ATV4 - HDCP Error message

could be a periodic defect hdmi port or cable

I would try a new HDMI cable...

then take your ATV 4 back and continue to use the ATV 3 until the 4 better meets your wants/needs. I have been quite pleased with the updates from 3 to 4 but can see why others may not feel the same. That's the best part of being a consumer - we choose when to upgrade rather than upgrading just because something is new. New doesn't necessarily mean better.

Then don't. It's a user forum, you have an issue and people offer suggestions. When I have problems, I like to try all alternatives no matter how mundane they may be. But you don't have to do anything. But I am not sure why your in a support forum if your not willing to even entertain the suggestions that people offer...

I understand your frustration. Problem solving can be tough and ruling things out prematurely is a common pitfall. Work through the following steps under the HDCP alert section to methodically rule out other issues:

Get help with audio, video, or power on Apple TV - Apple Support

If all including the last do not resolve the issue, I suggest you report the bug here:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/appletv.html

Have you tried on a different TV? Either at your house or a friend/family/neighbor? HDCP errors usually point to 3 pieces - TV, Cable, Source. The next step would be taking to Apple Store and have them test the device...

Hi,

I've got a different problem but the same answer, I think.

I've just purchased legitimate TV shows from iTunes and can't play them on my TV's, but fine on computers Mac and PC. All I get is a blue screen on TV's with a notice saying "your device is not HDCP compatible" or similar. This is on two TV's, 3 and 4 years old, which it appears are not HDCP (Highdefinition Digital Copy Protection) compatible.

The TV shows were on ABC (Australia) TV and previews are fine on their website, iView (absolutely nothing to do with Apple). Play fine on my TV's via Chromecast. Buy the full TV series purchased from iTunes are no go on the TV's because they are not HDCP compatible. At least it was only AUD18.00 I spent. Perhaps I should ask iTunes for a refund - not a hope in h**l, I think. Perhaps I should buy two new HDCP compatible TV's for how many hundreds of dollars? No way.

Apparently, what you can do is buy a particular HDMI splitter from Amazon (~USD20) and it makes your TV look like an HDCP TV. Problem solved, apparently. I've ordered one from Amazon but it will take a week or so to get here so can't directly confirm this. I don't think it's anything to do with HDMI cables.

So here I will be, breaking the law by disabling HDCP so I can view my legal, purchased TV shows. What a stuff up!

I can remember the Macrovision debacle. Macrovision was copy protection added to commercial VHS tapes so they couldn't be copied. Trouble was with older TV's, commercial VHS tapes caused line tearing on the picture. Again, can't play legitimate VHS commercial tape on old TV! Fix was soldering a new capacitor onto the PC board. Retailer even told me how to do it on my TV. So there we were, 30 years ago, same end result due to copy protection. Old stuff up! Later on, video stabilizers appeared and completely removed Macrovision.

Then there was CSS protection on DVD's disabled by a few lines of code.

So here we are again. Same old story. Legitimate content unviewable due to HDCP copy protection.

I'll update when I try the HDMI splitter.

Hope Apple is reading this.

Hi. Your TVs should handle HDCP. The following steps might help:

Disconnect and reconnect both ends of the HDMI cable.

Try a different HDMI cable. It should be "high speed" marked on the connectors or right on the wire.

Restart Apple TV.

HDCP has upset a lot of people, but there's not much we can do about it. Your converter may do the job for you. Good luck!