HDCP blacking out streaming video services on dual desktop displays

VanDutchman wrote:

I have a MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020)

That computer only supports a single external monitor.

I take it that you're been using "workaround" products. One characteristic of many of these workarounds is that they don't support DRM (a.k.a. intentional incompatibility). So they don't mix well with streaming movie and TV services that are infested with the stuff.

IF I could use both of my thunderports, one for each display, I don't think this would be a problem. But I can't.

You can use either USB-C (Thunderbolt) port to attach your one display, but you cannot have more than one. To attach more than one, you would need to have purchased a MacBook Pro that supported more than one – a MBP with a Pro or Max chip.

I even purchased an extra 4K Apple TV (64g wifi only) to use as an AirPlay second display - no dice. No streaming video, and honestly the picture quality degraded quit a bit.

Streaming from a Mac to an Apple TV box is not the same thing as sending first-class hardware-accelerated video over a short cable to a real monitor. I'm not surprised that picture quality would suffer.

Note that you can access some streaming video services from the Apple TV 4K set-top box. Instead of having the Mac access the services, and then treat the Apple TV as a second-class display, you have the set-top box access the services directly.

I'm considering buying a mac mini today to see if it will work. I'm an Apple guy for sure, I have over 20 apple products for my family alone, but this is a turn off. If Apple supported MST (Multi-Stream Transport) this would probably work as well, but they don't.

MST support is irrelevant here. It would only apply to Macs that supported two or more external monitors. Yours isn't one.

Note: I've tried this on two different MacBook Pro (same model as mentioned above).

Same model, same Technical Specifications.

So this is absolutely an issue with Apple, and it’s far more widespread than anyone realizes, I think. The configuration is tanking conferences all over NYC because no one can share their media. Most of it proprietary. Which begs the question, at what point is Apple in violation of HDMI license compliance since they refuse to allow transmission of media for private use by people who paid for their cables and the license to use them, along with the subscription service content. The funny thing is, pirated content doesn’t have HDCP data in it, and passes over hdmi from Mac with NO issues. But they stop me from watching through the service I subscribe to. They put in a door that only lets pirated content through 🤦‍♂️

Yeah, that’s what HDCP is. It’s encoded into the data sent by the streaming service, and anything like a laptop with an HDMI port built into it has integrated support for HDCP compliance. If your machine is configured like you’re broadcasting to an audience, HDCP won’t pass signal. Apples is just insane because everything is meant to be wirelessly shared.

I just looked at the specs for a popular j5create dock.

it does NOT appear to be HDCP complaint.

For HDCP to allow use of protected content, each and every device in the chain has to promise that it is HDCP complaint. if the Dock cannot promise, the CHAIN is not compliant, and you get no picture.

Your wounds appear to be self-inflicted.

If Apples aren't designed to do what you want to do, there's nothing you can do but use Windows until Apple "catches up".

Apple feedback: Product Feedback - Apple

If you put an HDMI splitter or a TX/RX IP system between your inputs and outputs, typically you can disable HDCP support in those and macs stream just fine.

Also, usually using the streaming provider's app will give you the best chance of having things work in HD. If you are streaming content through a web browser, then usually that HD streaming content will be very much restricted much more so than through the dedicated app.

VanDutchman wrote:

Which begs the question, at what point is Apple in violation of HDMI license compliance since they refuse to allow transmission of media for private use by people who paid for their cables and the license to use them, along with the subscription service content.

…

VanDutchman wrote:

-Single desktop display, not problem. HDMI/DP work great.

So you're saying that the Digital Restrictions Management works fine when you are using the video outputs that the computer's Technical Specifications say that it supports?

And it's only when you use "workarounds" to add more displays than the computer supports that you run into DRM problems?

P.S. - It's a bit funny that you talk about "HDMI license compliance" when your particular MacBook Pro has no HDMI port. I know that HDCP DRM got shoved into DisplayPort and USB-C (DIsplayPort) as well, but I would assume that the HDMI groups have no role in determining DisplayPort or USB-C (DisplayPort) license compliance.

So I’m using two j5 create docks. One for each monitor, and can use the DP on one to run ABB or, I can screen share as an extended display to my large screen and run ABC. I also downloaded an MCT driver and USB Display Tool, and set up my DNS. Point is, after all of that, I can’t stream anything with HDCP in its encoding. I have to put something between my connections that has no native HDCP support to stream from a service. I’m just saying monitor setup can be done. You’re not going to get a Mac to stream protected content out to two monitors though.

Consider the possibility that this might be a Streaming Service restriction.

Streaming services are VERY opinionated about exactly what setups they will support.

Some readers have reported that Netflix, for example, will not stream to a Mac AT ALL. (I have no experience with this, so cannot confirm or deny the veracity of that statement.)

Late to the party, did anyone find a solution to this?

I just discovered the problem today.

Just purchased from eBay a used Apple 27 inch Thunderbolt Display and connected it to my Apple 2020 5K 27 Inch iMac. While I was playing a video on my main monitor, I dragged the video window to the external Thunderbolt Display and the video stopped. Now every time I try and play any video, the window which was moved to the external 27 inch Thunderbolt display crashes. The only way I found to move the windows back to my main display is to disconnect the external monitor.

For the past few hours I am trying to find a solution to this HDCP error. Not sure why Apple has blocked videos purchased from iTunes from playing on a display they manufactured or if there is a way to get around the issue. I

hate to think I just wasted $600 dollars on a external Apple 27 Inch Thunderbolt Display.

thoughts?

The Apple Thunderbolt display 27in was released in 2011, based on designs that predated that. I doubt to is compliant with modern versions of HDCP.

in 2015 a whole lot of internet encryption stuff including secure socket layer SSL was found by researchers to be inadequate, and was phased out.

I'm guessing that there is a preference file somewhere in your user-level Library folder that is storing the decision to use the 27" Thunderbolt Display instead of your built-in screen.

If you could identify this file, you could go in using the command line or the Finder and rename/delete the file – in the hopes that the Mac would reset to defaults and the problem would go away,

In recent versions of macOS, the Finder likes to hide this directory, so you would hold down the Option key, while selecting the Finder's Go menu, to get the menu to display a normally-hidden Library item. Selecting it would get you a window onto your hidden Library directory, and preferences would likely be in the Preferences folder inside.

Unfortunately, I don't know which preferences file you would want to rename or delete – and you don't want to go randomly renaming/deleting all of them in hopes of hitting the "needle in a haystack." Maybe some other posters would have some ideas on where the offending preference is stored.

Grant Bennet-Alder wrote:

just disconnect the external display and it should revert to the built-in.

Would that reset the defaults for the application, or would the problem reappear as soon as the 27" Thunderbolt Display was plugged back into the 27" 5K Retina iMac?

What macOS does when a display disappears is to move the windows from the non-working display to the nearest edge of a working display. This is done so that no windows will be left inaccessible.

This is done on MacOS basis. The App may remember a window was open, but does not know or care where.