While high-bandwidth connections and new compression schemes have allowed video to blossom all over the Web, methods for searching through the audio-visual medium have lagged behind. Brief clip titles and a handful of keywords are all most searchers have to go on. The Web site blinkx wants to change that with the methods it has cooked up for a new video search engine, known as “blinkx Remote.”
According to blinkx, Remote is able to index search terms that are buried in full-length television programs and movies [PDF] by using speech-recognition technology, as well as corroboration with sites like Wikipedia and the International Movie Database. In its press release, blinkx claims this provides “the most accurate TV search results available anywhere.”
Users can dig through more than 7 million hours of video from more than 100 sources, including giants like YouTube, MySpace and Google Video. Blinkx claims this content makes them the world’s largest video search engine.
"We’ve moved beyond watching online video clips to embrace the Internet as a primary entertainment outlet,” said Suranga Chandratillake, founder and CEO of blinkx, in a statement. “This is the era of online TV, prime-time programs you’ve only been able to watch in your living room on your regular TV are now accessible from your PC."