My DVD player won't work over HDMI. What happened?

Connecting a DVD player or other media device to your projector via an HDMI cable is the best connection solution in most cases. Unfortunately, a small number of older devices may experience connection issues over HDMI, because of a security feature called HDCP.

HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) is a piracy protection protocol embedded in the HDMI format.

If you’re experiencing this problem, chances are you’ve already done some troubleshooting and exhausted most of the options that make sense. One of the side effects of HDCP is that it causes some HDMI devices not to be compatible with one another. HDCP problems can manifest in three ways:

• A blank screen
• A screen that reads “HDCP Error” (or something similar)
• No audio through the HDMI port

Fortunately, there is a solution. By purchasing a device called an “HDCP Stripper” you can effectively remove the HDMI encoding from your device’s output and display video or sound correctly on your projector. These devices usually run for around $20 from Amazon. If you purchase one, you’ll also need an extra HDMI cable.

For more information on HDCP, here’s a link to an in-depth article on the subject: https://www.lifewire.com/hdcp-error-3276299