Roku’s TV boxes are popular for being a cheap way to stream content to your television. Let’s face it, the players are downright inexpensive making them a reasonable alternative to purchasing a game console or expensive Blu-ray player to do the same thing. New apps and channels are being added all the time, YouTube has finally made an appearance. For those who are technically savvy, and interested in getting a little more freedom on their Roku, GTVHacker has found a way to unlock the software, even if it’s only temporary.

Roku 2 and Roku 3 are known for being secure making it difficult to find a way into the software. However, the group at GTVHacker has been able to make the crack persistent, or stay in effect even after reboot, for the Roku 2. The Roku 3 uses slightly different hardware and therefore it doesn’t maintain the code once the unit reboots. If you want to keep the crack on the Roku 3 you have to constantly reenter the code each time the box restarts.

Right now the codes still work, however, don’t expect the crack to work forever. Roku’s team is already working on a patch that will block the crack and once again make it locked down for use.

[via Engaget]