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Blinkx.TV: Quality Content, Unique Search

Posted on: Wednesday, 23 August 2006, 12:00 CDT

Fed up with the quality of scheduled TV programming? Or maybe you're an avid user of Web video sites but looking for something a bit more meaningful than the latest wacky Webcam download. Consider blinkx.tv. We're taking a closer look at it as part of a series on Web sites that specialize in video distribution, sales, downloading -- or a combination of all three. Blinkx.tv measures up well.

Blinkx.tv features 64 channels of free, on-demand video and audio that stream over 4 million hours of programming. There's news from CBS (CBS), ABC (DIS), and Fox (FOX) as well as British stations BBC, Sky News, and ITV; and you'll uncover entertainment from Comedy Central to VH1.

While you can't stream live TV broadcasts, blinkx.tv does let you choose clips from any and all of the featured channels. And if it's wild and wacky clips you crave, Blinkx has plenty of those, too.

SATELLITE WEB. One of the tools that sets blinkx apart is its search ability. Blinkx.tv uses speech recognition to scan the audio component of a video. The site then uses a search engine that engages both phonetic and text transcripts to match content with search queries.

Combining this search engine with blinkx.tv's superior content makes this a can't-miss destination for anyone looking for a different perspective on the world. Think of it as satellite TV meets the Web, where you can pick up channels from across the world and have content delivered on demand.

Another refreshing contrast to competitors like YouTube is the accessibility of content that's informative as well as funny. Blinkx.tv delivers viral, homemade video with the best of them; but make no mistake, it's as much about news as anything else.

SEARCH SENSE. Breaking news and features are displayed prominently in at least two areas: the homepage, under "Current Headlines," and on a live video matrix that takes up prime homepage real estate. "Current Headlines" include a daily smattering of top stories from a number of blinkx.tv's content partners.

During a recent search, clicking on the top headline, "Renewed Fighting in Lebanon," sent me to a results page with links to video stories from BBC News, CNN (TWX), Fox News, Reuters, MSNBC (GE), and ITN.

While only the top result will be the direct result of your query, the phonetic search lessens the likelihood that results will be populated by unrelated stories. The first result of the search was a BBC News piece titled "Renewed Fighting in Lebanon." The second, titled "Bloodshed Continues," was a CNN piece. The entire first page of results followed this trend.

SPORTS PAGE. But could blinkx.tv do as good a job serving up other results? To find out, I began at the blinkx homepage and searched for "New York Yankees Derek Jeter" to learn a little bit more about the Yankee shortstop.

The search page provided predictable results -- the most recent local and national news stories that mentioned Jeter. But once blinkx exhausted news related to Derek Jeter, it moved on to the day's news about New York City. Before long I was getting results on Boy George's first day of community service.

Another hiccup I encountered: slow load time of some of the videos. If a program is large enough, it is broken down into equal segments. Sometimes those segments take up to five minutes to load on a cable modem. Other users may run into trouble when they search for words and phrases that may cause adult content to pop up. [The site does include a feature that can be used to filter out adults-only content.]

THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT. What about searching for videos other than news? The homepage has a list of "Popular Videos" and a section, "From Selfcast TV," that tend to feature the viral videos that have made video search engines such as YouTube popular.

During a recent search, "Popular Videos" featured numerous clips of a bratwurst eating contest from Sheboygan, Wis. If you are looking to upload your own videos, be warned: The process is not only slow, but requires you to go through login. Not every site requires this.

Only AOL TV can rival blinkx.tv in the content department [see BusinessWeek.com, 8/7/06, "AOL Video: Close But No TiVo"]. While AOL has content agreements with several entertainment companies, it also includes breaking news and unedited clips from CNN, ABC, and Reuters, along with highlights from local nightly news programs. Blinkx.tv's content has an international component AOL and others lack.

In short, there's plenty of useful, quality content -- in addition to the funny and bizarre -- to keep viewers coming back to blinkx.tv.

Source: Business Week

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