Did Times Square Screens Get Hacked by a Red Balloon and an iPhone?
- Posted on March 15, 2011 at 2:06pm by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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If you look at what people are saying about the video below, most everyone is calling it a hoax. But it’s still interesting.
The YouTube entry shows a man using a homemade gadget and an iPhone to transmit a video of him over several screens in Times Square. And for a moment it looks plausible. But Business Insider points out why it’s probably not:
The video is very well done and entertaining, but we‘d be willing to bet it’s fake. The only other references we can find to something similar being possible are a news report from 2010 which left the NYPD scrambling, suggesting it’s just not that easy to do and an obvious fake.
If it were possible to use a cheap piece of electronics and a video device to make any screen display another video, we think it would be common knowledge by now.
Others think it’s fake, too. The Daily Mail points out a couple problems:
Like all good hoaxes, this one relies on ‘believers’ asking the basic question: Why would someone waste their time on such an elaborate deception?
While undoubtedly ingenious, the clip made by Bitcrash44 and his accomplice is also undoubtedly fake.
The most compelling argument is that Times Square video screens are ethernet-based, not wireless (after all, there are so many screens in the square that wireless streams would be a nightmare).
Simply putting a wireless signal near the screen, even with a helium balloon, would not in any way alter the images.
Secondly, the transmitter device is plugged into the phone’s headphones jack, which does not transmit video.
Thirdly, the split-screen ‘hijacked’ in the clip (ie the second hijacked screen) shows the transmitted video being playing fractionally BEFORE the transmitting video on the iPhone. That, it hardly needs to be said, is impossible.
Possibly the most damning evidence, however, is when BITcrash44 emerges from a gift shop with his helium-filled red balloon.
A bit of amateur sleuthing discovered the shop is Broadway Gifts on West 46th Street. A call to its owner today revealed that the shop does not sell, and never has sold, helium balloons.
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Sinista MACE
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 12:24pmThe thing could be powered with a hearing aid battery.
A headphone jack CAN transmit video.
How do you know how the IPhone headphone jack is configured?
It could be wired from the factory for future video functionality, it would take disassembly to know that… unless you had a circuit schematic.
He also could’ve modified his phone…
The IPhone jack could be wired to provide power to accesories also, which could be used to power his device.
He might be picking up video signals wirelessly from anywhere in the chain of circuits leading to the IPhone’s video processor circuitry.
He’s obviously already implementing a wireless video algorithm with his video repeater.
Report Post »randerson503
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 9:05amObviously its fake…and a bad one. Anyone with an iphone knows that video does not come out of the audio jack that he has his “device” plugged into. He might have made it more believable if he plugged in at the bottom connector. Also, do you see a battery powering the circuit? Nope. Even the LED is not lit. Looks like a power circuit from something as I see what looks like a transformer on the board.
Nice try though.
Report Post »Sinista MACE
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 12:15pmDude, it could be a tiny buttoncell battery with a set of transformers to up the voltage. It doesn’t have to be visible.
Report Post »sadmanwhossane
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 1:51amal gore taught him this trick.
Report Post »Redistributor
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 11:28pmIf real it could be used to promote anything good or BAD, causing hysteria.
Report Post »7HAM
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 9:58pmThose aren’t TVs at Times Square, those are video monitors. They get a digital signal via ethernet connections. There is no RF involved.
Report Post »RebelBroker
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 7:25pmGuaranteed, 100% fake. Why? This guy has his “Gizmo” on the iphone plugged into the headphone port. NO VIDEO comes out of the headphone jack. The only way to port video out of an iphone is through the 30 pin connector on the bottom of the iPhone (The one you plug into when you want to sync with your host computer).
Report Post »olddog
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 7:05pmI see a lot of people with way too much tome on their hands.
Report Post »RickWS
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 4:48pmThe earphone jack on an iPhone absolutely can transmit video…
Report Post »Sinista MACE
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 4:43pmI think it’s real.
Some people are smarter than you think.
I regularly program microcontrollers.
If google can steal your wifi data, why can’t he hack a tv screen…cmon folks.
Report Post »capitalismrocks
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 4:10pmIts April 1st already?!?!? ;-)
You’d have to tap into the video feed of a screen directly to override the input signal, there is too much shielding and that little stick of gum sized repeater would’nt have the transmitting juice to pull off such a stunt…
Further those screens use TFT digital input signals from a video processor that is reading in the stream from a digital signal, no RF involved, so the whole stunt is a bogus pile of crap!
When I was a kid I used to have a model airplane futaba remote control, it was only field rated and was not for use in residential area’s, I quickly found out why, when turned on and moving the control sticks it would knock people’s TV reception out, it was a great gag to knock people’s shows off, watch them get up from their couch to fix the antennas, only to turn off the signal as they got near the TV, they‘d sit back down and wham I’d turn it on again. My friends and I laughed too loud one time and the guy heard us and came out of his house and chased us down the block… good times, good times…. ;-)
Report Post »Wasted_away_again_in_Obamaville
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 3:15pmNothing fake about it, as a TV repair guy for many years, if you take over the right circuitry within the receiver it’s quite easy to display what ever you wish…He’s just injecting a signal in the right place wirelessly
Report Post »capitalismrocks
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 4:11pmThats fine it is an RF signal, those boards are all hooked up with ethernet feeds, its all digital signalling, you’re not going to tap and override that, sorry… its a hoax
Report Post »Exrepublisheep
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 3:11pmA story NOT filled with horror. TY.
