Someone explain the HDCP error I keep getting on my TV

Are you using an hdmi switch or receiver between your sources?

Could be your tv or HDMI cable is not HDCP compatible. Bottom line is something in your system is not HDCP compliant, or is not negotiating the signal handoff correctly.

Most likely if your tv is less than ten years old it is not the tv. The cable is the likely culprit.

BTW this such bullshite. Switching to an inferior input (component cables) is not acceptable.

Edit: why are you calling Dish about an issue with your Apple TV and your tv display?

Probably not your tv. Probably your cable. If you have a switch or receiver in between could be those too.

Mine was a rocketfish switch. Had to replace it. It was not HDCP compliant.

Just to be clear, if it's the cable, the cable is defective. It's not like there are some special "HDCP HDMI cables" out there in addition to "non-HDCP HDMI cables"; there's no dedicated HDCP wire in the cables. Even the $3 HDMI cables I bought from Monoprice nearly 10 years ago work fine as High Speed HDMI cables, which of course includes HDCP. See this page for the correct way that HDMI cables are described, and note that it doesn't even mention HDCP:

LINK

could be the order in which you turn on devices. Do tv first then the Apple TV to ensure the tv receives the handshake in time. If there is no acknowledgement sent back to the Apple TV timely then it thinks the display is not HDCP compliant.

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It's happened on my roku's before. I've changed the hdmi cable out and it fixes the problem usually.

Although one time it only fixed the problem for a week and it came right back. That was really annoying. I would have to reset the box every other day or so.

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That's because the cable's rarely the problem, and when it is the problem, it's because it's defective as I explained earlier, downvote from some knucklehead notwithstanding. You switch the cable, and you force a new handshake, and the problem can go away for a while. It's coincidence. You can get the same benefit from power-cycling or otherwise playing with power-on order. Some equipment combinations just don't play well together, and that's been a complaint ever since HDCP was inflicted on the world, though it gets less common year by year.

I had this problem with my Cox DVR.

Fixed by playing with the HDMI connection on the back of the box. It seemed to have a preferred pull on it- when the cable pulled to the right I'd frequently get the error, when it pulled to the left I'd never get the error. So I just got out the needle nose pliers (though I'd never admit to Cox that I did this) and tightened the casing that holds the cable in place and I haven't had the problem since.

If you're uncomfortable with that then try a new cable before you get too far into the fix.

Hope it works out.

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Had the same problem with my roku.. power cycled it everyday. Finally swapped out the $4 Amazon cable with a $5 Amazon cable and no issues for two years.

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I recall reading somewhere that the length of the HDMI cable is a factor. Extremely short cables don't work reliably.

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I recall reading somewhere that the length of the HDMI cable is a factor. Extremely short cables don't work reliably.

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It's long cables that can be a problem, but I've had no issues with 15 foot, 28 AWG Monoprice cables I bought almost 10 years ago. That's beginning to push it, though.

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was just coming here to plug Monoprice.

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I just searched my email, and the 15 foot HDMI cables I bought from Monoprice in 2008 cost me $6.58 each. The 3 and 6 foot ones were $4 each. They've all been perfect WRT HDCP, 1080p, 3D, lossless multichannel audio, etc. The only High Speed function I haven't tested is 4K.

The AmazonBasics are also good, and they are thinner and more flexible, lacking the ferrite cores on the ends. Christ, I have Monoprice and Amazon joined by couplers with Amazons going into my TV because they bend more easily and lay flat against the back without those big cores getting in the way, which really helps with 3 inputs in use, and that's been perfect.