Online video-search engine blinkx announced Wednesday the launch of a Web-based television service with interactive features like automatic transcripts of audio tracks and links to background information on actors.
The service, called blinkx Broadband TV, or BBTV, opens with a library of independent films and other programming that is available for free after downloading a player. Blinkx also announced Wednesday a content deal with Dogwoof, a U.K. film distributor specializing in independent and world cinema.
The announcements come as online video becomes increasingly popular, and marketers look to shift more online advertising toward video.
Blinkx chief executive Suranga Chandratillake said in a statement that the new service would exploit the power of the Internet more than other online television offerings.
New features include speech-based navigation, which allows users to search through content word for word and jump to specific points in a program. Viewers also can access a transcript of a video’s audio track and click on words for information on people and objects within the video.
Blinkx makes money by embedding ads in its video content. Using voice-recognition software, the company shows ads related to keywords mentioned in videos.
Founded in 2004, the company is based in San Francisco and London and completed an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange in May of last year.