• by Wayne Friedman , January 31, 2012

Sony Pictures Entertainment’s modestly sized digital video entertainment network, Crackle, has launched on Microsoft's Xbox Live where Crackle's young viewers can search and play TV and movie content by verbal commands -- from its Kinect software.

Using Xbox's 360 video game technology and Kinect's voice- and motion-activated controls, viewers can search (through Microsoft's Bing search engine) for a movie by asking, “Xbox, Bing: Groundhog Day" or use verbal commands to play a movie, such as  “Xbox. Play Donnie Brasco."

The company did not disclose terms of the deal.

Phil Lynch, vp of digital Networks and games at Sony Pictures Television, said in a release: “By our continued emphasis on cross-platform distribution, we are bringing an unparalleled viewing experience directly to Crackle’s target demographic of 18-34 males through their internet-enabled devices."