blinkx announced the launch of my blinkx.tv -- a new service available through its unrivalled video search engine, http://www.blinkx.tv.
At my blinkx.tv, users can upload and store their video blogs free of charge; they can also enter a search and save it as a "channel", which will be automatically and perpetually updated with relevant footage. This personal "channel" can then be viewed as a single, uninterrupted media stream, either online, or when downloaded to their desktops or portable video player. In this way, blinkx is empowering Internet users to customize not only what video content they receive, but also how and when they view it.
Leveraging the tremendous growth of compelling user-generated content on the Web, my blinkx.tv is an interactive content hub for non-commercial videos, which introduces a unique approach to the way that content can be shared and consumed online.
For example, someone can upload personal footage and commentary on Hurricane Katrina to my blinkx.tv. blinkx will then automatically normalize the content, convert it into Flash, create an audio transcript, and index the file. The user's video clip will then become part of a living library, so that another visitor to my blinkx.tv who searched for New Orleans and weather would find that segment on Hurricane Katrina, along with other related user generated content, featured in their own customized channel.
"There's been a huge amount of noise about IPTV, but we've yet to see any real progress in this area," said blinkx founder Suranga Chandratillake. "At blinkx, we believe that IPTV should combine the interactive, customizable experience of the Internet, with the simple, seamless way we watch TV -- with my blinkx.tv, we're collaborating with our users to experiment with how we think that might look."
my blinkx.tv gives both users and content providers a glimpse of the future and sets a new expectation for what users can anticipate from their interactions with TV and Internet content. The service, which today exclusively leverages exciting user generated content, is expected to expand rapidly to include popular titles from major commercial content providers.