# Denon and Marantz Offer HDCP 2.2 Upgrades to Flagship Models (AV8802, AVR-X7200W)



## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

Copy Protection has existed as far back as the VHS era, existing as an invisible guard of licensed material. The digital media protection protocol we’ve dealt with for the last decade is called High-Bandwidth Digital Copy Protection (HDCP); Blu-ray players and HDTV set-top boxes all carry it. In the simplest of terms, it allows a source device to confirm that a display is HDCP compliant before allowing playback of content, thus making sure that you’re not outputting content to some kind of recording device.










_Denon says a free HDCP 2.2 hardware upgrade will be available to AVR-7200W owners in May._​
If you’ve been paying attention to recent 4K rollout news, you’ve undoubtedly seen references to HDCP 2.2 which is the newest version of HDCP and the copy protection tech that will be paired with 4K UHD in the future. Early 4K adopters (namely those that bought 4K UHD televisions during 2013 and other associated gear during 2014) might just find themselves in a bit of a pinch because hardly any early model 4K gear supports HDCP 2.2. Worse yet, there is no firmware upgrade to solve this problem. It’s either in the hardware or you’re out of luck.

To date, only a handful of AV Receivers offer HDCP 2.2 – several Onkyo models immediately come to mind. If you’re not currently interested in upgrading to the 4K world (and don’t think you will upgrade in the coming years), none of this affects you. You can happily buy-away without paying attention to which HDCP version is supported. But, if you are looking toward a 4K future, start reading the fine print now.

Several months ago Denon and Marantz said they would offer free hardware upgrades to enable HDCP 2.2 on two flagship products: the Marantz AV8802 preamp and Denon AVR-7200W receiver. Recently, both brands confirmed the availability of these hardware upgrades in addition revealing future plans to offer a DTS:X firmware upgrades later this year. Both upgrades will be available free of charge.

The Marantz HDCP 2.2 upgrade is expected to be available sometime in June (owners should check their website for an FAQ on June 1), while the Denon upgrade is slated for May (check Denon’s website on May 1). Owners of either model will need to take their unit to a service location to receive the upgrade – a minor inconvenience for what will hopefully prove to be years of future-proof performance. 

Both brands say they will begin shipping factory-upgraded versions of these audio products (due to be re-designated as the AV8802A and AVR-X7200WA) to retailers during the HDCP 2.2 upgrade release months designated above. These new models will keep the same MSRPs as the old ones ($3,999 and $2,999, respectively). 

In addition to this news, both brands are currently offering an Auro-3D (immersive sound codec) software upgrade via their websites. This upgrade costs approximately $199.



_Image Credit: Denon_


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## fschris (Oct 31, 2009)

I have a feeling OEMs are going to be taking some huge write offs in the near future. They are pouring money into 4k and new sound CODECS at a blistering pace. I am just guessing but I would imagine 90% of people going into Best BUY or PC RICHARD are buying the cheapest stuff on the shelf. Most people already have a LED LCD that they will keep for the next 7-10 years...... I want these people to survive because they make great stuff and I am in the 10% pool because AV is a fun hobby for someone into gadgets, tech and science. Maybe the margins are so crazy that cash flow isn't an issue..... I just know if my parents come to me and ask about buying a new LED TV I will mention 4K and their eyes will glaze over....


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

Overall margins in the home video/audio business are very slim.
When Pioneer home audio was acquired by investment brokerage and Onkyo and the financials were were discussed in the press the ROI was terrible. 
Mergers/buyouts/exits/tech becoming commodity will certainly continue.
I was an early adopter of HDTV.
Virtually no content available until the OTA got rolling and then the programming had to catch up.
When I first started looking into moving to HDMI connected devices HDMI was essentially broken.
Waited two more years before taking the plunge and buying decisions were based almost entirely on how 'compatible' the HDMI/HDCP was with media and other equipment.
As far as 4k and a new HDCP goes from what I have read many (maybe all) of the initial display offering are not really 4k compliant to begin with.
Considering the poor quality (compared to BD and even DVD) of OTA broadcast/FIOS/Netflix and the continued success of the DVD format at retail 4k is not something the public is demanding.
If there's problems with the HDCP its possible 4k could go the way of 3D.


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

Disappointing and possibly crippling to the rollout of 4k is the need for hardware upgrade rather than firmware for HDCP 2.2. Even for those of us that would jump right in (me), the idea of having to upgrade equipment (Receiver) that works just fine for a HDCP compatibility matter is an automatic no thank you, not for a long time. This could be the big killer on the true 4k move forward, certainly wont help the movement of 4k Blu-ray. While I have waited for an affordable true 4K projector and the future release of 4k Blu-ray players the buck stops there! Sinking another $3000 plus into a receiver for a new version of copy protection is ridiculous. addle:


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

Hang in there guys...this "rollout" is still in its infancy. We've hurdled HDMI 2.0 (for the most part) and HDCP 2.2 will begin appearing on most new gear over the next year. But quite a few loose ends still are dangling. Standards for other features haven't been completely ironed-out.

This could take a while.


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## Jon Liu (May 21, 2007)

That is downright frustrating. Even if they offer a "free" upgrade to those two flagships, it is a HUGE inconvenience. I remember having to upgrade one of my receivers and it took several WEEKS to do so, 4-5 if I remember correctly. So I was without the heart of my system for that long.

One of the reasons I never took my Denon Pre/Pro in to get a bigger upgraded is just because I couldn't imagine living without it in my system for that long.

I'm glad I'm not in any hurry to upgrade my electronics, because if I did, this would just frustrate me even more.


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

The implementation of this kind of upgrade will be interesting to follow...you're entirely right. It's far from ideal.


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## mr1960 (Apr 20, 2015)

We have to let people know that they are closing even more doors. Even corporations must have a sense of the public good. This proves that they don't. I hate it....


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## lagroovepro (Apr 25, 2015)

:yikes:


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## macromicroman (May 17, 2014)

Do you really think TV stations will ever broadcast in 4K. It took some small stations years to get 1080p and a lot of programming is still SD.


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

macromicroman said:


> Do you really think TV stations will ever broadcast in 4K. It took some small stations years to get 1080p and a lot of programming is still SD.


Valid point. This is probably more applicable to streamed "4K Content" from services or On-Demand, in the short-term. Obviously won't be full 4K, but they'll call it 4K.


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