Microsoft has acquired VideoSurf and the company plans to use its video-discovery technology in a variety of products including the Xbox and maybe Windows Phone.
The VideoSurf app is found on multiple Android handsets and it’s similar to IntoNow because it can identify what you’re watching. Unlike IntoNow, the VideoSurf app also uses visual recognition to ID show, as you’re supposed to use your phone’s camera while you’re identifying shows.
The VideoSurf app comes preloaded on many Verizon Wireless smartphones including the HTC Rezound and it includes many social media hooks to share what you’re watching to Twitter, Facebook and others. In my brief tests of the app, I found that IntoNow is a bit more accurate at identifying shows and the reviews in the Android Market aren’t great.
Still, I could easily see how this technology could work with Microsoft’s other products. The Xbox/Kinect integration makes sense as Microsoft is pushing for more on-demand or streaming television content and pushing this technology into Windows Phone could be very, very interesting. Like with IntoNow, I believe there could be a major market for apps on tablets and smartphones which augment the television watching experience – just think about how much fun one of these apps could be for live sports?
“Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Division is at the leading edge of connected entertainment,” said Lior Delgo, CEO and co-founder of VideoSurf, in a prepared statement. “We are incredibly excited to be working together on our mutual passion for creating amazing consumer experiences and reinventing how consumers search, discover and enjoy content on their televisions.”
We’ll be keeping an eye on this deal and see if anything good comes out of it. Check out the video below for an idea of what VideoSurf does.
[Via Microsoft]