Google’s Chromecast is a $35 device that you can plug into the HDMI port on your TV in order to stream internet video to your big screen while using your phone, tablet, or PC as a remote control.

But not every online video service works. You can’t stream content from HBO, Revision3, AOL, or many other sites, for instance.

Actually you can… but only if you have a Chromecast that’s been rooted.

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Developer Kyonz has developed a tool called KyoCast which redirects traffic that would normally look for a whitelist to see if a service is supported or not. Instead of checking with Google’s servers, a rooted Chromecast can check the KyoCast server.

The result is a Chromecast which can stream content from HBO and other supported sites including AOL, Revision3, Songza, and Post TV.

There’s a catch: it’s not easy to root a Chromecast. Hackers figured out how to root the device shortly after it launched this summer, but Google promptly plugged the security hole that made rooting possible. That’s not surprising — the Chromecast and Google Cast platform can only succeed if Google manages not to annoy content providers like HBO.

But for the handful of folks who managed to root their devices early, you can download the KyocCast mod from the xda-developers forum and use Flashcast to install it.

For everyone else, there’ s a chance you may be able to buy a new Chromecast that still has a vulnerable bootloader. But don’t bet on it.

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