Microsoft’s acquisition of video search firm VideoSurf (for $100m) gives an indication of how it intends to develop its Bing search engine but also how it sees Xbox Live developing.
VideoSurf specialises in video search technology that scans video sites for results – sites like DailyMotion, YouTube, Metacafe and Hulu. It has developed to include audio recognition technology and facial recognition ability. This means it can search by individual video frames, something that Microsoft believes will result in better search results on Bing, as well as fitting in nicely with its ambitions for Xbox Live.
Xbox Live is starting to take in content from independent video makers who typically don’t have the same SEO spend as the major studios. This means VideoSurf will allow Xbox Live to be more ‘democratic’ and far reaching when searching for relevant content.
VideoSurf could also be integrated with Kinect and allow users to voice search for video content, apps, TV shows and studio films.
The vision for Microsoft, if you want top put it that way, is that one day people will be able to ask their TVs (using voice) to search for a particular film or show, without knowing its title or its lead characters. For example: “What’s the film where the two guys go on holiday by mistake to Uncle Monty’s cottage?” and within second users will receive a raft of Withnail & I content including the film itself and the various documentaries made about it. It may also show other Richard E. Grant movies or Bruce Robinson projects. While this may seem very futuristic, in reality it’s just around the corner.
Microsoft’s main competitor in the race to shape the way people consume TV and video, is of course Google. Google TV’s ambitions are anything but small. The race has begun in earnest and Microsoft, that old tech giant from the 70s, remains one of the firms to watch (pun intended) as TV enters its latest rebirth.

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