blinkx, the world´s largest video search engine, today announced
the availability of blinkx BBTV, a significant advance in online
television that leverages blinkx´s patented speech and visual
recognition technology to simultaneously deliver a high-quality
television experience over the Internet, and link it to the universe
of information on the Web, adding dimension and context to the
viewer´s experience.
Launching with a library of premium independent films and a
variety of high-quality programming from existing partners, blinkx
BBTV is a small download (0.5 MB) that is available free of charge at
www.blinkx.com, starting April 2nd, 2008.
With hybrid peer-to-peer streaming and a simple, point-and-click
channel interface, blinkx BBTV delivers a new kind of online
television: full-screen, TV-quality and truly immersed in the
Internet. Until now, Web video has simply used the Internet as a new
distribution mechanism, failing to exploit its true potential. By
fusing TV and other video with the Web, blinkx BBTV enables users to
instantly browse or interact with online sources related to what they
are watching, whether it´s Google, Wikipedia, IMDB or other Web sites
offering relevant information - from news and entertainment, to travel
and sports.
"Broadband Internet connections are fast enough today that with
the right technology, it´s possible to deliver an experience that´s
equal in quality to television. Consumers are accustomed to Online
Video: short-form, often amateur clips that play in a Web browser -
blinkx BBTV delivers Online Television: full-length, professional TV
programming, delivered in exceptional quality," said Suranga
Chandratillake, founder and CEO of blinkx. "The Web is the largest
repository of connected information in the world - on any subject and
from myriad sources. BBTV delivers television over the Internet, but
it also fuses that TV with the wealth of information on the Web,
rather than appearing as just another layer floating above it."
With the click of a mouse, BBTV enables an unprecedented level of
interaction with online television. blinkx´s patented video indexing
automatically creates a speech track of content within the video,
making it easy for viewers to navigate literally word-for-word and
jump to specific points in a program, simply by searching for a spoken
word or name. While watching programs or movies on blinkx BBTV,
viewers can instantly access features never before possible, including
transcripts of the audio track and background information on
everything from actors and personalities, to reviews and locations
shown within the video. Alternatively, users can opt to sit back and
watch the video full-screen, on-demand and in TV quality.
In coming months, blinkx will be adding dozens of additional
channels and premium video content to the BBTV offering, and will also
be working behind the scenes to power similar BBTV experiences for
partner media and entertainment sites that are looking for new ways to
connect with their viewers. BBTV is fully compatible with blinkx
AdHoc, blinkx´s contextual advertising platform.
Key features of blinkx BBTV include:
Speech-based Navigation
Leveraging blinkx´s patented speech recognition technology, BBTV
automatically creates a speech track of the video, allowing users to
search through content, literally word-for-word, and jump to specific
points in a program, simply by searching for a spoken word.
Full-Screen, TV Quality Experience
BBTV provides a superior user experience by leveraging hybrid
peer-to-peer streaming technology to allow fast, high-quality delivery
of video content. All content appearing on BBTV is delivered over an
encrypted network and protected by Microsoft DRM technologies.
Clickable Video
BBTV delivers online television that is truly interactive - users
can "shift-click" on a word in the speech track for additional
information on a person, location or object within the video.
Automatic Web Linking
BBTV is part of the fiber of the Internet, so in the same way that
information on the Web is linked to other information on the Web,
video that is delivered through BBTV is connected to the universe of
online content, whether it´s Google, Wikipedia, IMDB or other news,
entertainment travel or sports Web sites, adding a new dimension to
viewers´ experience.
As the pioneer in video search technology, blinkx has built a
reputation as the smartest way to search new forms of online content
such as video. With more than 220 partners and 18 million hours of
indexed video and audio content, including favorite TV moments, news
clips, short documentaries, music videos, video blogs and more, blinkx
uses advanced speech and visual recognition technologies to deliver
results that are more accurate and reliable than standard
metadata-based keyword searches.
About blinkx
blinkx plc (LSE AIM:BLNX) is the world´s largest and most advanced
video search engine. Today, blinkx has indexed more than 18 million
hours of audio, video, viral and TV content, and made it fully
searchable and available on demand. blinkx´s founders set out to solve
a significant challenge - as TV and user-generated content on the Web
explode, keyword-based search technologies only scratch the surface.
blinkx´s patented search technologies listen to - and even see - the
Web, helping users enjoy a breadth and accuracy of search results not
available elsewhere. In addition, blinkx powers the video search for
many of the world´s most frequented sites. blinkx is based in San
Francisco and London. More information is available at www.blinkx.com.