Report Post »simple thought
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 3:06pmit may be fake, but so is our President,,,, or is that flake?????
Report Post »cannakis
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 2:53pmi must admit, that is quite phenomenal. i Honestly Believe it IS Possible, and that he may have actually discovered how to do it — i mean think about, EVERYBODY Though Nikola Tesla was “crazy” YET he developed, invented, created, and produced some of the most EXTRAORDINARY things in existence! And he actually AT THE TIME (a hundred years ago) was ABLE to do things which some STILL have NOT been able to Reproduce. But the Feds took ALL of his research and work, and have it hidden away right now… hmm… i wonder why? Is it maybe because individuals CAN create incredible Things!? i will say this though, why did the “CNN” and “Weather” Banner on the bottom of the Main Screen Not Change??? But i am still not disproving or discrediting what our Brother has done, i just really Hope that he is being Honest and not giving us a Hoax.
Report Post »TERMLIMITSNOW
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 4:29pmYour random punctuation is more troubling than your gullibility………scary.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 2:34pmDon’t the Chinese own Times Square by now any way? I guess they can put up whatever they want.
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 2:26pmCan you take over the white house????
Report Post »BytchAmy
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 2:25pmThis isnt a haox, you see screens changing with your own eyes, he is no david copperfield hes just some smart geek who can hack into times square screens with a i-phone. Before experts say it is impossiable why dont they try to reproduce what he did & prove it is a hoax rather than speculate.
Report Post »TERMLIMITSNOW
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 2:29pmI bet you a naked pic it’s a hoax
Report Post »cannakis
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 2:46pmYeah i Truly Believe that that guy is just incredibly brilliant and Actually Does WORK and doesn’t sit around trying to disprove or prove stupid things, rather he Invents and Creates PRODUCT! i really believe that it probably is Real (but i also haven’t watched the video yet, i’m about to). And then secondly, you must be some fat guy?
Report Post »KPEdwards
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 3:44pmThe screens aren’t processing wireless signals.
Report Post »If you buy that, then I have a bridge to sell you …
KPEdwards
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 3:47pmI realize my response was a little vague .. I am saying it is very obviously a hoax.
Report Post »M-Theory
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 4:01pmWhere are the Mythbusters when you need them?
Report Post »l0llyp0pper
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 5:13pma fat guy , lol, what he said ….
Report Post »Star Spangled
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 2:24pmLook for his device to show up for sale on the net , real or not I bet he rakes in some major bucks !
Report Post »Money is always a good reason for a hoax .
cannakis
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 2:43pmHaha yep.
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 2:19pmhmn…………………………………..
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 2:31pmCareful, Stoic One! White Devil will be all over you for that!
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 2:59pmSHOWTIME
Report Post »lol!
SonOfaCommunist
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 4:16pmLet us engage in the most imaginative ways!
Report Post »fertlmind
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 2:18pmHe should have used the video of the college girl with big bosoms dissing asians
Report Post »now that would have been funny!
Showtime
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 2:13pmKudos to The Daily Mail for untangling that one!
I love the way “a couple problems” turned into four!
Report Post »TERMLIMITSNOW
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 2:10pmi told you those asians are rude, JKJKJK
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 2:10pmInteresting, fake or not!
Report Post »13th Imam
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 2:14pmBeware the Ides of March
Report Post »Dustyluv
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 3:04pmI would like to use those electronic billboards to advertise my business without paying the prices…Where can I get one? LOL
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 3:38pmInteresting idea; just hope they do not put it past someone to take up the challenge of actually doing it for real.
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 3:50pmWhy waste time and money trying to fake people out? Those guys have too much time on their hands.
Report Post »dr_funk
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 5:37pmActually, the iphone headphone jack is a TRRS jack (Tip Ring Ring Sleeve) as opposed to the standard stereo headphone jack which is TRS (Tip Ring Sleeve). They make TV hookup adapters for your iphone that plug into the headphone jack with a TRRS connector.
Report Post »dr_funk
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 5:46pmIts actually pretty conceivable, because all of these screens, at some point in the signal chain, have to use RF, and I imagine if you bombard them with an intense RF signal, it would overpower the one its trying to read from the coax and read yours instead.
The only difference between the RF receiver in your antenna TV and the coax RF receiver in your cable box is the TV receiver has an antenna to collect the signal and an amplifier circuit to boost it.
Report Post »right-wing-waco
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 6:46pmSomeone out here in California hacked into one of the custom highway signs and putup his own message. I’m sure they are on modems.
Report Post »shotzie
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 6:52pmHe should have saved it for April Fools day.
Report Post »Mee the People
Posted on March 15, 2011 at 10:23pmDr. Evil needs one of them
Report Post »Baaaaaaaa Haaaaaaa Haaaaaa!
thepatriotdave
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 2:11amHold on everyone… If a marxist community organizer with no real experience can win the White House, this guys gadget is possible!
Who do you want to run for POTUS in 2012?
Report Post »http://www.americasteapartynews.com/tea-blog.php#/