After just announcing that the PS4 will allow users to capture the console’s HDMI output feed , Sony is, only slightly, going back on its word. The console will still be able to capture HDMI video, but not at launch. Instead, gameplay capture through HDMI will come later as a post-launch patch, which is odd. HDMI has to be encrypted in order to prevent video capture. So it strikes us as odd that the basic state of the PS4 is encrypted. It seems as if they could just, you know, not do that.
The PS3 used HDCP copy protection over an HDMI connection, which essentially made it impossible to capture HDMI video via a capture card. Instead, users were forced to use analog cables, and, while component video worked just fine, it was a pain in the ass to set up.
Sony assures us that users will be able to still capture video directly through the PS4’s firmware at launch. If users can also export this video file and edit it on a computer with high end video editing software, HDMI capture may be obsolete anyway.
The PS4 is scheduled to hit store shelves on November 15 in North America at a $399 price tag . We will bring you more information about the PS4’s release as it becomes available.
Source: Twitter