HDCP Authorized display issue with Mac Mini

which model display do you have - the newer LED lit, mini displayport model or the older silver DVI model?

what version of itunes on the mini?

I'm getting the exact same error, all the new season HD TV shows are no longer playing on my Mac Pro, nothing about my hardware has changed except the video card had to be replaced but what the **** should that matter? I paid for it, it should work no matter what. What are they doing?

what video card are you running?

The problem is exactly what the error message says. The TV networks have set a flag which prevents HD shows from being displayed on a monitor which doesn't have HDCP circuitry. HDCP monitors would be either new models or TV sets connected by an HDMI cable. When you downloaded the TV show, you also got a standard definition copy for iPods which will play on a regular monitor. If you control-click on an episode and "Show in Finder" you'll see there are HD and SD copies. You can watch the SD show. You can watch HD content on a laptop's internal LCD, or watch the SD version on an external monitor.

TV networks are SO afraid somebody is going to watch HiDef without paying for it. HDCP video can't be recorded either.

The problem is exactly what the error message says. The TV networks have set a flag which prevents HD shows from being displayed on a monitor which doesn't have HDCP circuitry.

Except that there are interesting loop holes out there. The OP said this in the first post of this thread:

I tried the same movie playing off of my MacBook Pro connected to the same monitor and it worked fine.

So it is interesting that on some older Apple hardware, HD plays without complaint even though HDCP is not in use. But newer HDCP enabled Macs give an error message with the same non-HDCP compliant monitor that works just fine on older hardware.

Apple has never been very clear on this so us users are left to cobble together a picture of what works and what doesn't through all these anecdotal experiences.

It doesn't like the connector you are using or your display is not HDCP compliant.
I get this message all the time with my mini if I try to playback on my HDCP compliant Acer LCD x243w if I'm using my kvm switch. If I remove the kvm switch and plug directly to the mini-dvi connector the mini came with the problem goes away and hi-def stuff from itunes will playback fine.

So I have to buy a brand new friggin monitor just to watch TV shows from iTunes now?! ***?! This is total f'n B.S. and I'm a little enraged about this crap.

It's like, they want to enhance security by killing off all their customers. That's like trying to get better network security for your business by shutting off all ports. Guess Apple just lost about 70% of their iTunes TV show revenue. Hey, I've got a headache, maybe I should cut my head off! There, that'll fix it!

You act like Apple has a choice in the matter. Nothing that Apple sells on the iTunes Store belongs to Apple. They do not have control over the digital rights management of the media product, the owners do. Apple sells the product as they are licensed to sell it, or they are not allowed to sell it.

Since Apple is very vocally on record as not wanting to sell media products with copy protection, I think that we can be sure that they resisted as long as they possibly could, on the way they sell the media and on the way they build their products. When they build a Mac, they do not just throw on the ports they want and sell the product. They have to license use of the technology and then use it as the standard is written.

Dah•veed

Mr. Allen is correct, this isn't just an apple problem, it's an industry problem. once the HDCP flag is turned on, it's game over. That's one of the reason Vista had so many problems for people who "upgraded" to it, the OS forces the checks constantly & if it doesn't like your hardware, won't play back.

Exactly!
This is one of the reasons Apple has tried to put off putting Blu-ray on the macs.
One of the reasons Vista and Win7 is so slow and bloated is that they were forced into including DRM into the operating system itself according to what they say so that they could include hi-definition playback capability.
"Microsoft put all those functionality-crippling features into Vista because it wants to own the entertainment industry. This isn't how Microsoft spins it, of course. It maintains that it has no choice, that it's Hollywood that is demanding DRM in Windows in order to allow "premium content" -- meaning, new movies that are still earning revenue -- onto your computer. If Microsoft didn't play along, it'd be relegated to second-class status as Hollywood pulled its support for the platform.
"
full story here if you are interesed:
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/02/drmin_windows1.html

Really?!? For Real??? I just downloaded "Up" in HD and got this message trying to play it on my Apple 20-inch Cinema Display. Could I be playing in Apple's hemisphere any more than this? A PIXAR movie on entirely ALL Apple hardware? It blows me away...

i just switched from an Intel 15" MacBook Pro 2.33 to a new Unibody MacBook Pro 13" with FireWire. I now have this problem, but it appears to be an iTunes 9 Issue. If I play the lower res file in QuickTIme it plays fine on my 23" Cinema Display. But for some reason when I double click the file in the iTunes window it tries to play the HD version that won't play on my Cinema display (never would) but that one sync'd with my AppleTV and it plays fine there. It WILL play on the 13" built-in display.
There is an issue with a pointer somewhere that calls the wrong version of the video for the display you are using.
WORKAROUND: manually launch the appropriate file in QuickTIme player.

I just purchased a mac mini to replace my aging imac and was really surprised to find out about the HDCP (Copy Protection) built into the mac mini, It doesn't like my sweet 23 inch sony monitor (Sorry Apple, the monitor is a keeper your HD titles aren't). I dislike apple's lack of disclosure but after complaining to the apple store it looks like they are going to refund my money on my HD purchases. If they man-up on this I can't really complain but I do wish they had demonstrated more transparency on this issue. I guess I will just keep the extra cash I would have spent on HD content from the apple store and buy more non-hd titles. WOO HOO!!

P.S. do a site search for HDCP at apple.com for a laugh.

Update, iTunes Store just notified me that they are refunding my cash on the HD tv shows I've purchased. Apple is cool even if HDCP isn't.