Releasing it's stranglehold on iTunes Fairplay DRM'ed content just a bit, Apple has issued a Quicktime 7.5.7 update, that allows standard definition videos to play on external displays without HDCP support. High definition content still toils under HDCP and DisplayPort content Protection (DPCP), leaving oldschool displays at least functional, but sadly low res. Any new MacBook / MacBook Pro owners out there making the non-HD supported Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA journey who can check in and let us know if it's working now? Grab the lastest version with your usual Software Update function or from the apple Support Download Website.

2009 isn't even here yet (at least on the right coast of Planet Earth), but Okoro's being exceptionally proactive by announcing that its '09 OMS-LX100 is already shipping. The system, which is a revamp of the original that popped out in 2006, is situated in the outfit's "low profile" range of HTPCs, and it brings to the table a 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo E2200 processor, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a front-panel display, optional 7-inch touchscreen, dual-layer DVD writer, up to 2TB of HDD space, NVIDIA's GeForce 9300 with 512MB of RAM, an ATI Digital CableCARD tuner, 7.1-channel audio output and an OTA HDTV tuner. Power users can certainly push the $1,725 base configuration well north of two large should they choose, but good luck explaining that to the SO.

[Via eHomeUpgrade]

Man, you just can't win these days. So Apple offers up an energy-efficient, forward-thinking Mini DisplayPort on its latest MacBook / MacBook Pro, and now users that are still rocking displays sans HDCP-compliant HDMI / DVI ports are up fecal's creek without a paddle. Apparently select content in the iTunes Store is laced in HDCP, which isn't all that unexpected in and of itself; the problem comes in when you realize that the new unibody machines don't offer a VGA / VGA-to-component output, meaning that you have to connect it to an HDCP-compliant display if you want to see anything. We know, one word in particular keeps coming to mind to describe this fiasco: awesome.

We've heard this question so many times that we've taken for granted the answer, but given the recent increase in competition in the cable market, we figured we'd pass along Josiah's question on the matter:

"I'm not going to pay hundreds of dollars for those cables sold in Best Buy and Circuit City, but I want the best possible audio and video quality. I've got a pretty basic setup, and I just need a few HDMI cables, a set of component cables and a few optical audio cables. Where would I go to get the best for my money? Is there a particular brand I should look for? What has worked out for your readers?"

Unload your experiences with cables -- however expensive (or cheap) -- below, and be sure to elaborate on which brand / store / etc. you found to be the best for the price. Oh, and make no mention of Furutech, we're trying to keep the cost-per-cable under a grand.

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

Overwhelmingly, HDMI is the de facto standard these days for home component connections. For those who've been paying any amount of attention here lately, you'd also know that DisplayPort is lurking, waiting to pounce and grab some of that lucrative market share. An astonishingly detailed report at EDN pits the two digital-display-interface standards against one another in an attempt to discover whether we really, truly need two ways to plug things in. As expected, there are pros and cons for each, and while we wouldn't deem this a bona fide format war just yet, things could get hairy if some manufacturers start to favor one over the other. For the hardcore hardware nerds in the audience, the brilliant writeup in the read link is one that can't be missed. Place your bets at the door, the gloves are about to come off.

Just a few short weeks ago, Atlona threw in its support for DisplayPort by promising to deliver cabling for the freely licensable format. Lookee here, the AT16010-X cable lineup will be available at the end of the month in lengths from 1- to 10-meters, with either male or female terminations. Prices start at $39, which seems reasonable. The bigger question, of course, is whether DisplayPort will thrive in the HT marketplace; if it only exists alongside HDMI, its license- and royalty-free nature free-license nature is moot. As much grief as we give the HDMI connector, we don't relish the thought of swapping out equipment for a new cabling standard, either.

Move over HDMI, DVI and DisplayPort, here comes DIVA (Digital Interface for Audio and Video). Cooked up by the above group of Chinese manufacturers, they say this standard can improve on HDMI by enabling bi-directional data connections above and beyond HDMI-CEC protocols, creating easy DLNA connections between devices with a single cable. Forward channel video speeds of 13.6 Gbps provide plenty of room for 1080p and higher resolutions with Deep Color, plus the two-way connection at up to 2.25Gbps that can simultaneously handle multichannel audio, control or other data. With a working demo shown over a single 8 wire CAT6 cable, it's got specs that interest us, and with a growing AV market in China maybe these companies have enough pull to get wider support. Still, until someone produces a platinum cable measuring 3-feet long that costs $200 we won't be sure of its success.

