Interview with blinkx CTO & Founder on blinkx remote
I recently did an exclusive interview with Suranga Chandratillake, founder and CTO on blinkx, on their new technology tool for watching television online – blinkx remote. Here are some excerpts of that interview, and why Suranga is betting that his company’s new tool will revolutionize people’s viewing habits on the web.
Grant: In your press release, you meantion that blinkx’s search technologies are better than keyword-only searches, claiming that they not only listen and decipher audio, but that they “see” – the Web, “helping users enjoy a breadth and accuracy of search results not available elsewhere.” Can you explain how blinkx’s search techologies “see” the Web, and mix that in with the speech recognition experience?
Suranga: We use visual analysis to have software actually watch the video and infer meaning from its visual as well as aural properties.
Grant: Will blinkx be able to provide a directory of, or search by, networks and entertainment companies featuring television shows?
Suranga: Yes. To see a directory of the currently shows available, one can go right to the blinkx site and click on the icon in the upper right corner of their site – “Watch TV Online.” The search function for TV shows is available in our advanced search page.
Grant: How are the short clips derived? Does blinkx use its own criteria, and what would that be? Or are they chosen by the actual content providers?
Suranga: All previews are auto-generated by blinkx.
Grant: Will there be free a well as paid downloads of these long-form shows?
Suranga: Yes, assuming they are available on the Web.
Grant: Will these shows be accessible on all major media players? Even including the new MacTV?
Suranga: Yes, they should run on any standard web device. content is generally in windows media, mpg4 or flash, depending on the source.
Grant: Can the shows be downloaded directly to portable media players with WiFi or Bluetooth capability?
Suranga: Yes.
Coming tomorrow: Testing the technology