Q: AppleTV and HDCP error

My issue happened to be with the HDMI cable..
I was using a GE HDMI cable. That gave the "HDCP content not supported" error.
I swapped that with this HDMI cable - Monster High Speed HDMI Cable
(http://www.target.com/p/monster-cable-high-speed-hdmi-cable-4-feet/-/A-14499803) .

You can get this exact cable at target.

Now Apple TV works perfectly.

Another unhappy user, tried everything suggested, hardware and software and lost hours in the process. I'll simply jump to the ultimate solution and follow those who have decided to return this imperfect product and look for a better offer in the market. Disappointing.

@Vfauvel ...  The cable link pasted in the msg above yours, did not help ?

Sorry didn't try this particular HDMI cable. The one I have worked for 2 weeks, then stopped working. I tried with another cable, and the same happened. Apple stuff is supposed to work, and reading all posts in this thread, the ATV isn't working well. Beautiful isn't all (though I'll miss the cute little black box of the ATV near my TV).

This HDPC thind is a pain in the butt and so I'm going to post in most forums my fix.

Came home from work my computer was at login and when I logged in playing up and had difficulty signing in and restarting.

Now hang on a minute cant be my mnonitiorFound out later my son had blown a sandwich maker up a cheap peice of ***** my wife had bought and blown the circuit breakers on the house power so similar to blackout. Not that this caused the HDPC problem but led to it I am assuming.

So did all the forums etc etc did the rounds trying to find a fix to this sudden  inability to play any movies TV shows or music through iTunes.

Now hang on a minute it cant be my Samsung monitor because Ive been wacthing these movies etc through it before ? Cant be the bluetooth speaker because alert sounds are coming through.

Can't be the TV because they've all worked before through ATV OK so found a piec on System Management Rest difficult with a Mac MIni and bluetooth keyboard and Trackpad but found the way to do that.

Didn't fix the problem but, I came across a piece in some small forum re iTunes being the culprit  and it made some sense to me as I could still play this content through Quicktime, yes it wouyld all play on Quicktime.

So Deleted backed up my iTune Library , not hard it's on an external drive just ejected that then proceeded to delete everything iTunes from my cmachine everythjing I could find prefs etc in every library all out.

Did a complete clean install of iTunes latest vers mounted the exeternal drive with my iTunes media folder on it told iTunes where it's media folder was and hey bingo everything plays again no probs.

So Thats how I stopped the dreaded HDPC problem for me.

1. Check the stuff plays on Quicktime on your monitor if it does this then it's a big bet iTunes is the culpret.

2. If you suspect iTunes and not the monitor/s then do a complete delete after backing up content and a clean instal of iTunes

3. Restart your computer all should be good

A calssic symptom if everything was working OK before and no HDPC probs occured points to software  as iTunes not your monitors or cables.

Been a happy AppleTV user for over a year (like daily user since I cut the cord 6 months ago). Today the HDCP issue got me. Replaced the Apple HDMI cable that I've been using with another HDMI (1.3) cable and still no go.

From this thread, seems like the most sucessful thing to do is bring the box into an Apple store. I'll try that tomorrow.

scratch that.. for me it was my TV (Samsung). Shortly after the HDMI input that my apple TV was using.. the others started to fail a few days later. For Samsung TV owners, your fix might be here, it worked (after a few tries) for me.

i recently switched from an HDTV (never saw the HDCP error) to an HDR projector. Nothing else changed: cables, power cords, nothing. when I got the error I found this page Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generation): About Apple TV and HDCP

the soultion in the article worked for me on the first try.

HDCP isn't really Apple's fault, it's bad technology being forced upon everyone by the entertainment industry. If you're running into HDCP issues, go to eBay or Amazon, look for a "ViewHD HDMI Splitter v1.3b" and buy one. Put it between your Apple device and whatever display you want to use. The splitter handles all the HDCP to your Apple device, reconstructs digital signals, and supports non-HDCP displays. Fixes a lot of issues, and also lets you mirror the picture to two displays if you want/need to.

I connected my 2nd Gen apple TV to a new AV receiver and to a HDTV a year ago. It worked for about six months, then it stopped and gave me HDCP error message. I changed the HDMI cable and it worked again for a few months. Yesterday I started to get the same old message and it only works if I connected the Apple TV directly to the TV, very frustrated. What a crab,  thinking of switching to Google Cromecast.

OK, I actually have the solution to this problem. Or at least I managed to solve the issue on my AppleTV, after trying restarting/changing cables etc etc.

The problem is that the AppleTV's hdmi port/contact/connector gets "worn out" or something like that, meaning that the hdmi cable cant get a good "grip" around the connector. The solution - pinch the hdmi cable connector a little, so that it fits tighter around the Apple TV connector. Now it works (at one time I got the error again, but a quick pinching solved it again).

At first, I tried solving the problem by reversing the cable or changing hdmi cables (which is a completely illogical solution), but sometimes it worked, for a while. My guess is that in this process, sometimes the cable made better contact with the connector in the Apple TV hdmi port.

I hope you understand what I mean, I'm not english so I've tried my best to explain.

I have tried 3 tv - 3 hdmi cables and a hdmi stripper.  My ATV 3 will not play Netflix or iTunes reporting HDCP error.  My ATV 2 has current firnware plays perfectly on all units.  The ATV 3 is broken.

I checked Apple Consumer right Warranty as it applies under Australian consumer laws and rang Apple  support .  I was answered in US - got transferred to Apple TV section and the guys has the nerve to say he had "never heard of a HDCP error on Apple TV".  I told him I didn't believe and when he repeated I stated "mate you must have started work yesterday or else your a liar ... the internet has thousands of posts on this subject".  He siad one moment while transfer you then I was put hold and 10 minutes later I hung up.

I have wasted maybe 60 hours  looking for a solution ...and yes I have tried every form of restart combination.

I have 2 ATV, 2 iPads, 2 iPhones but hear this I will never - ever be buying apply product again

This just worked for me. Try it before you go buy a new tv.  Go to ITunes.  Change the resolution on playbacks to Standard Definition.  Now go back to the main menu and play a movie in Standard Def.  Then go back to ITunes.  Change the playback resolution back to 1080 ( or whatever else you want).  Go back to main menu.  Play your movies. 

I highly agree with this post. I myself was unaware until I double-checked my settings on my iTunes, and lo and behold--that in fact was the situation. This is a quick and painless fix, assuming the high-definition video preferences are in fact the problem. At the very least, it's a wonderful quick first-check to a frustrating problem.

It's funny, I just got back from vacation and was going to show off my Apple TV to a friend, when this error occurred! Total embarrassment and derp moment. Give this one a check first please--at the very least, it saves a lot of frustration, especially when you know your other devices already work on your current TV settings.

Source: I own a PS4, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360, Sony BluRay player, JVC TV supporting 1080p, all on High Speed Ethernet HDMI cables. I also use my TV for drawing, when I hook up my laptop to the TV.

Thank you for this helpful tip SO much!

Correct.... I got this error and first thing i did was replaced cable, and fixed...

Its not part of Apple only... its part of the cable and anything in-between (device, TV and any connections connecting the two must be HDCP complaint), if one of them isn't (like pass-though through a blue-ray or something to try and record the stream, it will fail.

If TV or cable is too old not may not support the content... Just because a cable is HDCP doesn't mean it will always play content... as the cable may not support the right spec..

if get the cable from Apple will always work.