AMD's PlayReady 3.0 In Polaris, Vega GPUs, APUs to Enable 4K HDR Streaming on PC

[Raevenlord]

In the wake of increased requirements when it comes to digital copy protection mechanisms in consumable media (be it in the streaming or disc-type), AMD is looking to allow users of its products to keep up with the increasing demands of content distributors. Besides hardware encode/decode capabilities, hardware DRM support such as HDCP 2.2 or Microsoft's PlayReady 3.0 has become a necessity for high-quality content viewing, and is required for Netflix 4K and HDR streaming on PCs.

AMD themselves have said that they plan on enabling these features for their products via a driver release, thus turning the most recent Ryzen + Vega APUs into even more desirable HTPC-environment solutions. In the Ryzen Desktop APU Reviewers' Guide, the company specifically said, "Please note that HDCP 1.4/2.2 are supported for the purposes of streaming 4K+HDR content. AMD intends to have a production PlayReady 3-capable graphics driver in early Q2". The company thus joins Intel and NVIDIA in developing solutions that allow users to take advantage of 4K and HDR content on their PC solution via, for example, Netflix. The steps are still very convoluted, though; just look at the Netflix requirements for your PC after the break. It's mind-boggling.





Netflix 4K, HDR Streaming Requirements for PC

• Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (for HDR or using discrete graphics)
• Windows 10 HEVC Media Extension, or equivalent (if missing due to Fall Creators Update)
• Latest unspecified Windows Updates
• Microsoft Edge or Windows 10 Netflix application
• Netflix plan that supports 4K and HDR streaming
• High or Automatic Streaming Quality in Netflix Account Playback Settings
• Minimum internet connection speed of 25 Mbps
• 4K display with HDCP 2.2 capability
• HDCP 2.2 certified cable with 4K capable digital interface
• HDCP 2.2 capable and 4K capable digital interface port on motherboard video-out or discrete GPU
• Supported discrete or integrated GPU (PlayReady 3.0, HDCP 2.2 output)
• Appropriate graphics driver

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[dir_d]

Are there any HDCP 2.2 Monitors? Or will we have to connect to a TV?

 

[Captain_Tom]

When will the big content studios out there realize that people want to buy their stuff legally, but that they are making it easier to pirate than to buy legit!

I think most people wouldn't bat an eye to pay real money for 4K movies as long as they are priced reasonably, and work on all of their devices without specific hardware/software configurations. But if it's easier to simply download a 4K file for free, that's what people will do...

 

[Reeves81x]

wow, insanity.. I'll just keep using my smart tv's netflix app. 4k hdr 60" and no Windows 10 nonsense or rediculous hardware/software requirements...

 

[timta2]

When will the big content studios out there realize that people want to buy their stuff legally, but that they are making it easier to pirate than to buy legit!

I think most people wouldn't bat an eye to pay real money for 4K movies as long as they are priced reasonably, and work on all of their devices without specific hardware/software configurations. But if it's easier to simply download a 4K file for free, that's what people will do...

Who wants to pay for the garbage, that modern Hollywood is putting out? Most of it I wouldn't waste my time watching for free, by pirating it.

 

[Deleted member 67555]

When will the big content studios out there realize that people want to buy their stuff legally, but that they are making it easier to pirate than to buy legit!

I think most people wouldn't bat an eye to pay real money for 4K movies as long as they are priced reasonably, and work on all of their devices without specific hardware/software configurations. But if it's easier to simply download a 4K file for free, that's what people will do...

It costs $30 for a device that is 4k capable to a 4k capable display...money isn't the issue...people steal because they are thieves.
This on the other hand is just icing on the cake for the people that buy and use APU's (and GFX) that also have a 4k display...that's all
nobody is trying to rip anyone off...it's just a perk

 

[Imsochobo]

It costs $30 for a device that is 4k capable to a 4k capable display...money isn't the issue...people steal because they are thieves.
This on the other hand is just icing on the cake for the people that buy and use APU's (and GFX) that also have a 4k display...that's all
nobody is trying to rip anyone off...it's just a perk

