• by Daisy Whitney , Op-Ed Contributor, April 5, 2012

Video search is a nut that needs to be cracked. And while there have been numerous attempts over the years to deliver better video search, the industry still hasn’t unearthed an ideal solution.

There’s movement afoot, though.

Joy Marcus, venture partner at DFJ Gotham Ventures, said during the recent Beet.TV executive retreat  that she’s keeping her eye on several new audio and video recognition technology startups in Israel that may have interesting tools for video search.

Others are looking to integrate social tools into video search. That includes video technology firm Digitalsmiths, which is now weaving real-time buzz into its video discovery tools.

“The growing demand for video data is being driven by revolutionary new ways for which viewers search, discover, watch and interact with video content,” said Ben Weinberger, CEO of Digitalsmiths. “Consumers are increasingly looking to Twitter and other social networks when making entertainment decisions, making it important for service providers to embrace the social graph. Service providers must find seamless, integrated solutions for incorporating trends on social networks into the content discovery experience.”

Integrating social buzz is becoming more common, with apps like Yap.TV and Buddy.TV also rounding up tweets and status updates on shows. There’s also an iPad program guide from Veronica Magazine in Holland, a TV listings service in that country that includes real-time buzz around shows in the guide itself.

Social trending can help tie video search results to what is relevant now for viewers, Weinberger noted in a recent webinar.