Blinkx improves media search with RSS

Multimedia search firm Blinkx is the latest company to use Really Simple Syndication (RSS) to make it easier for people to find video and audio on the Internet.

RSS allows users to look for any word uttered in news videos, podcasts and video blogs.

Blinkx’s service uses smart voice recognition technology to scan video and audio on the web. It then automatically creates a searchable transcript. Users can save a search for a key word and enter it into a webfeed reader. It the word comes up in a podcast or news video indexed by Blinkx, the user will be notified.

Suranga Chandratillake, the founder of Blinkx, said that because there was so much audio and video on the net, particularly with the introduction of podcasting, it was sensible to make search and delivery automated.

Blinkx has secured contract with companies such as BBC, Bloomberg, CNN and Fox to index the content.

Video search services from Google and Yahoo do not analyse the content with voice recognition or play the programmes. They only search description information from host sites, or closed caption information. Closed caption information is usually only done for content that appears on TV first, while there is an increase in websites producing web-only video.

Although broadcasters such as the BBC are obliged to include closed caption information in broadcasts as part of a commitment to accessibility, the information provided is often inadequate.

Blinkx also uses voice recognition technology from Autonomy, which is said to be 96-97% accurate on broadcast quality video.