1.\ Stuff that came out 10 years ago, it's not available on my country specific streaming services, Amazon, G. Movies, Apple, Netflix, HBO... No damn service.
When I finally find a place selling the blueray (yes I've tried once) I got told we cannot sell to your country, so I made a forwarding box and then they cancelled my order cause they checked out owner of po.box and...
Torrent site for the win.
2.\ I bought several games( steam library alone has 300+)... One in particular would not work in multiplayer, singleplayer, it's DRM crap was so absolutely intrusively trying to protect it's content that game was rendered useless, Downloaded the game cracked and it worked in multiplayer and singleplayer.
I returned the game and got refund, playd the game which was good but I was furious which is the one time I've pirated something I could buy.. had bought, but returned.
Other games I buy, DRM does something stupid, installs crack and contact support telling them to stop doing stupid things and play on whilst not returning is what I've done for the rest of DRM crap games.


For those in America: Netflix in my country doesn't have the same as USA, offering is often reduced in other countries due to some hilarious license stuff, VPN is also not allowed.
This is leftovers from when there was a lot more people involved in distributing stuff and they don't want to be made obsolete by Internet, but this is a new age where the movie shop around the corner doesn't exist, their supplier doesn't exist etc.
Somewhere in that chain there are offices that dealt with licenses that doesn't want to give up, when encountered piracy occur and Spotify proved content distribution solves piracy as it dropped music piracy by 70% in a year!

 

[evernessince]

It costs $30 for a device that is 4k capable to a 4k capable display...money isn't the issue...people steal because they are thieves.
This on the other hand is just icing on the cake for the people that buy and use APU's (and GFX) that also have a 4k display...that's all
nobody is trying to rip anyone off...it's just a perk

Oh praise be our corporate overlords that they allow us to view 4K, even though tablets and smartphones can do it but for some reason it's now a "perk" on our fucking high end PCs.

 

[Deleted member 67555]

Oh praise be our corporate overlords that they allow us to view 4K, even though tablets and smartphones can do it but for some reason it's now a "perk" on our fucking high end PCs.

Yup..pretty much sums it up.
Progress costs money...You pay, I pay, They pay.

 

[john_]

It costs $30 for a device that is 4k capable to a 4k capable display...money isn't the issue...people steal because they are thieves.
This on the other hand is just icing on the cake for the people that buy and use APU's (and GFX) that also have a 4k display...that's all
nobody is trying to rip anyone off...it's just a perk

$30 here, $30 there, $30 all over the place. For you is probably nothing, for companies sometimes is a necessity, some other times is just a way to make extra profits. For most people is not always a justified expense.

As for thieves, yeah, I guess people are thieves when they pay to watch movies that where promising a great experience in their trailers and where in fact completely trash. People are also thieves because it is justified to pay a top actor $20 millions just to play in the film and then pass the expense to the viewer. You have the option to return a product that it is not as good as described, but you don't have the option to get your money back for watching, for example, the latest Transformer movie? Why?

People will buy good stuff, but wouldn't buy everything. And because today they are educated to NOT believe all the trailers and promises and reviews and scores they see, many will just watch the pirated copy first, decide if they will buy later. They are not thieves. They just decided to stop been stupid and a constant easy victim of marketing.

 

[Deleted member 67555]

Well isn't it nice they include 4K ability for all newer pc hardware...since if you were going to buy this for other reasons...its nice to be able to do legal 4k too...right???
If you buy this you can look forward to being legal....LOL at no extra cost...except Netflix...you know its cost

 

[Tardian]

Agree with most comments above (except the thieves ones). On top of all the other 4k nonsense is the fact that most movie material is not true 4k but 2k upsampled. CGI is almost always done in 2k resolution and the actual material shot in 4k or better is downsampled to 2k so the action/cgi scenes don't look different. Also to see 4k properly requires large screens and/or close viewing distances. Cheap real 4K projectors are only now becoming available. Some movie theatres still show feature movies in 2K. Proper implementation of HDR is probably more important than additional resolution. OLEDs have long way to go before 4,000 nits becomes the norm. Tone mapping is key in the interim. It won't be long before gaming provides affordably a better visual experience than movies. Game of Thrones and other high end TV productions are also giving Hollywood a reason to step up. I applaud AMD's efforts but hope it will also work with UDH blu-ray optical drives. For high end quality bit rate is pretty much everything.