Apple TV hack enables Russian video service, no jailbreak required

Apple TV hack (UnliMovie.tv)

Remember a recent hack which cleverly tricks Apple TV’s stock Trailers app into streaming video from the popular Plex media player, no jailbreak required? Apparently, the same trickery can be exploited in order to enable access to certain online video services. A Russian blog today spread word of a very similar hack that lets owners of the second and third-generation Apple TV stream content from Russia’s UnliMovie digital TV service, directly through the set-top box’s Trailers app…

According to the instructions provided by the Russian blog iGuides.ru, the hack involves changing DNS settings to manual (062.075.229.047) in your Apple TV’s Settings.

This will enable direct access to UnliMovie television programming through the Trailers app. To switch back to watching movie trailers, one just needs to change from manual to automatic DNS in Apple TV Settings.

It should be noted that UnliMovie currently provides content free of charge, but not for long as paid subscriptions will launch in September. UnliMovie licenses content from several big name partners, but they don’t seem to be minding the hack.

Matter of fact, UnliMovie itself provides  set up instructions on its website.

We’re unsure if the exploit can be tapped to enable other video services on non-jailbroken Apple TVs. As you know Apple recently unlocked WatchESPN, HBO GO, Sky News, Crunchyroll and Qello video sources on second and third-generation Apple TVs. Surprisingly enough, the new firmware hasn’t disabled the exploit.

Complicated licensing requirements and demanding negotiations have stalled the prospect of adding additional content sources to the Apple set-top box through the official channels. If studios demand that Apple clamp down on hackers in the name of protecting their content, a future update is likely going to kill this useful hack.