Removing HDCP... by modding a HDMI splitter (2018 edition)
 

I needed something to strip the HDCP of PS3.

A lot of internet people have mentioned using a splitter - this is an advice that goes way back, and even back then it wasn't very reliable because not all HDMI splitters will do this.

Like for example this guide here:

https://www.tweaking4all.com/home-th...p-hdmi-signal/

So I bought one to try my luck. Cheapest generic one which you will see the photo of later in this post. It didn't work.

A few months later, I revisited the issue, and while Googling I came across by chance the keyword that changed everything: "teardown"

Because you see, teardowns are usually done by people with some amount of knowledge. So I actually get to learn what is happening, and also avoid wasting time on guides that say "to bypass HDCP, turn off HDCP in your PS4 or source equipment". (genius.jpg)

Anyway, searching the teardowns reveals some critical info:

- It is said that older splitters tend to work and newer ones tend not to

- The older splitters use a 2-chip design, consisting of a HDMI receiver and a HDMI repeater / splitter.

Like these examples here:
Older unit #1: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/review...hdmi-splitter/
Older unit #2: http://goughlui.com/2015/04/27/teard...port-splitter/

- And products using this configuration tend not to have HDCP on the output because of the difficulty in configuring it to work

- Newer splitters use a 1-chip design, like these ones:
Newer unit #1: http://goughlui.com/2015/05/05/teard...port-splitter/
Newer unit #2: https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/new...plitter-amuoc/

The unit I have, the enclosure is same as the first one, but the PCB is closer to the second one.

https://i.imgur.com/ZFA5DuO.png

- A single-chip solution containing both the receiver and the splitter makes it easier to get HDCP working the way it should, and that is why the newer units including mine do have HDCP working properly.

So is this the end of the road? Not really.

- Newer unit #1 is reported to strip HDCP
- Newer unit #2... unknown

My unit is closer to newer unit #2 in layout and that both my unit and newer unit #2 have the additional 8-pin IC (labelled EEPROM in newer unit #2) while newer unit #1 does not have this IC. Yet newer unit #1 works. So the EEPROM is optional for basic functionality.

And... newer unit #1 has no EEPROM... and it strips HDCP, my unit has EEPROM... and it has HDCP...

Link the pieces together...

https://i.imgur.com/eX2aSBj.png

And the IC is removed from the board.

Tested it... and... yes, it works.

Oh wow... thk for all the effort sharing the interesting findings.

just 1 question: any idea what they use the eeprom for, found any missing functions after the mod?

Not intending to test complicated functions (3D, CEC, ARC) outside of its intended purpose nor do I have the equipment to do it

But I would say no, because it is also sold without the chip and still marketed as capable of all the things you expect it to be capable of. So I'm guessing the chip is there just for HDCP in the output, which is a requirement if people want to sell it in most parts of the world without getting heat from Intel. But they put it on the chip so they can also easily sell a version without HDCP, or make it easy for users to disable HDCP which we now know.

now you can record your ps3 gaming

you mean have non-HDCP HDMI signal going to a capture card to record?
that is extra costly hardware capture card, plus cpu-intensive.

dint saw much any other uses, anyone?

Bookmarked

SG got sell, no need to go Amazon buy.

I bought and used this to record PS3 footage via HDMI to my capture card back in July 2013.

Strips HDCP signal and even works on PS4 for 1080p 60 recording.


Just sharing. Since some might not have known even in 2018.

But based on recent reviews, the new model might no longer strip HDCP.
Some reviews in 2018 say yes, some say no. But worth a look at.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004F9LVXC/

While HDMI box may look about same on outside - chipset used in 2018 most likely different from those 2013 era ~ it wld be a game of gamble ~ unless we can pin-point which chips used wld strip HDCP.