Jordan O'BrienOnkyo has become the first AVR manufacturer in the world to test its products for compliance with the HDCP 2.2 encryption system used by Europe’s first live sport 4K TV service, BT Sport Ultra HD.
To test its HDCP 2.2 compliance, Onkyo sent its 2014 line-up of AVRs for testing. BT’s testing proved that the company’s AVRs equipped with HDCP 2.2 copy protection are fully compatible with the channel.
“Back in 2014 Onkyo’s Research & Development team predicted – correctly – that HDCP 2.2 copy protection was going to be an essential part of most future 4K TV offerings,” says Onkyo UK sales manager, David Mugford.
“They pulled out all the stops to become the first AVR brand to bring the system to market, including it on the majority of their models that year.
“Competitor brands, however, were caught out and so the majority elected to keep quiet about the fact their so-called ‘4K-compatible’ AVRs weren’t equipped to handle the copy protection system. Most took another year to widely include HDCP 2.2-equipped models in their line-ups.
“The upshot is that consumers who bought non-HDCP 2.2-equipped AVRs in 2014 will now have to replace them at considerable expense, just 18 months later, if they want compatibility with BT Sport Ultra HD and other upcoming copy-protected TV services. As BT has now confirmed, those who invested in Onkyo AVRs will have no such issues.”
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