Chromecast: Easy to Use, Easy to Hack, Cheap to Buy, and Easy to Track

Google introduced its new Web-to-TV device, Chromecast, less than a week ago. But as of Monday, it has already sold out of many stores, been hacked, and theorized to revolutionize the TV ad business.

Chromecast

Chromecast is a little electronic stick with big potential. Introduced by Google Wednesday, July 24, Chromecast is a device that plugs into the HDMI port of your HDTV and streams content that you "cast" from your smartphone, tablet, or laptop to the TV. This, by itself, is not totally unheard of. Roku has offered things like Hulu Plus and Netflix instant streaming on the TV for a while, and Apple TV works with other devices the same way as Chromecast. But the biggest advantage is that it's small - not a set-top box - and works with any relatively up-to-date Android, iOS, or Windows mobile device. And it only costs $35.

It also allows you to stream anything from your Chrome browser to the TV, which means that it's not a big deal if a certain less popular service, like Grooveshark, doesn't yet have an app for Chromecast - just pull it up on the web using Chrome and play it on the family's theater system. Another nice feature: once you cast from a laptop or device, you don't need to keep that app or page on top, meaning you can still use the devices for other things while streaming a movie or music.

Hack-able, And Part of Google TV's Future?

So what happens after a new, popular device is released? It gets hacked, of course. In little time - by Sunday - a hacker named "GTV Hacker" had a video up on YouTube showing that he had successfully rooted the system. By digging around, he found that Chromecast is basically running a Google TV code with some Android thrown in. According to the hackers, via ExtremeTech, "most of the Google TV code was reused." The hackers reportedly found that the code was so much like Google TV that the Chromecast might be more of a "Google TV stick," which might eventually lead to new speculations about Google TV's next moves, which have been around the rumor mill this summer.

The Web-volution Will Be Televised?

Already, after officially existing for a few days, tech pontificators and analysts are saying that Chromecast might be Google's mainline into Web-to-TV streaming. The company already has a set-top box (also integrated into many "smart" HDTVs) that streams Internet content on to the TV. But because it's so simple, small, and cheap, Chromecast might become ubiquitous enough to give Google a considerable edge over its competition, like Roku, Apple, and others.

"By coming out early at an extremely affordable price, Google [Chromecast] may wind up dominating the TV delivery industry," said Larry Magid of Forbes. "It's hard to imagine that Hulu, Major League Baseball, HBO Go and every other content provider isn't beating a path to their door. I imagine that the TV networks, too, are anxious to get their content on the device."

Sound like hyperbole? Maybe, but the Wall Street Journal says that advertisers may be more interested in buying TV spots if they're delivered through digital devices like Chromecast. 

"An old quip is that 50% of ad budgets are wasted; it's just that buyers don't know which half. That allowed big ad agencies and media companies to justify buying and selling TV spots based on unscientific measures. The digital world is in the process of changing that," said Rolfe Winkler on MoneyBeat, bringing up the idea that Google, like Netflix or Hulu, could track what you're watching on TV through the Chromecast. "What's true for web surfing will probably be true for TV watching - eventually. As more video content is consumed via the Internet, on platforms like Netflix and Youtube and Hulu, it should be easier to show specific users specific advertisements."

We'll See

Whether the suggestion that Google track your television viewing through the Chromecast sounds creepy or not, it may be the only way to get big channels on board for a truly digital TV service. Many are trying to integrate live television into their devices, like the Apple TV, with its Time Warner Cable deal, and Microsoft (with the Xbox One).

But neither of those services has been capable of breaking away from cable companies, which package the channels and require users to subscribe to do anything with their content. As was rumored earlier this month, Google may be trying to be the first to do just that. And the Chromecast might be able to provide an attractive enough, ubiquitous enough, and cheap enough digital alternative to persuade media companies to stray away from the safe, but stagnant waters of the cable providers.

Of course, nothing has worked before, so we'll see.