Denon Staff
A 4K television is a pretty big investment, notwithstanding the associated equipment needed to power and support your full gaming setup. Before you go out and overhaul your home theater system to take gaming to the next level, select components that are poised to handle new and upcoming technology, so you aren't forced to upgrade your equipment sooner rather than later. In particular, you need to account for HDCP 2.2 when purchasing a 4K AV receiver, HD media player and other home theater components.
What is HDCP 2.2?
High-bandwidth Digital Copy Protection — commonly known as HDCP — has a relatively long history in media, serving as a security mechanism to prevent users from illegally copying content. It works by encrypting transmissions between media sources, displays and any junctures in between, including 4K AV receivers and media players.
HDCP 2.2 is the latest iteration of this security mechanism, providing more secure connections within your home theater setup. Every piece of equipment in that chain, from the source to your 4K Ultra HDTV, needs to support HDCP 2.2 to display content that uses it.
How to prepare your home theater for the future
Although HDCP 2.2 content is still emerging, there's reason to believe that media companies will support it with greater frequency moving forward, since it is one of the most advanced security mechanisms available for protecting against piracy.
Upgrading your home theater system to account for HDCP 2.2 isn't as simple as downloading new software; HDCP 2.2 requires a hardware upgrade if your current equipment doesn't support it. To check, just take a look at your owner's manual or even the HDMI inputs and outputs themselves. They should indicate whether they support HDCP 2.2 or not.
As HDCP 2.2 grows in popularity and becomes the new status quo, be sure your 4K AV receiver is compatible with the security mechanism. You’re going to want the best visuals possible when playing the latest and most graphically advanced video games, like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Forza Horizon 4.
The last thing you want is to have your gaming environment become dated in a matter of years or even months. Prepping your home theater to account for HDCP 2.2 will ensure that you're able to enjoy the best gaming graphics possible for years to come. If you're looking for the most reliable 4K AV receivers available, take a look at the high-quality products Denon has to offer.