Salt Lake City — Control4 unveiled its first 4K UHD matrix switchers that support HDCP 2.2 copy-protected 4K content over their HDMI 2.0 inputs and outputs.
“We believe these switches are the first video switches available for smart homes with HDCP 2.2 compliance,” said product marketing director Brad Hintze.
The Leaf-brand switches, available for order and shipping at the end of May, distributes 4K content, including copy-protected content, to every room in a house to receivers that plug into TVs and projectors.
Chairman/CEO Martin Plaehn said the company’s recent acquisition of Leaf, the Australia-based maker A/V distribution products, “helped us get to market faster” with HDCP 2.2, the standard set by content creators for copy protection.
The compliant products consist of 10×10, 8x, and two 6×6 models for various size projects up to 10 video sources to 10 4K TVs.
HDCP 2.2 “requires every device in the link between the video source and your display to be compliant in order for you to enjoy this content in your home,” Hintze explained. “Per the specification, you will get a black screen on your TV if you try to watch 4K content without HDCP 2.2 compliance in each device.” The standard won’t let HDCP 2.2-protected video content be downgraded to 1080p or even standard definition, he noted.
Hintze noted that HDCP 2.2 requires hardware manufacturers “to build support for this standard into the hardware to manage this encryption” and that, as a result, “you can’t simply download a software or firmware update for non-compliant systems.”
For the TVs receiving video content from a switcher, Control4 offers a compact receiver about the size of a deck of cards. It connects to a TV or projector via HDMI and can be concealed behind the TV or projector. The receiver is powered via a single cable and does not require a separate power supply, the company said.
Integrated audio matrix switch extracts stereo audio from the HDMI inputs and delivers audio to up to eight zones throughout the home.