Requires HDCP...My Apple TV 2 is about to get used as a Hockey Puck

Do you have an HDMI cable that supports HDCP?

Some support it, some don't. Make sure yours does.

My Apple TV is brand new and I've been using it without a problem for just about a month. I unplugged the HDMI cable from my TV by mistake and plugged it back in without turning the Apple TV off first. I wasn't paying attention and forgot that the Apple TV was still on.

Ever since then, I have not been able to watch a thing. Even after several reboots. Every movie or TV show givers me that "...requires HDCP ....." error message. I turned off my TV and the Apple TV and connected a new HDMI cable. I then powered them both on. Everything is fine now.

I must have blown the HDMI cable. HDMI cables are not hot swappable.

There must be something wrong with your HDMI cable. If you have another one to try I would suggest that. The fact that it's worked twice means it's not really a compatibility issue, but something with the connection. Also try resetting the ATV if you haven't already.

I purchased the new Apple TV in September (loved the old one) and I had this problem from day one.

I downloaded the software update, I unplugged the TV, unplugged the AppleTV, unplugged the HDMI cable from the Apple TV and every variation of the above. None of it worked. I got on the forums.

After attempts to solve it with Apple support were unsuccessful I finally elected to just exchange it at an Apple store - which they did for me, with few questions asked. THE NEW ONE DID THE SAME THING!

At my wits' end, I tried all of the same things again. Finally I did the ONE thing I hadn't done yet -- I unplugged the HDMI cable from the TV itself and the Apple TV (instead of just from the Apple TV).

SUCCESS! I'm not FINALLY about to watch a rented movie.

Apple really needs to figure this out. The folks at the Genius bar at my local store hadn't even heard about this issue yet.

Your switch may not be HDCP compatible some of them are not.

I had exactly the same experience with my Toshiba 42" model 42HP84 except for your last step. It's a two man lift to get the TV off the wall which is required to access the HDMI port on the TV. Hence, ATV2 is worthless to me if I have to take this step every time I get the HDCP error. I returned my ATV2 and hope that many others will too in order to motivate Apple to allocate sufficient resources to fix this product.

So you don't have everything routed through your AVR, you have all individual cables going directly to the TV ?

I tried both direct from ATV to TV HDMI port, and through an HDMI switch with 2 different ATV units (they exchanged the first one for me- no questions asked) In all cases, I was unable to watch anything but the first 5 seconds of any HD content without getting the HDCP error.

PS- and as I mentioned in a previous post, with both units, I also tried the power cycle thing in both directions (ie. TV then ATV and also reversed that sequence) and with the first ATV unit, I also tried two different HDMI cables- one of them brand new top of the line from Best Buy. None of this worked.

@cliffvk -

please advise what criteria fits a HDCP compliant HDMI cable.

Zeneth

SUCCESS ....... for now ......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i have now got my atv2 unit to power back on - and we can play the rented SD movie which is playing now to a happy family.... 🙂

No HDCP error message appeared this time.


This what we did to fix our issues....

1) Pressed the HDMI cable more firmly into the HDMI port into TV - this allowed the ATV2 to actually show/reappear onto the tv panel.

2) Plugged both power leads for TV and ATV DIRECTLY into wall. (Previously, we had both AC leads plugged into a 4x multi power board and had this plugged into the wall.

We started the SD movie and no HDCP error appeared and movie is still playing as i type...

Now, to repeat this error/diagnostic, we then plugged the TV power lead back into the 4 x multi power board and plugged the board back into the wall. Immediately, the dreaded HDCP error re-appeared. We then replugged TV back into wall directly and no HDCP error message.

Hypothesis #1 :
Now, this 4 x multi power board also had our DVD player and stereo connected to it. Perhaps our DVD (potential recording device) was being detected and hence the HDCP barrier came up so that we were not able to record this movie.... just a hunch but sounds plausible.....

Hypothesis #2 :
Also, this 4 x multi power board was within immediate vacinity of the ATV2 unit. Possible interference.....

When the 'dust' settles and the family finishes watching the movies, (1 x HD , 1 x SD), i will plug the 4 x multi power board into another AC wall socket way out of the way of the ATV2 unit (around 4m) and try to repeat this error to validate my hypotheses - noted above.

I will report findings later in around 6 hours...

thanks for your help people...

ok -

both hd and sd movies work.

i replaced the 4 x multi power board with a new one and reatined the same location.

i am now confident to state that the cause of my HDCP woes is a faulty power board only.

i hope this helps others...

Zeneth.

Since I was always able to play SD- it was just HD that I never got to work- I think Zenith's issue, and it's resolution, is probably different than mine-

WOW!

I flipped my HDMI cord around (plugged the end that was in the ATV2 into the TV and visa versa), and still couldn't download. Unplugged everything from the powerbar except the TV and ATV2, and BAM, working perfectly. As a test, I then flipped the HDMI cable back around, and the error reappeared. Flipped the cord back around AGAIN, and everything started working.

Extremely strange, but glad to have everything working.

Hopefully Apple figures this glitch out.

Thanks Zeneth for the idea.