DRM raises its ugly head about as PS4 Pro's HDMI copy protection bugs out thanks to new firmware
Image/Photo Credit: Sony
A firmware bug for the newly released PS4 Pro is causing copy protection related problems with selected 4K TVs.
Some users who upgraded to their PS4 Pro to version 4.05 have found that their PS4 Pro turns back on with nothing being displayed on their TV. Restarting the PS4 Pro doesn't seem to fix the issue, leaving users with a seemingly bricked console. The same users experienced no problems when using the previous version of the firmware.
With Sony yet to offer any advice, or an expected fix date for the bug, frustrated users were left to their own devices to first figure out what the problem was, and then to find a workaround. Users eventually figured out that the problem lies with the PS4 Pro's use of HDMI 2.0, specifically, the HDCP 2.2 copy protection present in the new HDMI version.
Older PS4s use HDMI version 1.4, but the PS4 Pro has upgraded the connection to a newer version so it can fully support 4K output. HDMI 1.4 does support 4K output, but the output is limited to 30Hz.
Luckily, enterprising PS4 owners on Reddit and elsewhere on the Internet have found managed to find a temporary solution, which involves forcing the PS4 to output in HDMI 1.4 mode, or to turn of HDCP entirely.
Unfortunately, the fix procedure doesn't work in all situations, and there are some caveats with the workaround. Forcing HDMI 1.4 output will disable 4K output for video services like Netflix and Amazon, while disabling HDCP will prevent these apps from working altogether.
It's worth noting that only a small number of TVs are affected, so most users will have nothing to worry about.
With the most likely culprit being a problem with Sony's firmware, it's expected that Sony will release a fix for the bug soon - version 4.06 is already available, but it failed to address this bug.
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