• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, October 3, 2005

Blinkx, the privately held search startup, today is expected to release a new service, "my blinkx.tv," which is akin to Internet protocol television, or IPTV.

"We see all the IPTV services set to launch and supposedly change the world, but we don't think those services are particularly innovative," said blinkx founder Suranga Chandratillake. "IPTV should combine the interactive, customizable experience of the Internet with the seamless way we watch TV."

Chandratillake was referring to companies like SBC and Verizon, both of which are aggressively pursuing IPTV services to offer countless niche and personalized content channels to U.S. consumers.

There won't be much for my blinkx.tv visitors to see at first, however, as the project relies on consumers, non-professional filmmakers, and video bloggers to voluntarily fill blinkx's library. But regardless of size, the library is highly searchable--plus, users can save favored results as "channels," which will then be automatically and continually updated the same way one receives updated podcast feeds.

Melding a passive TV experience with the Web's controllability, users' channels can be viewed either as single, uninterrupted media streams, or as individual clips. The channels can be viewed online, or when downloaded to users' desktops or portable video players.

Chandratillake said he also expects to eventually add content from professional publishers like Forbes and The New York Times, which currently allow blinkx to index links to their video. But, before those and other big companies allow blinkx to actually host their content, it has to prove that it can deliver a high-quality experience and measure viewership accurately, he added.

Both are easily achievable standards for blinkx to meet, Chandratillake said, because all the content uploaded to its system is "normalized," or converted into Flash, indexed with blinkx's voice recognition software, and tracked closely for use.

Chandratillake is also in talks with a number of unnamed ad agencies to insert streaming ads in between clips. To do so, however, blinkx will have to get permission from content publishers large and small, which is easier said than done.

Andrew Michael Baron, creator of the popular Rocketboom video blog, said that although his first rule is never to deter distribution, he has several misgivings about the project--including the loss of control that comes with distribution. "I'm confused and worried about losing control over how our stuff is experienced--and whether we'll get attribution," said Baron.

Then there's the advertising issue. Baron, who said he plans to scrutinize blinkx's terms of agreement before he does anything, is not entirely opposed to ad support, but having some veto power is a priority. "That falls into our contamination department," he said. "We don't want to just be co-opted for some big company who'll run some 15-second ad for Schick razors before our video. I mean, big brands are fine--Nike has some great ads--but we want some control over what runs with our stuff."

A blinkx spokeswoman insisted that publisher partners will have some degree of control over the advertising that will appear alongside their content.

Baron, who said Rocketboom.com draws about 60,000 unique visitors per day, added that he was having meetings with large "mainstream media" companies that have expressed interest in Rocketboom, as well as developing similar projects from scratch.

"One show we want do is take a news anchor from behind the desk--which is the standard setup for Rocketboom--and send them out into the city to cover sports events," said Baron, "but not regular sports--alternative sports like dumpster diving competitions, and, like, pillow fighting in bars."