Make no mistake, Atlona's a bona fide supporter of HDMI, but it's making absolutely sure you know that it will also be throwing its support behind DisplayPort. Of course, all it's saying at the moment is that it will soon be providing DisplayPort cabling "for as long as one of its customers has a need for one," but it looks like we'll have to be patient before finding out what other sort of DisplayPort contraptions the firm has up its sleeve.

Ugh, is DRM coming to shackle USB too? You betcha. The USB Implementer's Forum is planning to rollout a variant of tethered USB in 2008 to carry compressed high-def video between TVs and mobile devices. It appears unrelated to USB 3.0 and targets both laptops and personal media players -- however you might choose to define that. A spokesman for the organization said that developers "could layer HDMI's HDCP encryption on top." So it's not definite. But with the studios fighting hard to "protect" their content, well, it's a given that some form of DRM will be there. The new USB linkage is meant to complement HDMI which primarily carries uncompressed video between living room A/V equipment... and an increasing number of media-centric laptops. Thing is, DisplayPort, expected to make a big showing at CES in January, already comes with a slathering of HDCP and is the purported VESA standard for moving HDTV from your laptop to a digital television. To confuse matters more, Kleer Corp is also working on a mid-2008 wireless and wired technology for carrying SD video based on its existing wireless audio technology. Proof that the best part about having standards is that there are so many to choose from.

Get ready for hot, hot convergence kids 'cause the DisplayPort 1.1 specification was just approved. The new VESA-approved digital interface standard is meant to replace DVI and VGA ports while co-existing with HDMI for HDTV connectivity. As you can see in the picture above, it's about the size of a USB connector yet offers 2x the performance of DVI in a much smaller package. They also bake in a nasty dollop of HDCP 1.3 content protection to keep the Blu-ray and HD DVD kiddies happy. The wee size allows the interface to be included in smaller handheld electronics while enabling direct-drive LCD panels thereby eliminating the need for non-panel LVDS electronics in the monitor designs. Of course it also supports pass-through of DVI and HDMI signals via simple adapters similar to DVI-to-HDMI variety on the market today. So which of our esteemed manufactures will bite first? We're not sure, but VESA isn't shy about using Dell's high-end XPS systems in their marketing collateral. Of course, the question they don't answer is, why not just move everything to HDMI? For that, you just have to look at who backs royalty-free DisplayPort (the PC industry) and who backs HDMI (the consumer electronics industry). Yeah, we know.

Analogix Semiconductor just announced its first receiver chip for the DisplayPort interconnect. Yeah, DisplayPort, the latest video interconnect standard which looks to replace HDMI, DVI, and even analog VGA connectors currently found in monitors, TVs, laptops and other portable consumer electronics. What's more, it's fully supported and even, preferred by the Video Electronics Standard Association (VESA) as a low power, low pin count, license-free video interconnect standard. The ANX9811 chip is now available to manufactures for sampling and, when paired with the company's existing ANX9801 transmitter, supports a full 10.8 Gbits/second data rate and WQXGA (2560×1600) resolution over a 15-meter cable. Fine. But the real news here is that the chips will support the DisplayPort 1.1 spec which was proposed in November and should be finalized by VESA in early 2007. The modified spec brings support for DisplayPorts own copy protection technology and now, finally, HDCP. It's not that we're big fans of HDCP or anything, but if we have to be saddled with wire-line encryption, let's choose one and be done with it, eh? Expect to hear more about DisplayPort at CES where Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung will be laying out the interconnect's roadmap in an fractured industry love-fest. Still, like any good standard, you'll have choices: Intel's also pushing their UDI (Unified Display Interface) interconnect to replace both DVI and HDMI in PCs. If we're lucky, Adam Smith will grab whole lot by the throat to shake out a unified standard before the decade is up.

Ok fess up, who requested another digital interface for video and audio content? Since UDI, HDMI & DVI weren't complicated enough, VESA has come out with their own digital connector to replace VGA, DisplayPort. They originally announced it a year ago, but it is now ready to go, the only question is does anyone care?

This article from Digitimes breaks down the challenges DisplayPort faces and what (few) benefits it offers. Unlike DVI/HDMI/UDI, it isn't backwards compatible with anything. If you replace your PC, DVD player TV or monitor with a DisplayPort device you'll have to replace anything connected to it. It also has it's own content protection scheme, much like HDCP, but once again not compatible.

We don't really see this standard taking off with no backwards compatibility (however this release from Dell/HP/Lenovo indicates it is "possible" to have legacy compatibility with DVI 1.0) and both high definition DVD formats using a different copy protection format. With its only apparent advantage being a lack of licensing fees, is there a space for DisplayPort?