution being restricted? (This will not be illegal in the UK
- e.g. most DVD players here are region hacked).Thanks in advance to anyone who knows any of the answers to these questions.
