Blinkx looks to IPTV with Joost-like BBTV offering

By Ed Oswald | Published April 2, 2008, 2:34 PM

Video search company Blinkx has combined an IPTV offering similar to Joost with its speech and visual recognition technology, which is now available for the Windows platform.

In order to watch BBTV, users will need to download a small 1.8MB application that works on Windows 2000, XP, and Vista. From there, the user would be able to access a variety of videos provided by Blinkx's partners.

When a video plays, the viewer would also be able to access relevant information from the Web simultaneously, providing for an immersive experience. Videos are provided in TV-quality format and can be viewed full-screen.

"The Web is the largest repository of connected information in the world on any subject and from myriad sources," Blinkx founder and CEO Suranga Chandratillake said. "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."

Users would still be able to use the speech search capabilities of the BBTV site just like they do in the regular Blinkx search, making it possible to navigate to a specific point. In addition, users can search for specific actors and personalities using visual recognition.

At launch, BBTV provides content from about forty independent movies, and Blinkx's already existing partners. However, the company says it will expand the content available in the coming months.

BBTV may also make appearances on Blinkx's partner sites, as it appears the company is eager to license out the IPTV technology to others.