iPhone Used to Hack Times Square Video Billboards? [Video]

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Posted March 15, 2011 at 1:05am by iClarified

A new YouTube video demonstrates a hack which purportedly takes over the video display of Times Square's massive screens using an iPhone. CBS posted the story saying, "First off I'm going to state that I do not know if this is in fact real or fake. My gut is telling me it has to be fake... but if it's real, I'm so going to buy one!"

Here's how the poster describes the hack...

the way it works is pretty simple: plug in my transmitter into the iphone 4 and play back any video clip. you can play it through the ipod feature or through the camera roll. the transmitter instantly sends the video signal to the video repeater and the video repeater overrides any video screen that it's being held next to. it doesn't matter what shape or size the hacked screen is because the hack video will simply keep its correct dimensions and the rest of the hacked space will stay black.

i chose times square for my demo because it has lots of video screens to try it on. it is also one of the most monitored and secured areas in new york city and that made it that much more fun :). you can see in my video that the repeater is pretty powerful but the signal is not very stable yet. i'm working on that. i will post a new video later this week explaining how i made this prototype.

Even if the hack is fake, the video is pretty impressive.

Take a look!

Read More [via CultofMac]

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Happysmp - March 15, 2011 at 7:06pm

Fake! The last video (balloon) would have completely changed if the device took over the screen. It didn't. Notice the CNN bar that remains. I highly doubt that panel is made of two separate. More likely it's one.

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Cranies - March 15, 2011 at 4:09am

Why am I thinking "The Recruit" ;-)

SunLizard - March 15, 2011 at 2:58am

Obviously fake. No photoshop understanding required: 1.) Um 1.5 mm Jack Video Option... Not on my iPhone 4. Yeah I've seen some groovy little plugins for A-D, but we're talking video streaming.... not bloody likely. 2) Beyond A-D challenge for Headphone Jack, there's a little thing called power. Low Power Interface might get you a meter or two for headphone purposes but we're not there yet on BT, WiFi, or any other xmission path that's got a stack commercially available. Likelihood that you created your own stack for this hack: Zero. 3) None of those devices you showed are vulnerable to a OTA (Over the Air) attack. This is because they don't have OTA capability. Just because you're modern Coffee maker now has its on IPv6 doesn't mean I buy Times Square tech does. Now read below for the photoshop angle. And please, stop wasting your time.

Tim - March 15, 2011 at 7:07am

lmao, best. reply. ever. stole the words from my mouth

Frank - March 15, 2011 at 2:08am

Actually the headphone jack does do video out.

Tim - March 15, 2011 at 7:10am

-_- mate, video signals through the air. Same as a FM transmitter in the car. You choose the same freq as a FM station, your music will be on instead of the station. In this aspect, it's a digital signal, so the stronger signal wins and you dont get overlapping like the analog FM band

justme - March 15, 2011 at 11:17pm

What they said^. I believe its real. And pretty damn cool.

Tony - March 15, 2011 at 2:00am

Tool

Aaron Wright - March 15, 2011 at 1:59am

that is awesome.

anonymous - March 15, 2011 at 1:53am

I think it is fake as well. But, the guy did a pretty good job at editing it. If you watch the top left of the first screen you can see the reflection of another TV screen and also the glare on the balloon from the big screen is correct.

Jared - March 15, 2011 at 1:48am

100% fake, this is not possible, not by any standards. Nor could you ever broadcast a video signal from the iPhone by plugging a device into the headphone jack.....

nelsinhoo - March 15, 2011 at 7:15am

of course its fake!

paliboy - March 15, 2011 at 1:48am

if they were muslim/arabs and got caught doing this they would call it a terrorist attack

I'm me - March 15, 2011 at 5:07am

so true

KRads - March 15, 2011 at 1:34am

Video has to be fake...but it is still a cool story! I will definitely read up on this one.