5 ms·

The H2G2-42 thing is pretty funny! On a more serious note... Can anyone shed some light on the hackability of this piece of hardware?

azernik 13y ago
Unclear - unlike most phones, it has no removable storage, and my impression (having only heard descriptions of the UI) is that there's no way to run arbitrary code on the device. Unless it has accessible serial ports or some netboot mode hidden in it, or in the very scary case that the software update mechanism is insecure enough to MITM it yourself, it seems like it would be difficult to get a Chromecast to run anything other than Google's software.
- heyheyhey 13y ago
  It was rooted couple days ago but Google patched it right up http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/google-chromecast-hacked-by-gtvhacker-exploit-package-now-available-29-07-2013/ http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/google-chromecast-hacked-by-gtv...
  - 7952 13y ago
    I can understand why they would want to lock it down simply from a security perspective. I don't want every piece of software on my network to be able to alter the software. Its bad enough with routers.
- joezydeco 13y ago
  The FCC filing for the Chromecast shows a slightly different piece of hardware, with an external ribbon connector on the board. It's the brown & black part on the underside of the board. You can also see where the RF/heatsink can was cut to make room for a flex cable: http://9to5google.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/innards.png http://9to5google.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/innards.png Perhaps the pads are still there and can be used to jump JTAG or a serial line out of the board.
rz2k 13y ago
I can't shed much light, only make a couple guesses, but it supposedly will not play MPEG2. Roku players cannot play MPEG2 either, but you can purchase a license to decode MPEG2 on a Raspberry Pi. MPEG2 decoding would let people play a locally broadcast streams from something like the Silicon Dust HDHomerun Prime which would let them get rid of up to three cable boxes in addition to watching video on the internet. Currently, people get HTPCs to play these live streams (and act as DVRs). Instead you would still have to have something transcode the video for the Chromecast, and perhaps act as a centralized content server either relaying live TV or recorded TV. However, it also is not clear if there will be private channels which would be required to view this content from a local source. Roku players will let you watch stuff served from Plex for example. Interestingly, though according to this[1], the Marvel chip does have the capability to process MPEG2, perhaps if it is unlocked. (It only costs about $2 to get a license to legally unlock MPEG2 decoding on the Raspberry Pi) However, supporting hobbyists playing back conventional cable wouldn't fit into Google's strategy if it is to slowly supersede regular cable television. [1] http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=169737&page=9 http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=169737&page=9
ZeroGravitas 13y ago
I think there's a whole range of existing Android HDMI sticks that come close in price and far exceed it in specs and hackability to the point where you don't really need to hack them, just install android apps to do whatever you want.
- MatthewPhillips 13y ago
  > just install android apps to do whatever you want. Until there's a Chromecast receiver app for Android, they won't be able to do the one thing that people want to do with Chromecast sticks.
  - ZeroGravitas 13y ago
    If that's the one thing people want to do with a hacked Chromecast, then they don't need to hack it.
    - MatthewPhillips 13y ago
      People want to extend the functionality, not replace it with a general purpose computer. There are already a lot of those on the market.
      - ZeroGravitas 13y ago
        A proof-of-concept Android app, so you can emulate a chromecast on an Android HDMI stick (or tablet). https://plus.google.com/107130354111162483072/posts/KMMwKTpNpZr https://plus.google.com/107130354111162483072/posts/KMMwKTpN...
inoop 13y ago
http://www.amazon.com/MK808-Android-Rockchip-RK3066-Cortex-A9/dp/B009OX22B4 http://www.amazon.com/MK808-Android-Rockchip-RK3066-Cortex-A... http://www.slatedroid.com/topic/77977-ubuntu-1210-complete-armmk808rk3066-desktop-solution-new-homeio-release-chromiumtrue-flash-gles-goodies-xbmc-easy-setup-and-much-more/ http://www.slatedroid.com/topic/77977-ubuntu-1210-complete-a...

azernik 13y ago

Unclear - unlike most phones, it has no removable storage, and my impression (having only heard descriptions of the UI) is that there's no way to run arbitrary code on the device. Unless it has accessible serial ports or some netboot mode hidden in it, or in the very scary case that the software update mechanism is insecure enough to MITM it yourself, it seems like it would be difficult to get a Chromecast to run anything other than Google's software.

heyheyhey 13y ago
It was rooted couple days ago but Google patched it right up http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/google-chromecast-hacked-by-gtvhacker-exploit-package-now-available-29-07-2013/ http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/google-chromecast-hacked-by-gtv...
- 7952 13y ago
  I can understand why they would want to lock it down simply from a security perspective. I don't want every piece of software on my network to be able to alter the software. Its bad enough with routers.
joezydeco 13y ago
The FCC filing for the Chromecast shows a slightly different piece of hardware, with an external ribbon connector on the board. It's the brown & black part on the underside of the board. You can also see where the RF/heatsink can was cut to make room for a flex cable: http://9to5google.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/innards.png http://9to5google.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/innards.png Perhaps the pads are still there and can be used to jump JTAG or a serial line out of the board.

rz2k 13y ago

I can't shed much light, only make a couple guesses, but it supposedly will not play MPEG2. Roku players cannot play MPEG2 either, but you can purchase a license to decode MPEG2 on a Raspberry Pi. MPEG2 decoding would let people play a locally broadcast streams from something like the Silicon Dust HDHomerun Prime which would let them get rid of up to three cable boxes in addition to watching video on the internet. Currently, people get HTPCs to play these live streams (and act as DVRs). Instead you would still have to have something transcode the video for the Chromecast, and perhaps act as a centralized content server either relaying live TV or recorded TV. However, it also is not clear if there will be private channels which would be required to view this content from a local source. Roku players will let you watch stuff served from Plex for example. Interestingly, though according to this[1], the Marvel chip does have the capability to process MPEG2, perhaps if it is unlocked. (It only costs about $2 to get a license to legally unlock MPEG2 decoding on the Raspberry Pi) However, supporting hobbyists playing back conventional cable wouldn't fit into Google's strategy if it is to slowly supersede regular cable television. [1] http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=169737&page=9 http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=169737&page=9

ZeroGravitas 13y ago

I think there's a whole range of existing Android HDMI sticks that come close in price and far exceed it in specs and hackability to the point where you don't really need to hack them, just install android apps to do whatever you want.

MatthewPhillips 13y ago
> just install android apps to do whatever you want. Until there's a Chromecast receiver app for Android, they won't be able to do the one thing that people want to do with Chromecast sticks.
- ZeroGravitas 13y ago
  If that's the one thing people want to do with a hacked Chromecast, then they don't need to hack it.
  - MatthewPhillips 13y ago
    People want to extend the functionality, not replace it with a general purpose computer. There are already a lot of those on the market.
    - ZeroGravitas 13y ago
      A proof-of-concept Android app, so you can emulate a chromecast on an Android HDMI stick (or tablet). https://plus.google.com/107130354111162483072/posts/KMMwKTpNpZr https://plus.google.com/107130354111162483072/posts/KMMwKTpN...

inoop 13y ago

http://www.amazon.com/MK808-Android-Rockchip-RK3066-Cortex-A9/dp/B009OX22B4 http://www.amazon.com/MK808-Android-Rockchip-RK3066-Cortex-A... http://www.slatedroid.com/topic/77977-ubuntu-1210-complete-armmk808rk3066-desktop-solution-new-homeio-release-chromiumtrue-flash-gles-goodies-xbmc-easy-setup-and-much-more/ http://www.slatedroid.com/topic/77977-ubuntu-1210-complete-a...