Nvidia G80 HDCP problems clarified

IT LOOKS LIKE there is a problem with HDCP on G80, or at least with NVIO. The problem is not so much a bug as something that the parts do not do that a $600 card probably should, dual link with HDCP on.

What this means is that if you turn on the HDCP DRM infection, that is, play a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD, you are limited to single link resolutions. With a G80, you probably want to show a movie on a high rez monitor, but the lack of dual link will limit you to 720P or so, not nearly enough for my tastes.

To be fair, the G7x and R5xx cards both have this limitation, and it will not be a problem for Nvidia if the R600 does not support dual link + HDCP. Unfortunately for NV, R600 does do dual link + HDCP.

What it comes down to is if you want to watch a next gen movie at a decent rez, wait for R600 or possibly a G80 with an NVIO2 chip. Better yet, just skip the DRM infection all together and avoid the next gen formats. µ

* CORRECTION We mean "over" 1920 by 1200 rez. Sorry.